It has been 56 days. Longer than I planned. Longer than I intended.
I could have come back with something polished, something safe, something that made it seem like I never left.
But that would not be honest.
These past 56 days have felt much less like progress and much more like a wilderness.
There have been health battles in my home that I did not see coming. An unexpected uprooting that shifted everything. And in the middle of it all, I have felt stretched beyond what is comfortable or controllable.
I keep thinking about how God moves in specific timeframes throughout Scripture.
Fifty-two days, and the wall was rebuilt. Forty days in the wilderness, where everything is tested.
But we rarely talk about what those days actually feel like when you are in them.
They do not feel powerful in the moment.
They feel slow. Uncertain. Heavy.
And if I am honest, God has been teaching me something I thought I already understood:
Long suffering.
Not just patience. Not simply waiting.
But a deep, Spirit-produced endurance that holds onto God even when nothing seems to be changing.
Longsuffering is remaining rooted when life feels unresolved. It is trusting God without a timeline.
It is continuing to believe He is good, even when the season is not.
I am still walking through it.
Still learning how to lean on Him instead of trying to make sense of everything.
But I know this: God has not left.
Not in the silence. Not in the stretching. Not in these 56 days.
And if you have been in your own kind of wilderness lately, you are not alone.
Thank you for staying with me.
I do not take that lightly.
I am leaning on God now more than ever, and I am grateful that you are here walking through this with me.
Resources
If you want guided structure with space to journal and breathe, you can start the first 7 days of the When Dust Speaks devotional for free here: https://bmwtogether.kit.com/dfa92f0e21
I was born on 6 August 1956 in San Francisco, California to Janet and (the late) Richard Hovis.
I grew up in Santa Monica, California where I attended elementary, junior high school, and high school (graduating in 1974), in addition to involvement in sports and recreation (Little League +, the Boy’s Club ++). Further, it was in elementary school – St. Augustine’s By-the -Sea Parish School that I found, and made the choice to truly journey with God.
I attended Arizona State University from 1974 to 1977 – seeking to become an architect, however, I was not accepted, and, as such, I graduated with a Liberal Arts degree.
Upon graduation from Arizona State University, I attended Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and studied City and Regional Planning at the Master’s level. I successfully completed one (1) year in a two (2) year program – I did not complete the Master’s degree in City and Regional Planning – due to personal reasons.
I returned to Santa Monica where I started (October 1979) my career as graphic designer with Exxon Company, USA. I spent five years with Exxon Company, USA.
While working with Exxon Company, USA I was accepted into architectural school – Sci-Arc in Southern California, however, I did not attend preferring to stay with Exxon..
In 1982 I married Laura Flosi and in April 1983 we had our one and only child – Lauren Alain Hovis – a gift from God.
We moved to Phoenix, Arizona in 1984 from Los Angeles, where I went to work as a graphic designer with Kitchell CEM (from 1985 -1987).
From 1987 – 1995 I was an independent contractor, and a registered representative in mortgage finance, financial management, graphic design, and drafting.
Further, I attended the University of Phoenix and successfully obtained a Master’s in Business Administration (MBA) in 1982.
I was also a member of the Scottsdale Jaycees, where I became very involved in community events and projects.
In 1994, I accepted a cartography position with the Defense Mapping Agency in Reston, Virginia. As such, I relocated from Phoenix to Reston.
In 1998, I was accepted and worked as a Visual Information Officer with the Central Intelligence Agency. In 2002, I worked as a Support Officer until my retirement (due to a need for shoulder surgery) in September 2018.
Away from my Federal Government service, I have been involved in various organizations and activities in Northern Virginia.
In November of 2011, I married Rebecca Ouellette in Santa Monica, California. I reside in San Tan Valley, AZ with my two hamster - Jess and Timothy, our fish, our lizard - RJ Lizard., and our cats - Pearl and Grey.
As to hobbies, I enjoy playing sports, attending sporting events, mentoring individuals from financial management to hamsters, building models, photography, travel, multimedia design, managing partner for RJ Hamster, and jazz – smooth jazz to a samba or a bossa nova.
Love and God Bless,
Peter – aka RJ Hamster Jo hi
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