holy explosion

Merry Christmas! Tonight I'm coming to you from BC, Canada. It's truly beautiful up here, and I'm reminded, for the 5th time in 5 years, that home is not a place...it can't be. The past 5 Christmases have been spent in Tuscaloosa, AL, Chicago, IL, Kemmerer, WY (2 different houses), and now Chetwynd, BC, Canada. I don't have a "childhood house" that I return to year after year, but I have the love of my family that deepens as we grow older. We have kept many family traditions, (some 20+ years), and made new ones over the years. I'm always so amazed at the parents that the Lord has blessed me with; I'm grateful for the risks that they've taken for this family, and more than anything I've so grateful that the Lord has always been the center, faith the firm foundation on which we stand.

Christmas always seems to be a time of reflection and as I look over this past year I get teary-eyed. I've learned so many faith lessons, discovered new passions and met some pretty incredible people. Not to mention...I have the privilege and honor to work alongside others as they begin their journey of serving the Lord in Asia. Sometimes, I still cannot believe that this is my life right now. But, the thing that I am most humbled over is in my increased confidence in God as He works in and through me. Confidence was my word for 2011 and I wish I could say that it was a breeze, but it was actually quite the opposite. It was hard...it still is hard. I trust that the Lord will continue to refine me so that I will confidently step up to the things that He is stirring in my heart. Mainly, the dreams and desires that He's placed right in my being. Friends, these things are impossible. No, truly they are. But, I'm confident that these desires were placed on my heart by the One whose plans for my life are bigger and richer than any I can even dream or imagine. And, thank goodness that, while I cannot, He is able.

A couple of weeks ago my pastor told a story that, I'm convinced, was just for me. We had a Christmas fun night one Wednesday, complete with carriage rides, games, food, carols. It was so much fun and such a beautiful display of community. One of the games was one that involved 2L pop bottles and plastic rings. The participant got 3 rings to throw--they got to keep any pop bottles that they rung. He explained how the bottles were lined, pointing out that the furthest bottles were about as far apart as the the area where he was standing. (I won't even try to tell you how far that is because, well, I'm terrible at estimating distance...but it was pretty far.) He said the only 2 people that were able to get one of their rings around those furthest bottles were a 2 year old and a 3 year old. The didn't aim, they had no intention of getting those bottles, and their rings ricocheted off of the ceiling, walls, bannisters and fire extinguishers. He was illustrating how faith sometimes seems so reckless to the world, but makes perfect sense to the Lord. I know I haven't done this story justice, but he ended it by saying..."you're never going to get it if you don't throw your ring."

Faith is risky, often looks unpolished and always requires a sacrifice--be it time, treasure or talent. I never ever want the words..."I would never go/do __________"...to come out of my mouth. I've already said yes...and I'm sensing that He's prodding me again to take that first step, to throw my ring...and He'll take care of the rest... Is the Lord asking you to do something "risky?" You can trust Him completely, after all, He's got the whole world in His hands. 

I love this tweet by Pastor Brian Houston: *Hope & faith together are a combustible force. They have potential to explode into answered prayers!* BOOM! I love this illustration of hope and faith being combustible forces--supernatural and explosive!

Blessings to you and yours! xox

inconceivable

Hello, hello! It's been a while since we last met. As I'm typing this I'm wishing you and I were sitting in a cozy coffee shop, or together on my overstuffed comfy couch. I'm imagining us chatting about things big and small, laughing together and maybe even shedding a tear or two with one another. I love quality time with friends, and even if we've never met face-to-face I think you're lovely.

Today was a great day! I enjoyed a beautiful worship service with my Love, finished my Christmas shopping, painted my nails all sparkly and pink, and ended the day in a room full of some of the greatest people around! My heart could truly just explode right now. I don't know the precise time of when it happened, but somewhere in the past year I have become a part of a super great community here in Ft. Collins. I just can't even believe how blessed I am, and not just with this community, but with all of the communities that I've had the privilege of serving alongside.

This past week has had it's challenges for sure, and an old *friend* surfaced--worry. I don't even know why I let that ugliness creep into my life, but I will say that I am much better at giving over my worries to the Lord quicker and easier than before. I am a work in progress--progress being the key. Through all the ups and downs, highs and lows, I'm making positive, passionate strides of progress. And, I'm learning each and every day more about the never ending, never failing sovereignty of my Father. And so, *great* day or not, I will rejoice in the Lord always...again, I say rejoice.

Blessings upon you today, friend.

blessing or curse?

Hello, dear bloggy friend! You're looking just lovely today. I've had a wonderfully relaxing weekend with some beautiful surprises...the Lord just continues to remind me of His deep, unending love for me. It's both humbling and overwhelming to know that the Creator of the universe is in reckless pursuit of me, and you too! This week I was reminded of the power we hold in our words. I love encouraging and spurring others on...love! I had the honor of encouraging a dear woman that I've been working with for the past few months. She called me crying from a public library restroom. Through prayer and Truth this sister began to realize, yet again, that the Lord has not forgotten her, that He does indeed have a plan and purpose for her life. I love how Proverbs 16:24 describes gentle words as honeycomb, sweetness to the soul. Who doesn't want their words to be described as sweetness to the soul, right?

You know, with our words we speak either life or death, blessing or curse. I don't know about you, but I want to be a life giver, building others up in Truth and encouraging them in their calling. Of course we misuse our words at times, we're human, but, what would it be like if we were more aware and careful with our words? What if we were more careful with our twitters and our facebook status updates? I love reading funny updates, encouraging scripture updates, life updates. I don't like reading complainy, ugly updates. I know it's so easy to complain about that person that just cut you off in traffic, but I challenge you to "hold back your thumbs." We need to know when it's better to tweet nothing at all. An SUV pulled in front of me the other day and the back end was plastered with bumper stickers that reminded me that I need to be praying for not only the man driving the SUV, but the Church in general.

Let's be Joy Givers, speakers of life and Truth. Let's be those little lights that we've been singing about since childhood. May our lives point others towards Christ.

Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. -Ephesians 4:29

I love this song by Gungor, Beautiful Things:

Be blessed! Be a blessing!

reckless

Jump! I'll catch you! These words were spoken to me as I was standing on the diving board as a young girl. My swimming instructor was loosing her patience with me. Why couldn't I just make the commitment to jump? I wanted to. Really I did, but I just couldn't do it...not then. I was so petrified and her exasperation only upset me more. I was afraid of the water, but more than that I didn't trust her. It was my daddy who taught me how to float on my back and dive into the water. I trusted him, and even though the water was scary I knew he would always be there to catch me.

Jump, my love! I hear this phrase often from the One who knows me best. Sometimes it comes as a whisper, sometimes as a loud shout. Sometimes the jumps require me to overcome pride. Go talk to that man. Give her a call. Apologize for your attitude. At other times the jumps require blind faith. Move to China. Quit your job, even though you do not have another one lined up. Lately, it seems, the Lord is asking me to trust in the *impossible.* Ask and you shall receive. Pray always. This type of leap is the hardest for me because it literally takes me out of the equation. The Lord is teaching me to pray in faith, trust Him completely. Which, honestly, is really beautiful because I'll be able to rejoice and give Him all the praise when He brings these things about in His perfect timing. 

Beautiful Trust

I pray that I will take these seemingly reckless leaps of faith all my days, knowing that the arms I will fall into will always be there to catch me, comfort me, guide me. Remembering that even more than my earthly father, my Heavenly Father will never fail me. I pray that my response, and yours, to His calling will always be a confident, trusting, *Yes, Lord.*

Press on! Keep jumping.

key2free

Dear Lord, break my heart for what breaks Yours.

Go throughout the city of Jerusalem and put a mark on the forehead of those who grieve and lament over all the detestable things that are done in it. ~Ezekiel 9:4

As I was reading in Ezekiel yesterday those words pierced my heart, quite literally, they brought me to tears. The Lord was about to allow massive destruction in the city due to the grotesque defilement taking place, sparing only the lives of those with the mark. They would be known as the remnant. What sets us apart today? Our crosses? Our fish? Our WWJD bracelets? But, are we grieving and lamenting over the detestable things taking place in our world? Are our heart really breaking for things like injustice, poverty, slavery?

A couple of years ago the Lord began breaking my heart for the victims of human trafficking. The numbers are overwhelming with an estimated 27 million victims worldwide; there are more victims of slavery today than ever before. This is even a problem here in America, where we proudly boast, Land of the Free! That's not what the tens of thousands of victims in the US alone are thinking. What can I do? I'm glad you asked...

I encourage you to check out an organization that I support called The A21 Campaign. It was started by the wildly passionate and inspirationally fierce Christine Caine. While you can always make a donation or buy paraphernalia that will support the cause and even help start conversations with others, there is a specific way to get involved on Friday November 11-by hosting a Key2Free party. Yes. A party. Check out the website for more details. You can do something. You have resources. You have friends. You have a voice.

Let's be those world changers that we all dream about being. Together we can make a difference. Together we can help end human trafficking. So, if you didn't know...now you do. Go. Be a voice for the voiceless.

Consider yourselves encouraged and empowered! Go get em! xx

break my heart

Sometimes I wonder why I'm here--here being America, not the proverbial philosophical here. I so badly want to be right there on the front lines, in the trenches...overseas, reaching the unreached. I see those precious little faces from Africa, Asia, the Middle East and I immediately want to GO. I mean, after all, aren't we called to Go and make disciples of all nations? And then I go to a staff meeting where my boss is opening his Bible to the scripture passage that will lead our meeting. *reality check* I am in the trenches. I am fighting the good fight. AND, I have the absolute honor and privilege of helping equip and send others that will touch lives and shine Light all over Asia! I am mobilizing others who together will reach more people than I could alone--I get to be a part, however small that may be, of their work. Without doubt the Lord has called me here to Colorado for this season, long or short, and I am committed to serving him with excellence no matter where I am.

I absolutely love women's ministry--love! My heart overflows with joy when I have the opportunity to listen to the stories of women, pour into their lives, encourage them with truth. You are so deeply loved, dear one. Deeply. Purely. Endlessly loved by the Lord of the Universe, the one who calls you princess. And, you were created for a purpose. It gives me chills just thinking about the power of the spoken Truth. I've seen chains broken, strongholds released and hope restored. Absolutely beautiful! As I've been realizing my heart's passions, the Lord has also stirred in me an urgency for caring for the poor, those imprisoned and without a voice, the abused. I've always felt compassion, yet felt too overwhelmed to do anything. I cannot stand silently any longer. I have resources, I have a voice and I am determined to do something to help put an end to poverty and human trafficking. The numbers are overwhelming, but we can all do something...we, as believers, are called to help the poor, not turn a blind eye. The Bible is full of verses about caring for the poor, verses like Proverbs 31:9, defend the rights of the poor and needy.

Who knows where the Lord will lead me in the future. I've said yes to anywhere, anytime, anything, any cost. So, while I'm here in Colorado I will continue to pour into this community, serving and loving the poor, ministering to the precious women of this community and serving as a missionary barista. :)  What are you doing to reach out to the needy around you? I challenge you to do something. Invest into eternity. Step out of your comfort zone. Be Light in the darkness.

Press on and keep fighting the good fight, where ever you are, beloved!

snap...crackle...pop

I was feeling all Mary Tyler Moore today as I strolled the sidewalks of Old Town, skipping a bit; I even waved at some men who were painting one of the shops, readying it for it's grand opening. They waved. It was like my very own musical, minus the music and the other participants. Which reminds me...we really need to dance more...

This week we had our first snow. I'll admit, I was a bit of a doubting Debbie that we would actually get any because the news people got my hopes up so many times last year and we wouldn't even get one snowflake. This one was pretty big, though. Tuesday night we got about 7 inches of snow and it continued all day Wednesday. It was glorious. And I was glad to go into work on Wednesday because a branch fell on a power line and my power was out for about 10 hours. In fact about 150K people lost power in Northern Colorado due to that destructive snow. You see, the trees were not done being all fally and beautiful and most of them still had their beautifully colored leaves. Many of the limbs broke under the weight of the snow and leaves. Some big, some small, some old, some young. Clean-up efforts are still underway.

At first I was so sad for all of the trees; they were all droopy and I imagined them mourning the loss of their limbs. But then it occurred to me that those branches that broke off were weaker than the other ones, maybe some of them were already dying, maybe some of them were just not yet strong enough to carry weight, maybe some of them never would be strong enough. And, although the limbs were not removed cleanly or perhaps even properly, maybe the Lord was just pruning them natures way.

All of this got me to thinking about how often I question the Lord about things that He does. I just don't understand why you would do that, Lord. And He will remind of Isaiah 55:8 where He clearly states that his thoughts are not my thoughts, nor are my ways His ways. I think about the ways the Father has pruned/is pruning the bad from my life--things like perfectionism, lack of confidence and lack of faith. He's used circumstances and situations that I would have liked to avoid, but honestly, I needed to go though, I needed to feel the pain of walking through the fire and rejoice in it's refining power. I can guarantee you that I never thought that mourning the loss of a close friendship would lead to a deeper, more intimate prayer life. I never thought that utter and complete death spoken over me would lead to surrender and increased confidence in the woman that I am in Christ. And, I never could have imagined that being the new girl in a community, yet again, would soften my heart and open my eyes to new ministry opportunities to work both directly and indirectly with those who are imprisoned, voiceless, used and abused.

God is so good, and as long as there are areas that need to be pruned in my life I say, bring on the snow! Or fire! Wind, rain...or other element...


Blessings to you, dear one!