break our hearts for what breaks Yours.

Suffering.  A word that most of you reading instantly wince at. Honestly, a part of me winces as well.  Especially as an American, I think it’s a cultural norm that we avoid pain at all costs.  Ask anyone at church or in line at the grocery store on any given day how they are and the reply is instantaneously, “Fine.”  Most Germans dislike this aspect of American culture---this tendency to pretend to have it all together.  The culture here is starkly contrast; no one bothers asking how anyone is, because no one typically cares. If by chance someone ventures to inquire, the answer is guaranteed to be honest. I’ve really loved asking cashiers here how they are. The two most common reactions are either shock or meltdowns. Just the other day at H&M I asked the cashier, “Wie gehts?” and she responded with desperate eyes and shaky words that she was having a horrible day, that life could be a lot better.  I feel like Jesus has been revealing to me His desire to get to the core of who people are, that He came “to seek and to save the lost (Luke 19:10).”  The implications of that are huge, if you think about it.  We’re often so preoccupied with seeking friendly and admirable ways to look like Jesus when in actuality, looking like Jesus is really entering the messy and painful elements of people’s lives to speak hope.  It’s comfortable to sit in the embrace of Jesus’ healing love as a new creation, but He calls us, as children and heirs, lights and love bearers, to do as He did---to enter into the messiness and sufferings of others and speak forth His Kingdom, His glorious Kingdom of beauty, wholeness, newness, love, life and joy.  More than just sending money to our World Vision sponsor children. More than casually giving an encouraging word to a cashier or a homeless man. His heart is with the corrupted and broken, the lonely and forgotten, the shameful and hopeless ones.

Shane Claiborne writes, “What had lasting significance were not the miracles [of Jesus] but Jesus’ love. Jesus raised his friend Lazarus from the dead, and a few years later, Lazarus died again. Jesus healed the sick, but they eventually caught some other disease. He fed the thousands, and the next day they were hungry again. But we remember His love. It wasn’t that Jesus healed a leper but that He touched a leper, because no one touched lepers.”  This wondrous Jesus entered into the pain, the shame, the messiness of humanity and He loved.  He’s been teaching me why this is so dear to His heart. 

But before I proceed, I want you to know that I’m preaching to myself here as well; let me tell you about the lowest point of my journey, which was about a week ago.  Hair sopping wet with insecticide, eyes burning beneath chemical and mascara, head contortioned under the sink that shot water across my tear-stained face, I barely withheld exclamatory words as my Syrian roommate Rabia sweetly prayed over me, holding back my hair and gently singing songs of Jesus’ faithfulness.

The seams that held the former capacity of my heart tore against the pressure of the revolt occurring within.  I wept with abandon.  I cried for my selfishness. I cried for the strenuous measures that are required to exterminate head lice.  I cried for the kids who live like this on a daily basis, who don’t have healthy homes or parents.  I cried for their need and for my wealth.  I cried for the girls who rang the doorbell wanting to see me but couldn’t, yet left a precious picture for me that they spent hours creating.  I cried for the ones who catapult themselves into my arms when I walk into a room.  I cried for the goodbyes I have to say. I cried for the dirty feeling of bites on my neck and scalp. I cried for how pathetic I felt because I would rather my hair smell like vanilla. Cried for empty ones. Cried for the ones who don’t know their dads. Cried for the moms who are drug-addicted and prostitutes. Cried for the ones who simply wanted to remain in my embrace but couldn’t do so without giving me head lice. Cried that I couldn’t lovingly wash all of their heads clean and give them popsicles and let them know that everything will be okay. Cried. 

Seeking the lost isn’t always joy-giving, but Jesus is.  “Christ in you, the hope of glory (Col. 1:27).”  Joy Himself chooses to live in us, and we are commissioned to arise and shine into the darkness.  I quickly learned that worshiping Him in the midst of such brokenness is the only way we will transform this world.  Right before I caught head lice from one of the kids last week, I caught an upper respiratory infection and fever, which caused me to miss a staff meeting. The staff ended up coming into our apartment to pray over me and give me communion, because we always take communion together.  “Jesu Leben für dich gebrochen; Jesu Blut für dich vergossen.”  Jesus’ life for me broken, Jesus’ blood for me shed. He was broken so not a thing in me has to be broken. His blood for my newness.  My hope. My life. He sought me out in my mess, my brokenness, and made me into a new creation.  And at the end of every day, despite everything I see and experience and feel, nothing can come against the freedom I have from shame and brokenness.  And in the midst of so much that might typically frustrate me, I found such joy in realizing that absolutely nothing could separate me from the love of God. I could be separated from my friends and home and comforts and culture, but the love of God and His presence for me endures.  He is sovereign. He is for me. And that is the most beautiful treasure of all---which we are honored to share and impart to others.  The Father’s heart.

I’m not the girl I was when I landed in Hanover alone two months ago, sitting in the backseat of a Turkish man’s cab, feeling so utterly alone and unsure.  It’s no longer about moving the fickle hearts of others.  Placed in the wilderness where I’ve learned to lean on God, I’ve learned that in my frailty and dependence in Him, I’m stronger in that position, taking everything to Him in prayer.  Every movement of my heart.  He cares. He’s ever present.  And it’s in those times that the culture of heaven invades our hearts and lives with resources that actually make a powerful and lasting impact that mere persuasion can’t achieve.   As Danny Silk wrote in Culture of Honor, “The reason we must leave our comfort zone is that we must have nothing but God to fall back on if we are going to tap into the wealth of heaven.”

Because real love braves the mess and speaks order to chaos and life to death. Joy to mourning and beauty to ashes.  Jesus came to seek and save the lost.  May our desires and the company we keep be the same.  So we hold them, we cry with them, we share in their pain, and we sing them the song of a love unfading. Hope has arisen; He is here. 

Let our words and lives be the fruit of hearts that love, trust and adore Him.

“Therefore Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people with His own blood, suffered outside the gate.  Therefore let us go forth to Him, outside the camp, bearing His reproach.  For here we have no continuing city, but we seek the one to come…” Heb. 13:12-14

"But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd.  Then He said to His disciples, 'The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few.  Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send laborers into His harvest." Matthew 9:36-39

Count It All Joy.

A picture may be worth a thousand words, but I have none that could honestly convey what I am experiencing.

So here I will attempt to articulate; a few days ago, a precious nine-year-old German girl called me her ‘mom.’ Her biological mom is a drug-addicted prostitute and her dad isn’t even in the picture. She, along with another little girl, spent the majority of that day with their small arms wrapped around my waist, wanting me to hold them, carry them, love them. My eyes constantly fought against brimming tears. All I could do was tell them how beautiful and sweet they are, how beloved they are. Such an array of thoughts churned in my mind; mostly conviction. In a month I will return to one of the nicest private universities in America, and they don’t have the opportunity to choose another reality from their lives in Schöneweide. Usually we have multiple kids ringing the doorbell of our apartment flat daily, for they know we’re the only place in the neighborhood where they can receive healthy love and attention.

Everything I’ve been seeing and experiencing has led me to ask myself many questions lately. What are we doing with our time? With our spiritual and material gifts? I’ve been getting frustrated lately even thinking about the concept of missions trips. I don’t care if we preach well, sing well, build houses well, pray well, donate money, etc---the only reason we can even do any of that is because Jesus redeemed and healed our broken lives and hearts in the beginning. Obedience shouldn’t be so impressive---we should live knowing that all we have and are is a glorious gift from our awesome Father. And honestly, if we ‘lead’ people into the same beautiful love of God, it’s not our glory, because the Holy Spirit is the one who changes hearts. It’s hard for me to post pictures or blogs about this journey, because I don’t feel like I’m doing something that is extraordinary. Loving those children is more of an honor than anything. They deserve to be loved. We should be stepping up as followers of Jesus around the world.

It's challenging to share these experiences since I can’t photograph the majority of them. Most of my photos are from my days off, when I like to take time to explore other sections of the city. I can’t capture scenes such as the little girl I saw the other day who had missing chunks of hair and scabs all over her body because some of the kids here cut themselves just to feel pain. I can’t show you images of prostitutes, drug addicts and pimps in the red light district, or of the majority of the kids in this neighborhood who don’t even know their dad, or other such cases I've seen throughout my weeks here.

Sitting here in my Anthropologie jeans it feels cliche to write about my own personal challenges, but besides being limited in my speaking skills, at times I find myself frustrated with the lack of radical change. I want to see freedom and redemption, love and hope arising…but God is really revealing to me what it means to have His joy be my strength. I got upset a few days ago thinking about the brokenness I’ve seen, and I cried out to God, “How am I supposed to have joy when things are so hard and at times bleak? When we pray and pray and nothing miraculous happens?” And God gently reminded me that our joy, delight and satisfaction are not in what He does but in who He is. If our joy was grounded in what God does, that would be a performance-based relationship. And whether or not God gives us exactly what we desire, He is sovereign, and His love for us is steadfast. Our relationship with Him is about who He is---and He is beauty and goodness and perfect love and I will celebrate Him despite what I see in the natural. Our God is the supernatural, powerful, mysterious and perfect One. I’m seeing that when I hold His hand in the midst of my weakest and most vulnerable points, I’m stronger than ever. Even when I’m frustrated, losing patience, exhausted…He calls me beloved and beautiful. He is the Lord of all, of every moment and every circumstance. And just like the lyrics to Mandisa's song, "These Days, "I'm learning to love these days, life along the way; In the middle of the crazy, God Your love is so amazing! Through the ups and downs, You're the only hope I've found. Lord You meet me in the madness…" Which is what I'm learning in the course of this trying internship.  Here is an example of my weekly schedule:

Tuesday: up at 6 a.m. (11 p.m. America time, ha) I’m allotted a 20-minute shower. Intern breakfast at 7:15. Staff worship and intercessory prayer from 8 a.m.-9:15 a.m. My morning is spent grocery shopping and cooking for the rest of the staff. Lunch is at 12:30 p.m. Around 1 p.m. we have more staff worship and intercessory prayer, and each of us are assigned individual hours to be in the prayer room. The rest of the afternoon is spent praying and cleaning our intern apartment flat. Then at 6 p.m. we meet again for staff worship and intercessory prayer. Bed at 10:30.

Wednesday: Repeat of aforementioned morning schedule, then in the afternoon we have “Spiele Nachmittag,” an afternoon playtime and Bible teaching for neighborhood kids. Then at 6:30 p.m. we have Hauskreis, the church’s small group, with worship and teaching. Afterwards we clean the entire ministry facility. Bed at 10:30 p.m.

Thursday: Repeat of aforementioned morning schedule, then we prepare for our brunch, open to the neighborhood and church members. Someone preaches. After cleaning the ministry facilities again, we distribute kids’ ministry invitations to neighborhood families and sometimes bring food to people who live in the Wagenburg. At 5 p.m. we have Frauen Fitness, a Christian fitness training class. Afterwards is our weekly staff meeting, again with worship and intercessory prayer. Bed at 10:30 p.m.

Friday: Repeat of aforementioned morning schedule, then the day is spent preparing the curriculum for the kids’ ministry, praying, and cooking. Friday afternoons we have an outreach time for teenagers to come and hang out, and we also have a Bible teaching for them. After cleaning the ministry facilities, we have bed at 10:30 p.m.

Saturday: Repeat of aforementioned morning schedule, then our biggest kids' outreach is in the afternoon. We have skits, teaching and worship for them. Then after cleaning the ministry facilities around dinner time, a few of us interns go with some adults from the staff to the red light district in Berlin to minister to prostitutes, drug addicts and whoever else is willing to talk/pray with us.

Sunday: We have the morning off. Then at 3 p.m. we meet for staff worship/intercessory prayer and start cooking for church that night. Our service is from 6-8:30ish. Then after cleaning the ministry facilities, we have bed at 11:30 p.m.

Monday: our day off.

Having such an intensive schedule has most assuredly been teaching me about living less out of my feelings and more out of who God is. Despite how we ever 'feel,' God is steadfast and faithful, unfailing in His perfect love. I’m discovering the true essence of, “Rejoice in the Lord always,” and “The joy of the Lord is your strength.”  I'm also learning that I may not be able to fix every broken heart I encounter, but the One who can lives in us---and His Kingdom is our Kingdom----full of joy, freedom, peace, healing, restoration, life. We work from the resources of heaven, not from what we see.

“Behold, God is my salvation, I will trust and not be afraid; for Yahweh, the Lord, is my strength and song!” Isaiah 12:2

He is our song. I want to encourage you, dear hearts, that He is for us, and intricately more at work than we realize. Don’t ever stop singing. As we abide in His love, hope arises.  Fight the good fight of faith. His joy is our strength.


Father, tune our hearts with Yours.

Love from Deutschland,

Megan

Germany, Jesus, and a few musings.

Du bist immer für mich.  This is the phrase I’ve often written on my wrist at the start of the day since I’ve been in Germany the past three weeks. It translates, “You are always for me.”  This adventure has taught me so incredibly much thus far, but above all else, I’m learning to rely on and trust in Jesus more than ever. And He is, most assuredly, the only constant, and always faithful.  I spent my first two weeks in Dresden. Much of the time was spent either in evangelism training or doing ministry.  There are numerous stories I would love to recount here, but I feel like the lessons I’ve been learning will best communicate what God has been revealing to my heart.  If you’re interested in hearing more specifics about my time in Dresden, my new friend Anthony summarized what Jesus did very eloquently and passionately in his blog here.

It’s been difficult to put into words what’s been happening these past three weeks.  Most people don’t think about Europe when they think about missions. Typically, mission work is equated with third world countries and starving children. Here’s the thing though---Europeans may not be starving, but they are just as spiritually malnourished as any other place.  I’m currently in Berlin, and the effects of Nazism and Communism especially have left the culture (at least where I live, in the former East Berlin) with a brokenness I’ve never encountered before. On Saturday night I went with a few others to the Red Light District in Berlin to minister to prostitutes.  It was a surreal experience. Most of the women come from Bulgaria, Russia or other nearby countries to ‘work’ in Germany.  They openly stand on the streets of this district selling their bodies, sometimes since the age of 14.  Often they have drug addictions. Some have children. All are hurting and hardened from years of abusive relationships and neglect.  It was an extremely cold night, and here they were barely wearing clothes, hoping to make some money to get by.  We tried to talk to them; some were absolutely shut down. Some were crumbling from the core. A particular one, called ‘Vicki,’ stood out to me.  She wore fishnets, a bright blue mini-skirt, had tan skin, and big, telling eyes.  She only knew German and Bulgarian, so we spoke with her in German.  We asked her if she wanted a new life, that Jesus could give her a new life---her chin quivered as she fought back tears, saying that she didn’t think it was possible.  My heart was on fire within me, desperately wanting to communicate the full extent of love Jesus has for her, but limited in my German. 

A quick note; Berlin is home to a fairly untrusting and distant culture, so extraordinarily different from the Southerners I’m accustomed to in Nashville.  No one ever smiles or talks to strangers, let alone gives something to strangers for free. Few people believe in God. Berlin is known as the “Atheist Capital of Europe.” Most are conditioned by broken families and relationships. And as I stood there in the frigid night air, praying more intently than I have in such a while, watching the barren faces of empty prostitutes as drunken college guys and middle-aged business men pulled their cars over, scanning their bodies with cravings no woman could ever satisfy, I felt a variety of things. Standing in, quite blatantly, Satan’s territory, I think I might have felt what Jesus felt.  A righteous anger against an enemy who comes to kill, steal and destroy. A relentless desire to establish the Kingdom of God---the presence of Jesus---to make all things new, to heal, to set free, to love, to give joy and peace. And though I don’t have any extraordinary testimonies from my first night of ministry in the Red Light District, I think that, in the words of Brooke Fraser, “I am changing, less and less asleep, made of different stuff than when I began…”

The Christians here are absolutely refreshing though---they are so focused on leading others to encounter Jesus! It has been an awesome reminder to see that we’re called to be witnesses, to testify to the work of His love in our lives, not to defend or argue others into believing.  When people encounter the presence of a living, mighty God who loves them unfailingly, they are forever changed.  Even the kids here at the ministry understand this.  Just the other day, a 12-year-old girl, Regina, was with her friend who had a terrible stomachache.  Regina is a Christian; her friend is not.  Regina told her friend that Jesus wanted to heal her stomach. Her friend laughed. So Regina replied, “Okay, let me pray for your stomach, and when Jesus heals it completely in 10 minutes, you have to come to Zukunft für Dich with me three times.”  And guess what? Her friend’s stomach was completely healed by Jesus, in less than ten minutes. She won’t ever forget that encounter with the Healer!

I quickly realized that in order to do ministry fulltime, it has to be out of an intimate relationship with God.  Honestly, being alone in a foreign country and not speaking the language completely fluently is not something I would do if I weren’t in love with God who drew me here---I miss my home in Nashville tremendously!  But I was thinking the other day, when we fall in love with someone, we’re willing to sacrifice in order to be with them; and when Jesus is the most beloved, dear treasure to us, we will go wherever for Him, no matter what the cost. When you love someone, you sacrifice because you know that they are more important than yourself, because real, authentic love is putting the other’s good above your own. Jesus gave all for us. We should willingly, joyfully give all for Him.  He is our joy, and our hope, and our promise for the future.  There are moments when I get overwhelmed doing ministry here alone, but knowing that I am completely in God’s will and held in His strong, unfailing hands, any hint of fear is dispelled.

When we’re in love with someone, we’re passionate about the cares of their hearts---and Jesus came to seek and to save the lost. I want to have His heart for every person I encounter!  The Bible says we can judge a tree by its fruit. We should be bearing ‘fruit’ in our lives that looks radically different from the world.  But that fruit is only produced out of a love relationship with God in which we take on His heart. Evangelism in the natural overflow of a heart captivated with Jesus.  When we’re in love with someone, we want to gush about how their love changes us and excites us! It’s even moreso with Jesus, the Author of love.  He’s not an idea, belief, or theology.  When He shows up, so do His love and power to change hearts and lives.  We owe people an encounter with Him, not petty advertisements.  As Christians we get to partner with Jesus and all of heaven to further the Kingdom of God---think about it---beauty, hope, joy, healing, restoration, all things new, goodness, freedom!  That’s the fruit I want my life to produce.

Here in Berlin I’m living in an intentional community (WohnGemeinschaft) with three other girls who are in their twenties.  They call our “WG” the “Kompromisslos für Jesus.”  “Without Compromise for Jesus Living Community.”  I’m really in awe of them. They walk around our apartment singing worship throughout the day, and as soon as something comes up that is troublesome, they automatically say, “Let’s pray.” (Only in German, of course.)  Our WG is also special because it serves as a therapy place for prostitutes who wish to start their lives anew with Jesus, if they choose to do so.  None are here currently, but any day some may come in.  We pray they do, but it’s a war.  The first few days I was here I was personally under intense spiritual attack.  I was extremely sick and overwhelmed with heavy feelings of loneliness.  At staff meeting everyone surrounded me in prayer though, and praise Jesus, my stomach was healed, my allergies improved, and so did my perspective! It’s such a blessing to be in a community with people focused on knowing and loving and sharing the presence and power of Jesus.  I honestly found it difficult to worship the first few days though; but the longer I’m here, the more I understand why my precious roommates, in their unembellished devotion to God, are able to worship constantly with such joy---because when Jesus is all you have, you realize He’s all you need.  It hasn't been easy for me to leave my home and my friends and my work and my stuff and my academic endeavors and everything that seemingly gave me purpose and comfort.  But here in Berlin, in a place so absolutely far and different from all I’ve known to be ‘mine,’ I’m realizing that when the only familiar thing to me is Jesus, I have more than enough. Because my joy is not grounded in circumstances or relationships, but in an unchanging, steadfast Father who loves me unfailingly.  Hallelujah!  And while that doesn’t make being here alone or doing ministry in a foreign culture any easier, it makes it all the more worth it. Jesus’ love makes it worth it all. 

As Bob Goff says, “Being the Body of Christ doesn’t mean we wear matching t-shirts; we try to have matching hearts.”  Go after His heart today. Let's drop our plans and make Jesus the agenda.

Improbable Faith > Predictable Life

Rick Pino made a great point when he said, “I have never regretted saying ‘yes’ to the Lord, I have only regret the times that I didn’t.” Here’s the thing though---saying yes requires first seeking God’s will.  Which is what I did a few months ago when I casually asked God what I should do with my summer break. I knew I could probably stay in Nashville again and work, enjoying the city and my friends…but I didn’t want to be selfish with my time. So when God directed me to a very whimsical idea of doing ministry internships in Germany for the summer, I was, quite honestly, a bit daunted at the thought of traveling alone through another country, just me and Jesus.

“…and lean on the God of Israel; the Lord of hosts is His name.”  (Isaiah 48:2)

I’m a planner. Anyone that really knows me will tell you that I adore color-coded tabs and neatly ordered lists.  But there are times when Jesus will invite, “Step out of the boat! Trust Me,” without any further explanation. 

Here’s the thing about leaning---it means not supporting your own weight. 

“Lean on the God of Israel”…in a world that tries to condition us to be self-sufficient and independent, how many Christians can truly say that they are leaning on God?  Being led by the Holy Spirit rather than by reason and logic?  Trusting in a King and Kingdom not of this world?  It’s often contrary to our nature, which is part of the reason I believe Paul exhorts us in Romans 8:6 that to be spiritually-minded is ‘life and peace.’  In the words of Bill Johnson, "Heaven has perfect confidence in God. This world is filled with unbelief and resistance to God. We will always reflect the nature of the world we are most aware of."

As I prepare to leave for Germany in the morning, I’ve been reflecting on the incredible support and encouragement I’ve had as I’ve prayed and planned for this adventure. I’ve also encountered those who have voiced doubts though, well-meaning individuals who brought up concerns about money and safety and reliability and security.  Yes, these are valid concerns.  But I’ve been learning that if we are to truly live out a life of faith in the One who we call Jehovah Jireh, we don’t get to know everything.  Think about this: In Ezekial 37, Ezekial is told to speak to a bunch of dry bones and prophesy that they will live.

Stop. Imagine that. You are in a valley full of HUMAN BONES and the Holy Spirit of God tells you to tell them to live. Now that is having faith, trust, vision, and purpose! Ezekial does so and look---“there was a noise and a rattling, and the bones came together, bone by bone.”  These bones came from the grave to compose a great army into which the Lord spoke hope and life.  But it took Ezekial’s faith and trust.

This is not to say it is easy, but God has been teaching me that He is trustworthy. He, who promises, IS always faithful.  So if He tells me to (seemingly foolishly) march around the walls of Jericho blowing on a trumpet, to lead a group of His people to a promised land I have yet to lay eyes on, or to step out of a boat onto water, I know His ways are gloriously higher.

It just takes a bit of gumption, a focused gaze in the loving eyes of Jesus, and resting in the knowledge that our precious Father tenderly whispers to us, “I’m every step ahead of you.”

We can’t get back hours of worry. I want to look back and say I lived a life of faith and adventure, of trust and miracles.  As Bob Goff joyously proclaims, "I would rather have improbable faith than a predictable life!" (and bear with me, I know this blog is oozing with quotes, but what can I say, they’re so true!) Norman Vincent Peale always exhorted, “Empty pockets never held anyone back---only empty heads and empty hearts can do that.”

Where God guides, God provides, and if it’s God’s will, it’s God’s bill. It hasn’t been an instantaneous result, but God has continually provided my every need each step of the way as I pursue His plan.  And I would much rather risk the odds of failing or making mistakes than risk not risking at all to further establish the Kingdom of heaven and the healing, transforming, redeeming work of Jesus’ love.

Lately I’ve been reading through Hebrews.  Most people associate Hebrews with chapter 11’s recount of the most faithful Old Testament individuals.  My bible makes a fascinating note about it: “there is no mention of the sins and shortcomings of those listed…the obvious reason is that the blood of Jesus Christ has blotted out the sins and failures, so that their iniquities are remembered against them no more.”  Same with us. We’re under the new covenant. No reason to fear. As noted in 1 John 4, “Perfect love casts out all fear.”  We’re covered! And as our loving Father, God delights in our every effort to engage Him in our lives and in our obedience to His desires. He also acknowledges the desires of our hearts and has our best interest in mind in all of His plans. He wants our good! Living in this revelation reminds me of A.W. Tozer’s happy assertion that, "Outside of the will of God, there's nothing I want, and in the will of God, there's nothing I fear."

Greater is He who is in us.  He’s called us to extraordinary living and extraordinary love, both of which require risk.  He’s every step ahead of us. :)

Always hope. Always trust. Never fear.

Let’s making our lives a daring adventure with King Jesus.

Feasting in Dangerous Places

As a Religion & the Arts major, I'm really excited about the upcoming Religion & the Arts Showcase here at Belmont University on Wednesday, April 27 from 7-9 p.m. The theme this year is "Feasting in Dangerous Places," basically exploring how we continue to find places of rest, delight and hope in the midst of a world that is often violent, bleak and threatening.  This is a poem I wrote for it, and below it is a photo of the collage art piece I made to showcase the poem.  I hope you enjoy, and come out to Neely Hall this Wednesday!

Our bunker is crafted out of His prodigal love

And our boundless faith.

We endeavor to banish darkness to its proper place.

Our ragtag band of sisters and brothers

 Dance to life,

To the tune of His unfailing affections;

The Kingdom is here!

What a glorious mystery, such a marvelous

Treasure to expose.

Our hearts are not alone but home to

His abundant majesty.

Our hope is living. Breathing. Generative. Creating. Sustaining. Transforming.

We carry the authority of the King to call things not as they seem.

 Our heartbeat is of heaven;

And the sweetest refrain is to be engraved on the palms of His hands. 

Looking at the Hands of the Time We've Been Given

The other day I was rather distracted in my Christian Ethics class, instead meandering through my Bible when a passage in 1 Corinthians 4 caught my eye.  Paul wrote, “For though you might have ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet you do not have many fathers…therefore I urge you, imitate me (v. 15.16).”  It struck me as a fascinating verse.   'Father' is so much more intimate than the distant, formal term of 'instructors'…we need spiritual 'fathers' more than countless instructors. People are persuaded so much more by love than by doctrine.  1 Corinthians 4 goes on to say, “For the Kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but a matter of power (v. 20).”  I don’t think it’s a coincidence that Paul wrote this statement within the same paragraph as the note about fathers.  We need spiritual fathers, and we need to realize that the Kingdom Jesus came to establish here on earth is recognized by its life-transforming power, not by clever words and doctrines. The Kingdom to which we belong is built on intimate relationship with our Father, recognizing our identities as sons and daughters of the King.

The past few weeks have been rather tumultuous for me.  Only a week and a half ago I went to a former high school classmate’s funeral, then I nearly wrecked after hydroplaning in a storm off of the interstate.  It made me think quite a bit about the fragility of life---we get so comfortable in our routines and feeling of invincibility that at times we can lose a sense of eternal perspective. It also made me talk with God quite a bit about how I live my life, and how I love. God has been gently revealing to me how many impure motives often lie behind my love for others…motives with conditional, self-gratifying motives.  My love is often contingent on a person’s response---I want them to at least be grateful, and at most reciprocate the same love.  If neither of these occur, I would get defensive and wonder why I should bother in the first place. 

Sometimes we need wake-up calls to remember that though God cares about us and about our hearts, making us whole and free, and drawing us into intimacy with Him, there is a broken, desperate world waiting for us to pour out to them.

Freely we receive, freely give.

We are not designed to be reservoirs, but overflowing cups of the love and grace of Jesus.

Genuine love for others does not consider our own self-interest or the behavior of others; it's giving others what they most need, unconditionally. 

Let us not get caught up in routines and rhythms that are counter to the abundant, tangible fruit of a life in love and unity with Jesus Christ.  The things that matter at the end of the life truly reflect the impact we make on those around us.  Let us seek to bear the fruit of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, self-control by abiding in the Vine…let us create, by the power of the Holy Spirit, ‘families’ of spiritual mothers and fathers, brothers and sisters, whom we can imitate and grow with as we press into the presence of God.  Let us fix our eyes on Jesus and let us join hands.  The Body of Christ cannot exist in separation; relationships are vital, which is what Paul was really emphasizing.  Don’t miss an opportunity to boldly encourage those around you.  We only have today.  Let’s use it to glorify the Father who so graciously offers us abundant life. 

So Father, let us not grow weary; we entrust our hearts to You. Let us be vessels, we cry out for Your love. Let Your Kingdom come [in power and not in a façade of words] and let Your will be done!  

“For more fruit, don’t focus on doing more.  Pace yourself, and ask God to pour more of His love and power through you.  Then let God grow you in any way He chooses.” ~Stan Smith

"Arise, shine;

      For your light has come!
      And the glory of the LORD is risen upon you."  Isaiah 60:1


Don't miss the chance to encounter Him today. :)