A Heart to Heart by Way of Long Johns

4 Words that Changed...Part 2

2011-12-21T11:08:00.000-06:00

Fact: I never seized to be amazed
who God uses to change the world.

Mary’s life was changed by four words and if you think thatshe was an unlikely character to speak such powerful words then the next groupwas WAY unlikely. Many people thoughtthat the Savior of the world would come by way of a great king who would be worshipedby the highest of highs. Ha! We all know that is not what happened! Instead the King of Kings came in the form ofa little baby and was worshiped by some very unlikely characters…. One groupbeing Shepherds.

Luke 2 tells us that after Jesus was born to Mary and Josephthat there were some shepherds that lived in a field nearby and they werekeeping watch over their flocks by night. Now, let’s think about the job of a shepherd for a moment. This job was low on the totem poll, if youwill. You did not want to be a shepherd…I mean, who really wants to smell like sheep and have to use them as a pillowto sleep at night?!? Anyway, shepherdswere not the high-class society. Hmmm… The Savior of the world came as a humblebaby born in stable (not high-class society) and was born of a young humblerun-of-the-mill girl (not high-class society) and the angels chose to announceHis arrival to shepherds (not high-class society). Hmmm… Think it was a coincidence? Yeah, I don’t think so either.

OK, that was a nice rabbit trail, but let’s get back to theshepherds. They were hanging out in thefields watching their sheep. I wouldlike to think that they were looking into the sky, checking out the stars andmaking small talk with each other. Theylie back on one of the sheep take a deep breath in followed by a long sigh andthen in the words of Gladys Herdman “SHAZAM” the angel of the Lord appeared tothem in the same night sky they were looking at. I could only imagine that the shepherdsjumped up straight to their feet out of fear. I would have! The angel told themto fear not just as it was spoken to Mary and then went on to tell them aboutthe birth of Jesus. The angel tells them thatthey could find Him in Bethlehem, wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in amanger. Then a multitude of angelsgathered and began singing praises to God and I am sure it was nothing short ofAMAZING. The angels were inviting theshepherds to join all of creation in worshiping the Savior of the world. Talkabout an invitation! When they departed and everything settled down, theshepherds had two choices. #1 they could totally ignore what they had heard or#2 they could seek out Jesus. Let’s lookat Luke 2: 15 to see what they did.

“And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from theminto heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even untoBethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath madeknown unto us.”

Four words that changed their lives forever… Let us now go. The shepherds got up and went and foundJesus. Now, I wonder if they took theirflocks with them. It’s quite theentertainment in my brain to imagine the shepherds and all their sheep weavingtheir way through Bethlehem to get to the manger where He lay. Ha…I’m sure it was amusing! Anyway, the shepherds left, found Jesus,worshiped Him in their own way and then told the world what they had seen andthey and many others were changed forever. Why? Simply because they said“let us now go.”

Each of us is called. Now granted, it might be way of an angel appearing to you, but we’re allcalled. We have two choices when we arecalled: ignore it or respond. God iscalling each one of us to meet Him somewhere and do what He has for us and whatHe has is life changing. The shepherdsresponded with four words that we can learn a whole lot from, let us nowgo. They heard their call and theyaccepted it. They did not say that theyneeded to wait around and find something to do with their sheep or make sureall their affairs were in order. No. They said let us go NOW. Themoment they heard their call they responded and they were never the same. The awesome part about the whole thing isthat after they saw Jesus they told everyone they could and their lives were changedtoo. This all happened all because theywere willing to say, let us now go.

What is God calling you to do? Are you willing to say that? Are you willing to say to God “Let us (me)now go” whenever He calls you? He mightnot be calling you to go somewhere, but He could be calling you to dosomething, share with someone or many other things. The shepherds chose to saythe four words let us now go and their lives were never the same. Mychallenge to you is to simply take on the mindset of the shepherds. Ichallenge you to go before God and speak the same four words, let us (me) nowgo. Surrender your will, your wants and your way and tell God youare ready to go and do whatever it is that He is calling you to. Letus now go. It will change your life, I promise.

4 Words that Changed...

2011-12-14T11:45:00.002-06:00

Fact: Christmas time is one of my

favorite times of the year.

I love theatmosphere of joy and celebrating it brings about. I love the smells of Christmas goodies comingfrom the kitchen. I love the cheesymovies where everything always works out in the end. I love Christmas music (After Thanksgivingand up to New Years!). I love the time Iget to spend my family and friends. Ilove Christmas trees…REAL ones NOT artificial. Anyway, I just love Christmas!

The thing I love the most aboutChristmas? I love the Christmas story inthe book of Luke. I love hearing it readaloud (I have heard it read aloud in English, Spanish and Swahili. Next year I’m thinking about doing arendition in Pig Latin!) , I love reading it myself, I love seeing it portrayedthrough Christmas plays and movies and I love hearing carols reflecting thestory. I would dare to say that in my 25years of life I have heard the Christmas story in some form or another over 150times. Honestly. However, two weekendswhen I saw it portrayed at FBC Milan’s Christmas program I saw somethingdifferent. Something new and exciting tome. I saw four words that changedme. As I went back and read the passagemyself I saw three different “characters”, if you will, in the Christmas storysay four words that changed lives. Overthe next few days leading to Christmas I would like to look at these threecharacters and the four words that they spoke.

The firstperson I would like to look at is Mary. Mary, the virgin, gave birth to the Son of God, Jesus. Everybody knows Mary! Some religions idolize Mary, but some peoplejust put her aside and forget about her. To me, Mary is a fascinating person that we, women AND men, should tryto model our lives after. Luke 1 gives alittle blurb about Mary, but that little blurb says a whole lot. Mary is described as being highly favored byGod. There was something about Mary thatcaptured the heart of God. Whether itwas her demeanor or her gentleness or her pure heart, no one knows. What we do know is that God saw something specialin her. God looked at Mary and saw her tobe righteous and worthy of mothering His son. Wow…what an incredible honor and privilege bestowed upon her. Mary simply lived her life as an offering toGod and she was blessed beyond comprehension for it.

When theangel, Gabriel, came to Mary to tell her the news that she would bare the Sonof God, Mary was startled. I mean, whowouldn’t be?!? Anyway, an angel came toher and told her that she, a virgin, was not only going to have a baby, butthat the baby was going to reign forever and that His kingdom would neverend. If I was Mary I think I would ofdone one of two things. I would haveeither #1 laughed at the angel or #2 I would have flipped out and said I didnot want that responsibility at all. Whatdid Mary do? Let’s look at Luke 1:38,“And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thyword. And the angel departed from her.” Be itunto me.

Be it untome. Four words that changed Mary’s lifeforever. Mary did not argue with theangel, Mary did not try to get out of it or even question God. Mary just said be it unto me. In the world of Meredith that translates to,“Bring it on God.” Mary was saying toGod that whatever He planned, whatever He purposed, whatever mountain or valleyHe had for her, bring it. She wastelling God whatever it is, let it happen to me. Good, bad or ugly, she would do whatever Godhad in store because she was God’s servant.

After thosefour words Mary’s life changed drastically. She had the task of carrying, birthing and raising the Savior of theworld. Not only that, but I am sure thatshe caught a lot of flack for being pregnant before she was married and for justbeing the mother of Jesus. Then she hadto watch her son die a cruel and painful death on the cross because He didnothing wrong. Mary was never the sameafter those four words. Be it unto me.

Mychallenge to you is to simply take on the mindset of Mary. I challenge you to go before God and speakthe same four words, be it unto me. Surrender your will, your wants and your way and tell God to bring onwhatever He has for you. Be it unto me. It will change your life, I promise.

I Think David Crowder is on to Something...

2011-11-07T11:26:00.000-06:00

Fact: I am a passionate person.

Whenever I come across something that catches my attention or I learn about something that interests me or I get involved in something that I think is important I become passionate about it. I tend to become unstoppable when the passion for whatever it is comes over me. It tends to consume me, but in a good way, for the most part anyway. For example, when I write, whether it be camp curriculum, a blog, an article/book chapter for work or even a rehearsal dinner speech, I become passionate about it. I research, I make notes and outlines and I will write, read and rewrite whatever it is until I am satisfied with it. It could be a few hours or it could be a few months, but it becomes a passion. When I plan a trip, the same thing happens. I spend hours passionately researching and planning. I love it! My newest passion...being crafty. Now, for those who know me well, you're probably laughing because you know I am not crafty at all. (Disclaimer: I do realize I am crafty in the cunning, devious, manipulative sense, but not the artsy-fartsy sense!) I don't know, it must be something about living in Nashville! However, there is a purpose behind my craftiness that I'll get to in a moment.... Also, on a bit more of an unhealthy passion, is UT Lady Vols basketball. From November to March I passionately follow the games, statistics and articles written about them. Yes, I am a nerd. BUT I'm OK with it! :) Anyway, whatever the time or the task, it becomes my passion.

As most of you know, in December of 2009 my best friend, Liv, and I embarked on a trip to Africa that changed the both of us...forever. Liv had a passion for Africa and the people of Africa before we boarded the plane, however, upon exiting the plan when we returned home her passion was greater and mine was just beginning. Liv told me something on that plane ride home that did not surprise me, but yet I really did not believe at the time. She told me her new passion was to build a home or something for the street boys of Mwanza. My thought..."That's awesome, I'll believe when I see it." Just being honest! Anyway, days, weeks and eventually months went by and the next thing I knew Anza Imani Rescue Foundation was formed (check out the AWESOME things they are doing here!!!) and the 501(c)(3) paperwork was in the works. Open mouth, insert foot...

Upon my second trip to Africa the little passion I had come home with grew into a much larger passion. Each time I think about they people of Africa or my trip or Anza Imani and the impact it is going to have, that larger passion grows. It grows to a huge passion. A passion that I pray will never leave me. An undying passion. A passion to do whatever it takes to make sure those boys have a place to lay their heads every night and a passion that they might come to know God on a personal level. A passion to come up with all the money I can to make this happen. Geezzz... As I type this I become so frustrated because it is so hard to make any headway with this passion. I share my passion by writing grants and nominating Anza Imani for awards, but yet a lot of places will not even consider the organization because they want to not only take care of the boys physically, but also spiritually. I share my passion with people, but yet they just don't have the money to spare right now or they have something else they are saving it for... IT IS FRUSTRATING. That's where David Crowder comes in...

This morning as I was in the shower I was thinking through my day and the things that were on my to-do list. I had a couple of things for Anza Imani's video I needed to do. When I thought about that I thought about how frustrating it can be to raise money for such a good cause. I mean, it's a REALLY good cause. Everyone wants to help, but they just don't have the "urge" right now. Then, for some odd (very odd) reason, one of David Crowder's songs popped into my head. It's a simple song. The whole song is composed of 11 words. "Everyone wants to go to Heaven, but nobody wants to die." The first time I ever heard the song I laughed. It was funny to me because it's true. I would bet that if you asked 100 people if they want to go to Heaven when they die all of them would say yes. However, if you were to ask them do you want to die, most would say no. It's like a catch 22 or something. You want something, but yet you're not willing to do whatever it takes to get it.

THAT'S IT. Everyone wants to see the boys get off the streets, but yet they are not willing to do what it takes. People do not want their family members to go to hell, but yet they are not willing to do what it takes. People want to loose weight, but they are not willing to do what it takes. People want to grow closer in their relationship with God, but they are not willing to do what it takes. We want the benefits of life, but we are not willing to do the work. Wow...

You never know the true cost of something until you do the work. You never know the value of your work until you reap the rewards. You never know the sweetness of the reward until you see the lives changed because of it. So...what's it worth? Whatever it is that you want, but you don't want to do the work for... It's worth it. I promise.

Know that I am preaching to the choir. I am just as guilty of not putting the work in as anyone, but from this moment on, it's different. I am ready to work cause it's worth it. I am ready to spend my spare time being crafty and making things to sell to raise money for Anza Imani. Every little bit counts. It's worth it. I am ready to become uncomfortable and share my faith with others because it's worth it. I am ready. It is worth it. Not the reward I will gain, but the sweetness of a life changed.

It's worth it.

Worth it All...

2011-08-14T22:17:00.017-05:00

Hi. My name is Meredith. I am an over analyzer, over thinker, slow decision maker, planner who likes order. My close friends would tell you that I like to plan things out in advance and it drives me crazy when they don't work out. They would also tell you that I don't make decisions quickly and I tend to over analyze and think so much that I think myself into circles. I like surprises, but not when they deal with my future. I just like order and I like things to make sense. Wow...I sound like a real uptight and boring person. No comments please.

Anyway, all I have ever wanted in life is to make a difference. I've never wanted to have a great name or do anything big and noticeable, I simply want to make a difference in this world. This desire became real in my life at the age of 15 when I fully surrendered my life, job and time to God and His work. Even though I committed to do whatever God had for me, I had a plan. A plan to finish high school, go to college, then land a job in a church and continue doing that until my life was over. HA! What was I thinking?

I followed that plan and finished high school and had finished 3 of my 4 years of college. Now, things had not gone exactly like I had planned, but I stayed as close to the "plan" as I could until God and I had a moment. I was preparing to start my fourth and final year of college and became somewhat overwhelmed with whole idea of the "real world" after college. I knew what I had planned and what I wanted to do, but it wasn't happening like I planned it. What was I going to do?!?!?! I was laying in my bed one night thinking through life because I couldn't sleep. Frustrated and scared about my future I had nothing else to do, but cry out to God. I literally slid off my bed and into the floor on my face before God. After a few minutes I left my "plans" on the floor of my room and got up simply wanting to make a difference in the world. God opened my eyes to two different passages of scripture that night. The first one was what I have coined, if you will, as my life verse.

Philippians 3:13-14, "Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus."

The second passage was Psalm 37... I love the whole chapter, but especially verses 7 and 11. "Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him; do not fret when people succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes.... 11 But the meek will inherit the land and enjoy peace and prosperity."

It was at that moment in my life that I forgot my plans of the past, pressed on towards Christ and what He has called me to do and waited patiently before Him for the incredible things that He had for me. I knew God had called me to do certain things, but for that moment all I was called to do was to wait. In the process of waiting I was simply called to make a difference wherever I was. So for the last four years that is what I longed to do. I did not necessarily enjoy where I was at or what I was doing over those years and yes, at times I was miserable, but I remembered that moment, pressed on and waited patiently before God. Over the four years I have not lacked anything I needed and God had always showed Himself faithful, but the past few weeks it just wasn't enough for me. I was miserable. I had an incredible (and busy!) summer and was ready to keep going and find a job. I sent out several resumes and I even drove 275 miles (one way) to interview for a job and kept striking out. I was done. I was so frustrated that I just didn't care anymore. I was at the end of my rope. But God knew exactly what He was doing. I think the Crabb Family's song "Through the Fire" sums up my experience over the past week or so.

He never promised that the cross would not get heavy

And the hill would not be hard to climb

He never offered our victories without fighting

But He said help would always come in time...

Help would always come in time...He did. Just as I was done with everything, He showed up and blew my mind. To make a really long story short, I'll give it in a nutshell of how God worked through not so good circumstances to prove Himself faithful.

Almost two weeks ago I received a phone call from my mom telling me that a friend from church that I had known for a long time had been killed in a tragic accident at work. While my brother was a whole lot closer to him than I was, it still rocked my world and my heart hurt for his family.

As I got up the following Saturday morning to get ready for the visitation and funeral I checked my Facebook to see what was happening in the world. I scrolled down my homepage to see that my good friend from high school was going to be in town for the funeral.

I had not really seen her in a long time besides her mom's funeral this past spring so I was excited about the possibility of catching up with her. I talked with my brother on the way to the church and he told me that she was there and so I drove a little bit faster just to make sure I didn't miss her. When I got to the church the line for visitation was out of the sanctuary and down the foyer. I happened to look up and see my friend and her family standing in line so I went over to say hello. I ended up standing with them in line and catching up as we waited. (Here's a pic of us in high school...don't hold it against us!)

The sum of the conversation equals me saying that I needed a job and her saying she had one for me. I walked away from the conversation never imaging that it would happen, but God had another plan. To make a long story short, by Monday night we had made plans for me to go to Franklin, TN to check out the office and consider a job offer. By Thursday night (less than 5 days since it all started!) I was employed. There was no over thinking, over analyzing or second guessing. I just knew it was the job for me. Not only am I employed, but it's pretty much an incredible job that is Meredith through and through. Working with an incredible group of people, in different aspects of ministry, changing the world one step at a time and using my stored up creativity through it all!

I'm super excited about making this move and the job. I'm ready to make a difference in Franklin, TN and in the world through the things I get to do at this job. While it is a little bit of a bummer that I am moving away from family and friends, I can see God's hands all over it. As I was talking to a friend on my drive home from Franklin she started laughing. She then began to point out how perfect God's timing is. It is absolutely amazing how things come together and things have happened to bring me to such a time as this. As much as I wanted this step in my life years ago, the timing wasn't right and now I see that crystal clear.

Was being miserable for a while worth it? Was forgetting my plans and pressing on worth it? Was sitting back and waiting patiently worth it? Is moving to Franklin, TN away from family and friends worth it? As hard as it has been and will continue to be...YES... it was and it will continue to be worth it all...

Reason, Season, Lifetime...

2011-07-23T22:49:00.001-05:00

There is a well known poem called "Reason, Season, Lifetime" that is about friendship. The gist of the poem is to state that there are three types of friends. A friend that is in your life for a reason, a friend that is there for a season and a friend that is there for a lifetime. While I can pinpoint different friends in my life who fit in each of these categories, I also believe that there are hidden gems out there that defy these three categories and gain the title "best friend". Why do I believe this? Because after 21 years of just having reason, season and lifetime friends I found one of those hidden gems. Now I have many incredible friends that I love with all my heart and whose friendships I would not trade for anything, but in my world, there can only be 1 "best".

This is my really crazy, fun loving, big dreaming, incredibly talented, God loving, beautiful inside and out best friend, Liv. Yeah, she's pretty awesome! Liv and I have only known each other four years but yet I think we both feel like we have been friends forever.

As friends we have done a whole lot of things together. We have this “talent” of finding fun (aka trouble) wherever we go or creating it…which is usually at someone else’s expense! It is said that well behaved women never make history, therefore we have done everything we can to “make history”! :) Over our friendship there is no telling how many cups of Splenda sweet tea we have drank, gallons of ice cream we have eaten, hours of movies we have watched, miles we have run, texts we have sent while sitting right next to each other in a room full of people, how many golf balls we have lost while attempting to "play", skymiles we have racked up while traveling around the world, blank stares we've received from total strangers due to the random crazy things we do, or how many dressing room "mishaps" we’ve had while shopping together!

We have a crazy friendship that all started when we were thrown in a hotel room together as chaperons on a youth ski trip. I knew we could get along and be good friends the first night there when she walked out of the bathroom, shut the door, adjusted her pants and said "I think I’d let that one air out for a while!” We walked away casual friends who hung out every now and then and talked occasionally. After graduating from college in May I moved to Milan, TN to work and start seminary. The day I moved she gave me a card and called me her "best friend". This was odd to me. We really didn't know each other, but yet as I read her letter I realized she saw things in me that I never knew existed...

I started this blog so I could share the "ordinary moments, people, things and thoughts God uses to teach me EXTRAordinary lessons." Now there is nothing ordinary about Liv or our friendship, but He has definitely used her to teach me extraordinary lessons. I could tell many stories of how God has used Liv to teach me extraordinary lessons about life and Himself, but I think I'll just share one.

I came home a few months after I moved for a week long fall break and we spent most of that time together. We jokingly say that our best friend-ness was established that week when I helped her cater a wedding and make the cake. Although it was quite the entertainment, I don't think that was our "best friend" moment. It was a few days after Christmas and we were hanging out with our group of friends one night and she and I did not see eye to eye on something and as a result we both lied about things. Well this did not make either one of us happy so later that night we found ourselves sitting in her car (which by the way has housed 100's of conversations solving all of lives issues!) talking through things. It was at that moment that the deal was made. Not a deal to be best friends, but a deal that if we were going to be best friends that 2 things would always be true. #1 We would always be 100% honest with each other no matter the situation, the hurt or the difficulty. Always. #2 We would keep each other accountable for our actions in and life and that we will always have each others back no matter what was going on......We've held true to those two things and I think we can both say that we are better people because of it.

Needless to say that over our friendship we've shared a whole lot of things… we’ve shared laughs and tears. We've shared our dreams and our fears. We've even shared toothbrushes and tootsie pops! There are two things that we share that I will treasure forever. The first thing I will always treasure are the hours upon hours of conversations we have had together about every topic under the sun. Many of those I can’t share or else she would straight up kill me!

The second thing that I will always treasure is a rope. Not a physical rope, but a rope that exceeds all distances and a rope that never frays, breaks, or slips from our hands. A rope of accountability and support. A rope that I will always hold tight and a rope that I know is being held tight.

There are many mountains that we climb and many valleys that we dredge through in life and some days I might think there's no way I can do this. However, I know that I have someone there holding the rope, lifting me up in prayer and constantly reminding me that God is in control. Liv has taught me about "reason, season or lifetime", but not in the friend relem. If anything, she has taught me to be a lifetime follower of Christ. Not just to follow Him for a reason if I need something or for a season where things are going my way, but for a lifetime. Always serving God no matter what.

Last October Liv began dating the man of her dreams and just a few short days after dating him she told that she would marry him. If anyone else in my life would have told me that I would have laughed at them, but I knew she was right.

This last weekend I had the incredible privilege of standing beside my best friend as she married her prince charming. I am not an "emotional person", but as soon as she began walking down the aisle my emotions got the best of me. Not bad emotions that my best friend was getting married, but an indescribable joy to see my best friend so incredibly happy. Words cannot describe the joy that overwhelmed me and the happiness that I have for her and Brian! I cannot wait to see how God uses them to do BIG things here and in Africa!

While it's weird that she's married, we're still best friends. Most people told us our friendship would never be the same, but the week before her wedding she and I decided we were going to defy those odds and we will always be holding the rope for each other.

As we both begin new adventures in our lives it's good to know that God is control and that there is someone there praying us through. No matter who we add into our lives, how many miles separate us or what mountains and valleys we climb we can rest on 2 things. #1 God is in control and #2 we're always holding the rope and we have each others back. It's good to know that I have someone willing and ready to kick my butt if I do something that I'm not supposed to do! It's good to know that there's always someone there pushing me to be more like God and to seek His face with everything in me...

To my best friend, congrats! AND thanks...There are not enough words or blog posts to thank you for allowing God to use you as an tool for His glory.

To the rest of you... are you reason, season or lifetime? Now I'm not talking about what kind of friend you are, but what kind of follower are you? Are you just following God for a certain reason or just for a season while things are going good or are you willing to follow Him for a lifetime...No matter the mountains or the valleys...

How Refreshing to Know...How Amazing to Find...

2011-07-22T21:01:00.018-05:00

Wow! It's been six weeks since I blogged last and it's simply because I have been running around like a chicken with it's head cut off! (And yes after killing the chicken to the right in Africa I know that phrase all to well!)Lots went on over the past six weeks. Everything from big events to little tasks and crazy things like everything just not wanting to work when trying to get ready for kamp to breaking down on the side of the interstate at 11pm with a van full of middle schoolers on the way back from Atlanta! Needless to say it's been an interesting six weeks.
Kidz Kamp with the 4th-6th graders came and went and like always, it was AWESOME!

I love spending time with the kids and I love when my world from Pelham and my world from Milan come together and enjoy a week together! I thoroughly enjoyed every aspect of kamp from teaching the kids and watching them ride the zip-line and climb the wall to spending time with some of my favorite people in the world!

After kamp (and my 25th birthday...ugh!) I turned right around and went on the church wide mission trip to Moulton, AL and had a long, but rewarding week working there.

After mission trip I had a few short days to chill and then pretty much jumped into getting ready for Jr Kidz Kamp. While getting ready for Jr Kamp I had the pleasure of helping my best friend prepare for her wedding and the joy of standing beside her on her big day! You can read more about that experience in my next blog! :)

This past week was spent at Jr Kidz Kamp with crazy 1st-3rd graders in the big city of Tishomingo, MS at the state park. While the conditions are not very desirable, a great time was had by all! I LOVE this kamp. I love

that after the shaving cream fight when we go down to the creek to wash off that a few of us take our razors and make good use of all that shaving cream! I love that I get to be a big kid and throw my body down the 100ft slip-n-slide! (Even though as I type this my back hurts every time I take a deep breath!) I love that I get to flip kids out of their inner-tube at the creek when they splash me! I love teaching them about God's Word and watching their light bulbs come on when they get it! I just love spending time with some of my favorite people! Now I love both kamps, but this one just makes me smile! :) Why? Because of the looks on the kids faces while they are there. While at kamp they get to ride down a 100ft slip-n-slide as many times as their little bodies can take it, ride a rather large zip-line, do crafts, play super soaker summer softball (try saying that 4 times fast!), swim, have a shaving cream fight, inner-tube down a creek and a few other things. Most of the kids who come have never done any of these things. It's an awesome thing to watch when they do one of the things for the first time. Their faces simply light up and it's like they're doing the best thing in the world. They can't believe that they can slip-n-slide as much as they want to or that it's OK to throw rocks into the creek or that they can take shaving cream and squirt it all over everyone. It's simply amazing to them! It absolutely blows their minds that they get to do some of the things they get to do. Almost every year a kid stands in awe at canteen simply because they can buy any kind of candy and drink they want to and no one is going to stop them. It's great! They simply are thrilled that we let them do those things! LOVE IT!

Just like the kids stood in awe at the things they got to do, I too stood in awe at both Shocco and Tishomingo. Both moments came at the same time of kamp and both times I walked away scratching my head...10 years ago I went to these kamps as a counselor and fell in love with them. Three years later Niki asked me to work for her and help her do the kamps and honestly, I still don't understand why she chose to take a chance on me, but I am forever grateful! The next year we stepped out and decided to not only do everything for kamp, but write the curriculum for it also. Since that year we continue to do so and wow...I stand amazed.

Each night at kamp we have a campfire and the last night we use that time as our commitment/decision time. It is a time where the kids can approach a counselor and talk with them if they feel like God is speaking to them. I usually step away from the group, pray for the kids and counselors and watch as God moves. This year I stood in awe. As kids began to get out of their seats my heart began to stir. At both kamps children prayed and received Christ! Pure awesomeness! As I stood and watched tears began to fill my eyes and my heart began to ask why. Why God? Why have you blessed me beyond what I could ever imagine? Why do you choose to use me? Why am I a part of the chosen vessel in which you deliver your message to the kids? Why do you speak to my heart and give me the talent and words to write? Why? I am so incredibly not worthy. I am nothing, but a dirty, filthy, rotten sinner who is worthy of nothing, but your wrath. God, you don't need me, but yet you want me. You choose to use me. I stand in awe. I felt like a kid standing in front of the slip-n-slide or on top of the zip-line or at canteen who simply could not believe that they were allowed to do these awesome things.

I definitely do not understand why, but I will always thank Him and praise Him for it. We are not worthy, but yet He makes us worthy. May I never be able to get over the fact that the God of the universe allows me to be a part of the incredible things He is doing. I think Casting Crowns hit the nail on it's head when they wrote "In Me"...

'Cause when I'm weak, You make me strong

When I'm blind you shine Your light on me

'Cause I'll never get by living on my own ability

How refreshing to know You don't need me

How amazing to find that You want me

So I'll stand on Your Truth,

and I'll fight with Your Strength

Until You bring the victory,

by the power of Christ in me

To reach out with Your hands

To learn through Your eyes

To love with the love of a savior

To feel with Your heart and

to think with Your mind

I'd give my last breath for Your glory...

Word on the Street

2011-06-11T23:22:00.010-05:00

Can I just start out by saying that WOW, I'm tired. It definitely has been a long second week of summer, but it has been a really good one! It feels like I have been going none stop since last Sunday morning. Oh, wait...I feel like that because it's true! We definitely stayed busy this week! It consisted of Vacation Bible School (IE sitting behind a computer for many hours, counting and recounting people, "sorting" trash, sitting behind a computer for a few more hours, being dunked 101 times in a dunking booth, cleaning and organizing the supply closet, answering a lot of dumb questions...I could go on, but I'll spare you!) My week also consisted of getting ready for kidz kamp next week, making fun of and messing with Shelton, watching small child play softball, eating in almost every restaurant in Milan, taking almost 8 hours to get home because my car was overheating, learning some new things, laughing a whole lot, enjoying the time I had with people who mean a whole lot to me and the best of all...Dying my hair pink and turquoise! Yes, I have very colorful hair for a few weeks! :) The week was capped off by throwing a lingerie shower for the best friend and simply having fun with the girls...I wasn't lying about it being a long week!

Over the past week there has been many GREAT moments and many random, but funny memories made! Even though it was a crazy busy and long week, it was really good and I walked away with a little different thinking... If I were to be honest I would say that VBS week is usually one of my least favorite weeks of the summer. It is not because of the 1,001 kids running around or the crazy teachers getting on my last nerve, but it's usually because of the curriculum. You see, while Bible college was great, it also brought out a few tendencies in me that get in the way from time to time. Bible college pretty much taught me to pick everything apart. While this is a good thing, I tend to take it to the extreme. I tend to critic each piece of curriculum I come in contact with and find it hard to like something unless I or someone I work with has written it. Over the years I have found that VBS curriculum stinks. I pretty much thought it was all stupid and very shallow. I have this thinking that the only reason Southern Baptists do VBS is for the numbers and not for the evangelism/discipleship, but that's a totally different story...

Anyway, I walked into this VBS with the same attitude towards the curriculum, but WOW, I was wrong! The VBS that we used was called

"Inside Out and Upside Down on Main Street Where Jesus Makes a Difference Everyday."

Each day there was a skit that involved three different actors, Hedi Claire- Super Slueth Extrodinar who came to main street to investigate because she heard people were being turned inside out and upside down. Then there was Justin Time the streets bus driver and Chef Pierre the owner of the Brown Bag Bistro. These two characters helped point Hedi towards Jesus and showed Hedi that they were different and people were changed because of Jesus. In the midst of her investigations she learned a certain lesson each day which was reinforced with a parable during the Bible teaching time. Hedi (and the kids) learned about a certain topic each day. The topic or word was known as "the word on the street."

The word's on the street were gratitude, compassion, forgiveness, grace and faithfulness. While I knew all of these words and how they applied to my life, it did not stop God from teaching me a new lesson. It was kind of funny how with each day the word would come up over and over again. IE on Monday the word on the street was gratitude. Around 6:40am while getting ready to head to the church my hair was halfway straightened and the power went out. Yeah, at that moment it was a little difficult to show gratitude and be thankful! While the words were made known each and everyday, they were not fully made known to me until I began my trek back home on Friday.

It had been a long week, I was tired and I had 101 things to do when I got home. I left Milan around 3:30 pretty excited that I would make it home before 8. Ha! The drive was going great. It was so good to be in the peace and quiet and just think that I never even turned my radio on! I was about 72 miles from and I noticed that a light on my dashboard came on. I checked out all my gauges and discovered that my car was overheating. I pulled over at the next gas station I found and slightly began to panic. I was in the middle of nowhere 72 miles from home at this sketchy gas station with no lights that was closing and it was getting dark outside! Yeah, it was a load of fun! As I sat in my car watching the smoke bellow out from under my hood I was furious wondering why in the world this was happening to me because I was exhausted and I just wanted to get home. While having a not so nice convo with God one word came to mind...Gratitude. This was just a minor bump in the road because I had so much more to be grateful for. I soon turned from frustrated to panic as the smoke kept on pouring out so I did what most girls would do in a moment of panic, I called my dad. I fully expected him to be loving and tell me that everything was OK...Wrong! (Sorry dad!) He pretty much told me that he would get there when he got there and my only option was to sit and twiddle my thumbs...NOT what I wanted to hear. The word compassion came into play here...I'm pretty sure at some point I sent Niki a text that went something like "I think my dad is the one who needs to hear the compassion lesson from Tuesday!" Just keepin' it real. So after I was not so nice to him I had to apologize for my reaction and ask forgiveness for what I had done. He graciously forgave me and showed me grace by coming and saving the day. At the end of the day he was faithful to his "daddy duties"... :)

Each word on the street was clearly portrayed to me in the 3-4 hour debacle that I found myself in. Coincidence? I think not! At the end of the day when I finally made it home and in my own bed :) God opened my eyes to something. Many times in life I encounter a situation or a person or even VBS curriculum and think "This (or they) have nothing for me..." I think God just laughs at that. So many times we put God in a box and tell Him how and with what He can speak to us with and through. I never thought that a simple word for each day would effect my week so much in so many ways. I guess that's just God using ordinary things to teach extrodinary lessons... A heart to heart by way of long johns...

I don't know about you, but I sure am glad that I serve a God who is bigger than any box I can put Him in. I think it's time to put our boxes away and simply let God be God. Who's with me?

Summer Time Check...

2011-06-05T22:06:00.011-05:00

I would say that it has been an uneventful first week of summer, but well, that would be a lie! It's been a busy week of sorting, finding, shopping, constructing, painting, organizing, planning and just doing stuff to make Vacation Bible School happen this week. It's been a week of doing a whole lot of things that I haven't done in a few years and a week of doing things that I said I would never do again! (IE crawling under pews and sitting in the floor painting!) Yeah, God has a sense of humor! Anyway, it's also been a week of firsts such as taking 60ish kids to the movies (which is nothing new) and not actually watching the movie myself. Yep, we took the kids to the movies on Wednesday night for KAOSS and Niki and I sat in the foyer with my laptop and her notebook working on VBS....Only in Milan! :)

Over the past week we have had several moments each day where "I feel the need to twitter/facebook that" or "wow, maybe I should blog about that!" has come out of someone's mouth! Yeah, there has been that many entertaining moments...If you only knew! I could go on for days about "adventures" with good ole Shelton such as crawling under pews (Then crawling under them again because he do the wire right!) or getting locked IN the church then

getting lock out of the church or cruising in the mini-van and stealing park benches.... Or I could talk about buying 1,600 CapriSuns (Pic to the right!) at Sam's or being attacked by bugs after 8:3o pm multiple nights at the Allen's kitchen table :) or about how I've been to Wal-Mart more in the past week then I have been in the past 2 months or about the weird, crazy or down right stupid stuff that some people say and do or about the many moments where we've just laughed cause that's just the best option! I could go on, but there is one moment that I'm pretty sure most of you know about now...

I have been coming to Milan for seven-ish years now and I'm pretty sure every time I have come to town I have stayed with Niki and her family. I'm also pretty sure that I have slept in almost every room of the house...Even the play room! While which bed I sleep in changes, one thing never does. The bed battle. One of my first summers in Milan my brother and a friend came to visit me and stayed at Niki's house while they were here. One night the kids decided to take some fake bugs and hide them in their bed. Well, this simple act became something not so simple anymore! The boys retaliated with the bugs and some how I was thrown into the mix. On multiple occasions I have gone to crawl in the bed and have found many different things in it. Most of the time it is frogs because I am well...terrified of them! True story. Anyway, they have gone as far as drawing a frog and putting it in my bed because they could not find one of their plastic ones! Over the years I have retaliated a little, but nothing to write home about. Well, that's all about to change!

You see, most of the "attacks" happen the first night I am here because they have had time to go into the room and plant something before I get here. So, Monday night when I got here I checked my bed out before getting into it and all was clear. The next day I got up and worked pretty much all day on VBS and then went to small child's softball game followed by dinner then a quick trip to Wal-Mart with Niki for some more VBS stuff. It was late when I finally headed towards the bed and I was straight up exhausted. I got ready for bed, set my laptop on the end of the bed and opened it up so I could have a little bit of light when I turned the big light off. After turning the light off I walked over to the bed pulled the sheet back just a little bit, shut my computer and climbed in the bed. Mere seconds after putting my legs under the cover I felt something. I then felt a whole bunch of somethings and immediately threw the covers back. I jumped and caused some of the "objects" move. I felt like I was being attacked by a million bugs! I quickly jumped straight out of the bed to turn the light on. When I returned to the bed this is what I saw.

There were 4 frogs 4 lizards, 4 spiders, 1 millipede, 1 scorpion, 1 bat and a roach in my bed. I'm pretty sure I hard a heart attack. There are not enough words to describe what when through my mind when I felt the creatures in my bed! Yes, it straight up scared me! I fully understand that they are just plastic creatures, but when it's late and dark in the room and you're tired, they can give you a nice fright.

After my heart stopped beating out of my chest I took a picture, posted it on Facebook and laid in the bed until I could fall asleep. The next morning I opted not to say anything because I didn't want the kids to know that it scared me. The first thing out of Niki's mouth when I saw her was "I promise I had no idea!" I laughed it off and finished getting ready. Niki proceeded to hold an interrogation and discovered that it wasn't the kids who did it...It was just one of them, small child. My sweet little favorite 8 year old had gotten me and gotten me good. Apparently she had been collecting the critters and no one knew about them. While we were at Wal-Mart she snuck into my room, pulled back the covers, planted the critters and then made the bed back up all by herself without anyone ever knowing. Sneaky.

I never had the chance to talk to her that morning, but I officially declared war! Later that evening I went to pick her, her brother and their two friends up for church. When she climbed in the car I told her we needed to have a little conversation. On the way to the church she told me how she did it and my only response was "This means war." The funny thing is that I learned later that night that she had asked Niki a week or so before how wars began. Niki told her a few ways war began and that was the end of the conversation. Niki asked her later if she remembered that conversation and small child replied with something like "Yes, I think I know how they are started now!" I retaliated a few nights later with a rubber snake in her bed, but it did not phase her at all. As a matter of fact it ended back up in my bed later that night.... It's time to step up my game. War. It's on.

So what did the first week of summer teach me? Never to trust an 8 year old! Ha! I have learned many things, but one thing sticks out with this whole critters in the bed thing... It scared me so bad that my heart was beating 90 to nothing. Seriously. A lot of times when people get scared like that they make a statement like "At least I know my heart works!" Well, my heart works...But does it really work? They say that being scared "checks" your heart to make sure it's working right. A physical heart check if you will. What if we were to have a spiritual heart check...How would your heart check out? Is it good? Is it in the right place? Is it filled with things that please God? Is it spiritually healthy? Wow... That kind of hurts me.

Psalm 139:23-24 says "Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me and know my anxious thoughts; And see if there be any hurtful way in me, And lead me in the everlasting way."

Heart check. Are the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart pleasing to Him? Would my heart and the things of it check out "good" with Him? The first week of summer I had my physical heart checked. I think I'll spend the second week of summer checking out my spiritual heart... Join me?

PS...if you have any good ideas on how to get an 8 year old back without scarring her for life let me know! :)

Fruit Basket Turnover...

2011-05-28T10:42:00.010-05:00

So the past few weeks have been nothing but crazy. Going here, going there, doing this, doing that, finishing up one thing while starting up something new. Crazy I tell you, just crazy busy. However, if you really know me, I like crazy. Crazy is what keeps me going. (Yeah, crazy, I know!) As this week and chapter of my life ends I believe the word crazy is going to take on a whole new meaning in this new chapter of life. What does this new chapter involve you might ask...Honestly, I have no clue, but I named it "Fruit Basket Turnover."

For my friends out there who are non-educated in children's games let me explain to you the game of "Fruit Basket Turnover." Everyone except for the person who is "it" grabs a chair and forms a big circle. The participants are split into several equal groups and each group is given a name of a fruit such as banana, apple, orange etc. The person who is "it" stands in center of the circle and calls out a fruit and if you are that fruit you have to get up and swap

seats. The goal is to find another seat and not be the one left to be "it" in the center of the circle. Every once in a while "it" can call out "fruit basket turnover" instead of just naming one fruit. When they do that everyone has to get up and find a new seat. Needless to say when this happens with 70 or so kids it is mass chaos. Everyone is running around scrambling to find their new place. Some laughing, some crying and some just down right scared. When it's all said and done everything is OK, but for those few short moments their life is turned upside down...

That's pretty much how my life is at this moment. I feel like God has yelled out "fruit basket turnover" and I am scrambling to find my new place. The past eight months has been nothing but change. Everything I had come to know over my years of existence has changed. Now, I am a fan of change, but I have learned that I am not a fan of everything changing at once! As I closed the door yesterday to a job that I loved, but fully understood that it is was time to move on, I opened the door to...Well, I'm not sure what! I've opened the door to whatever God has for me whether that is here, there or wherever. I've opened the door to God's fruit basket turnover. Over the next few months as I step into my busiest time of the year I pray that God would move me to the new seat that He has for me. I know that there will be many laughs, some tears and at moments I might be scared, but I know with all of my heart that my God holds the basket in His hands and there is nothing I have to worry about. I'm excited to see what God has for me!

Since I will be here, there and everywhere over the next 2-3 months I plan to blog my adventures and the things that God teaches me through them as I go. My prayer is that as I lay my head on my pillow (No matter where I am!) each night of this crazy summer that I will have learned something new about God and myself that day. So join me, you might not be doing VBS or dying your hair or prepping for camp or going to camp (twice!) or covering people in shaving cream or watching your best friend walk down the aisle (praying that the dye is out of my hair before the wedding!) :) or going on a mission trip or having, but refusing to celebrate your "golden birthday" (which is when you turn the same age of your birth date) or various little trip and things here and there, but you will be doing something. Whatever it is that your doing I want to challenge you find God in it. Find what He wants to teach to you in whatever it is that your doing. Allow those ordinary things, people and experiences to teach you an extraordinary lesson about God. Find that heart to heart by way of long johns...

God's "Head Nod"...

2011-03-30T22:13:00.000-05:00

This past weekend I was sitting outside one night having a conversation with a friend and in the midst of the conversation they said, "O, there it is." After looking around I had to inquire on what they were talking about. They soon pointed my attention to the sky and said there was a shooting star. Not gonna lie, I was kind of bummed I didn't see it. :( After a brief conversation about shooting stars they told me that they refer to shooting stars as "God's head nod." I laughed then listened to their explanation. They went on to explain how there was a moment in their life that they just needed to know that God was there and that everything was OK. A few moments after they prayed the prayer they look at the sky and saw a shooting star. It was like God was giving them a nod saying that He was there, everything's OK and that He's got their back. I thought for a moment then carried on...

A few days later I was just having one of those days. I was wondering what in the world God was up to...Wondering if I was really making a difference in this world...Wondering if I was where I was supposed to be doing what I was supposed to be doing. I asked God for a head nod...I looked around and got nothing.

Today was another one of those days. A day of frustrations, let downs, confusion and questioning. More than once today I questioned things. Am I where I'm supposed to be?

What is God doing? Why is everything in my world changing? Why does God allow me to feel this way? Needless to say it was somewhat of a rough day...Frustrated with God and wondering why I'm where I am at in my life. The more I thought, the more frustrated I became. Then it was like God looked down at me and gave me a head nod...In the form of this simple text message...

"Meet Miss Meredith :) from Tanner"

This text came from one of my kids at school via his moms phone. You see his birthday is Friday and he has been telling me for almost a week how he was going to get a fish. He got the fish tonight and named it Miss Meredith and wanted me to know!

It was a simple text, but God used it to speak volumes. The quick text just to let me know he got his fish and that we now share a name informed of me more than that. It was like God looked down and said, "I'm still here. You're exactly where you're supposed to be doing exactly what I've called you to do. Even when life doesn't make sense, I've still got you in My hand. Keep doing what I've called you to do. Love on those around you, be my light and live a life worthy of being watched."

That's my prayer... That no matter the day, the frustrations, the questioning...No matter what, I would constantly keep my eyes fixed on Him, loving all those around me, being a light for Him in this dark world and living a life worthy of being watched. (Or naming a fish after!) :)

I started this blog to convey the extraordinary lessons God taught me using ordinary things... One ordinary fish, one extraordinary lesson...

Final Days and Final Thoughts...

2011-03-29T22:39:00.000-05:00

We finished up on the Serengeti, drove back to a hotel in Mwanza and had a hot shower for the first time in about 10 tens. It was Heaven on earth! We spent the evening repacking our bags and getting ready to fly back to Kenya the next morning and begin our journey home. We were not ready for the trip to be over. We both were utterly exhausted and neither one of us felt too hot. It had been a long, but incredible two weeks in Tanzania. We slept well that night, but it didn't help the fact that we had to board the tiny little plane and have a crazy bumpy ride back to Nairobi. After a great brunch with the Limbe's we headed to the airport. We got there, checked our bags and stood outside the entrance just like our first day in Mwanza. The first day I stood there saying hello and meeting two total strangers...Two weeks later I stood there saying goodbye to two people who were now apart of my family. After our goodbyes we boarded the same little plane we flew in 2 weeks earlier. Then we were miserable because of our environment and the turbulence....This day the environment and turbulence was the same, but we were miserable because we were leaving the place we both love.

We endured the miserable flight back to Nairobi, went through customs, found our driver and began our trek into the city to the Hampton House were we would be staying our last two nights. As we drove through Nairobi I stared out of the window just like the day we arrived. The first day we were there I never felt like I was in Africa...This day I felt like I was African. The first day there I simply soaked in all the sights...This day I soaked in all the things God is doing in Africa. The first day my mind was blown how God worked to get us there...This day my mind was blown how God worked in and through us while we were there. I never knew 17 days could change my life so much.

The next day we took the same trek back to the Sarit Center to do some shopping, but yet I was a different person. 17 days earlier I couldn't wait to see new things and experience a different culture....This day I couldn't wait to see who I would encounter and how God could use me as a witness. We went shopping in the dukas and it was entertaining to say the least, but God still worked. They wanted to trade for anything we had. Hats, sunglasses, watches, pens...You name it, they wanted it. I was wearing a salvation bracelet and had a few more in my backpack. As I was bartering with one of the guys he asked for my bracelet. I told him I was willing to barter with it, but he had to listen to what I had to say first and he agreed. I took my bracelet off and began to share the plan of salvation with him. Within seconds I was surrounded by a group of 6-7 men listening intently. I am not sure if any of them received Christ that day, but seeds were planted. (Side note: I returned to the same dukas in June and saw the guy who asked for my bracelet. He saw me and my new salvation bracelet and remembered me. He asked me for the one I had and when I inquired why he wanted it he told me how he shared it with his friend then gave it to him. He grabbed my hand, pointed to each bead and told me plan of salvation. Needless to say I left that bracelet with him too!)

After a few hours of shopping and dinner we returned back to our room. We made plans to blog, email and skype our friends and family back home. We did this 17 days earlier when we first got there to tell them we were there, safe, having a good time and that we loved and missed them...This day we just wanted to tell them the incredible things God was doing and how much we didn't want to come home.

It had been 17 days since we had taken off from Atlanta. 17 days that were incredible. 17 days that flew by way too fast. 17 days that God moved in a might way. 17 days that opened my eyes. 17 days that birthed new love, passions and dreams among the both of us. 17 days that took us from once place and mindset in life to another. 17 days that we chose to see threw the eyes of Christ. 17 days where He broke our hearts for what breaks His. 17 days that neither one of us will ever forget. 17 days that changed us forever.

As we left the Hampton House early the last morning for the airport I simply stared out of the window one last time reflecting, thinking and praying. I thought about how different I was and how different my mind set was. I thought about the place I was now at spiritually. I thought about where I was at before the journey and the lessons, laughs and tears that got me to where I was at that moment. I was slightly disgusted. 18 days before I was about two steps behind where I was then. I thought about how much I and my thought process had changed. I then thought, wow, this whole time I was changing, but my God was still the same. He is the same right this second that He was at that moment in life and the previous days before.

I thought to myself: "If God never changes and He's always right there, then why do I feel like I God is always moving?" The answer I found was simple, but yet painful to accept. God is a never changing God who is always there, but unfortunately we change and in those changes we take steps. Some times steps closer to God, but a lot of times we step away from God. Each day we are taking steps in life. What direction are you stepping?......

Needless to say, that trip changed my life. Thank you for journeying and reflecting back on the incredible things God did and is continuing to do. My heart is now a tad bit smaller because I left part of it there. It was pure joy to return to Africa last June and I am eagerly awaiting the chance to return again. If I could pack my bags and leave now I would, but God's timing is perfect...No matter how hard it is to understand.

My prayer is that each one of you will be able to make the trek to Africa yourself and see the incredible things God is doing. It will change your life forever...I promise.

Music to My Ears...

2011-01-10T23:51:00.000-06:00

Well, Christmas had come and gone and in case you haven't noticed...it was AWESOME! We spent plenty of time loving on, playing with and simply having fun with the girls. The week had flown by and seemed like mere hours not seven days. We had reached the day that we did not want to see...It was the day to leave. It was going to be brief morning there because our driver along with Samuel, Pendo, and baby Elizabeth would be there soon to pick us up and start our safari to the Serengeti. While we both were super excited about that adventure with our dear friends, we also hated that this adventure was ending.We got up, had breakfast with Chris and Jim, packed our stuff and began the "African wait." (Yeah, time is not an important thing in Africa!) We walked around the campus, took some pictures and spent our few last minutes with the girls.

We walked back to the guest house and sat outside with some of the girls and our luggage until the car arrived. We greeted Samuel and family, said our goodbyes to the girls, shed a few tears, and received many hugs. After a short prayer we said goodbye one last time and turned to climb in our car. As we turned we heard the girls talking back and forth then we heard what had grown to be a familiar sound to us..."milimani na bahari ni. Pendo lako la tiririka..." (Pretty sure the spelling is close!) We both stopped instantly and turned around. What were they doing?

They were singing...Singing a song Liv had taught them earlier in the week... They were singing "I Could Sing of Your Love Forever"...They were singing for us, but to Him.

We were slightly teary eyed while saying goodbye, but now we had full blown tear-age. As a matter of fact I took my sunglasses off the top of my head and put them on to cover my eyes. It was an incredible moment. I was speechless. It was music to my ears...

When they finished we thanked them for the treat, did another round of hugs and goodbyes and climbed in the car. As we pulled away Liv and I both opened our windows so we could wave and say goodbye to the girls one last time. The girls chased our car down the road waving and screaming at us. I'm pretty sure that most of our bodies were hanging out of the windows waving, crying, and screaming back at them...We didn't want to come back in...We didn't want to leave the girls...We didn't want to close the window...

Finally the girls stopped chasing us and we came back in the car. I stared out of the window just like the day we landed in Mwanza. I stared and soaked it all in. The past 7 days had changed my life and I didn't want it to end. I began to ask myself questions. "What is God doing? What are all these emotions about? Why am I not excited about going to the Serengeti like I was a few days ago? What in the world?!?" I continued to ride and stare out of the window for a few more minutes. As I stared I prayed a simple prayer that I pray often while on mission trips... "Lord don't let me forget this moment. Don't let me miss what you have for me..."

A few minutes down the road we all engaged in conversations about our week.

We were able to tell Samuel and Pendo about all of our adventures while at the girls home. We laughed, picked on each other and played with Elizabeth. As we drove I was able to get to know Samuel and Pendo a little better. I was able to hear their hearts, their passions, their vision and desires to help the street boys and I heard how God was working in their lives. I heard how they were willing to sacrifice what very little they had in order to minister to and feed the boys. I heard how they were willing to do whatever it took to be the hands and feet of Jesus. I heard a family who was truly giving their all, taking up their crosses and following Jesus. What I heard was music to my ears...

After a couple of hours of driving and a stop for lunch we finally made it to the gate to the Serengeti. By now I was pretty stinkin' excited! We stopped to pay our fees (and take some pics!) then headed into the park! We drove and drove and drove. It was awesome! We saw zebras, giraffe's, monkeys, an elephant and a whole slew of other animals. I was like a little kid going to the zoo for the first time. As I would see a new animals I would giggle, then shout out the name of the animal over and over again! Yeah, I loved it and Samuel loved making fun of me. After a few hours of driving it began to rain so we wrapped up our adventure and headed to the lodge. We grabbed some dinner then headed to bed so we could get up and see the sun rise!

****Time out for a funny story...or 2! We both were excited about a hot shower because we had gone over a week just taking a cold shower with green smelly lake water! I was the first to get in...I turned the hot water knob and nothing came out...The hot water was turned off at 9pm. It was 9:03. At least the water wasn't green or smelly! After we both showered we decided to phone home. The only spot we could get signal was on Liv's bed. We both were laying there and I was talking to my dad. I began to hear this low grumbling sound and I got tickled. I thought it was Liv's stomach and she thought it was mine! Needless to say it wasn't either of our stomachs and well, we really had no idea what it was. We laughed it off and finally went to bed. The next morning as we drove away from the lodge we figured out what it was...

A large pond full of hippos about 60 yards from our room...I guess they were hungry hungry hippos! :)

****Time in!

After a week in the "jail cell" at JBFC it was great to sleep in a real bed...Even though there was what seemed like hundreds on monkeys running on the roof all night long! We thoroughly enjoyed a great nights sleep and rose early to catch the sunrise.

We walked to the top of the lookout area just before sunrise and got our cameras ready.

It was a little cloudy, but as the sun began to peek over the horizon and I stood speechless. (And for those who know me well, that's not a common occurrence!)

It was an amazing sight...I didn't think anything else could top it. Ha!

After taking several pictures and soaking up the beauty of the day we headed back to the room to pack up and then grabbed some breakfast and headed out. We were blessed with an incredible driver named Vincent for our Serengeti safari. He is VERY knowledgeable about the animals and the land itself. He was constantly stopping to tell us interesting facts about different things. My favorite thing about Vincent is what I deemed as his "catch phrase." As we drove he would say, "What do you want to see now? I find it for you!" Let me just say, he did it. Whatever we named he found and it was awesome. Overall we saw 29 lions, 1 leopard, elephants and countless monkeys, zebras, and giraffes, just to name a few!

It definitely was an adventure. As incredible as it was tracking down the animals the most incredible moment of my day came at an unexpected time. We had just seen about 10 lions all over a rocky area and we had stopped to take a few pictures of the incredible view. Liv was snapping pictures right and left and I was peeking out over the top of the car soaking in the view. I decided to turn all the way around and capture the moment in my brain. In the brief 360 degrees I saw zebras, monkeys, a giraffe and a incredible view of the sun peeking through the clouds just above the horizon. It truly was one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen. I couldn't help but stand in awe of my God and His beautiful creation. I simply stood and had a moment...

I heard all the animals making noise, the wind blowing through trees, His children laughing and enjoying His creation...I heard ALL of creation praising Him. What an incredible God I serve that all of creation worships Him. It was music to my ears...

We finished up our safari and headed back into Mwanza for the evening before we flew back to Kenya the next morning. Two incredible days on the Serengeti observing God's beautiful creation and once again we both were a little more different...

My prayer is that I will never forget these three moments. These were three totally different moments that God used to change me. Three moments where what I heard was not only "music to my ears", but also music to God's ears. I can't help but think that He just melts when He hears those girls in Kitongo, Tanzania singing "I Could Sing of Your Love Forever." I truly believe that He smiles big when He hears and see the things that Samuel and Pendo do to further His Kingdom. I think He receives pure joy from His creation (rocks included!) praising Him. Unfortunately, I can't help but think about what my life sounds like to Him. Is my life music to His ears? Do the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart "melt" Him? Am I doing things to further His Kingdom that makes Him smile? Do I, His creation, bring Joy to Him through my praises?

Sadly I often fall short of these things. As I reflected on these three moments I was reminded of a song I heard a few years ago. This has become my prayer...May it be music to His ears...

Let my life be like a love song

Let my life be like a love song
Let my life be like a love song
To Your heart

Lord the love You give You give so generously

You were my sacrifice You gave Your life for me

And now I want to give just as I've received

To live a life that shines Your love for those in need

Let my life be like a love song
Let my life be like a love song
Let my life be like a love song
To Your heart

So let justice roll like an endless stream

Flowing through my life to the poor and weak

Let the things I do and words I speak

Reveal the awesome love You have shown to me

Let your life be like a love song to His heart...

Crazy Americans...

2011-01-03T23:24:00.000-06:00

***Yeah, I know...I changed the look of my blog. Just trying something new. I like it...I hope you do too! :)***

After Christmas at the girls home we had a few more "adventures". On the 26th we started our day off with watching a cow being slaughtered...Yeah, first a chicken, then a cow...I thought I was going to be a vegetarian forever! Later that day we were present for the dedication of the new school at JBFC. 100's of people from the village came in to take part in the celebration and a celebration it was!

At some point on the 26th we had a little play time. The girls had received a volleyball net for Christmas and they wanted to play. The area that they would be playing in was a mixture of sand, fine soil, and a little bit of gravel. We decided that the only way we could get the metal poles to stay in the ground was to use concrete. Liv and I somehow decided that we could handle that task...HA! A few of the girls helped us begin to dig two holes. After a few measurements we decided that we had to dig the holes 3 feet deep. I didn't think we were ever going to make it!

Finally after the holes were dug, we had to mix concrete...Lot's of sand, water, laughs and a ton of concrete being slung around during the "mixing" later, we got it poured. However, we didn't realize someone would have to stand and hold the poles till it set. The girls ran off and well, Liv and I stood and held poles for an extended period of time.

As people walked by from the neighboring village they just kind of gave us a look. At first I didn't get what they were looking at. Then it hit me...Two random white girls...Standing outside...Holding poles...Yeah, I'm pretty sure they thought, "Crazy Americans..."

Sunday, December 27th was our last full day at JBFC and it was coming a flood! Needless to say that since the "church" was a tarp in the middle of a field, we didn't go! The girls (not to mention the two of us) were utterly exhausted from Christmas and the school opening so we took it easy. Like we got up, did a few things and took a nap all before lunch! We finally all gathered in Chris' house and had lunch together. The girls feasted on cow intestines from the slaughtering the day before...We had African style spaghetti! After lunch we all crowded around Chris' laptop and watched Madagascar! Let me just say it's rather entertaining watching a movie that's in English with 28 girls who understand very little. They watched the characters and laughed when we laughed! :) I then started randomly laughing just to see if they would laugh. A few of them did, but after awhile I think they caught on. Pretty sure they just looked at me and thought "Crazy American..."

Anyway, after the movie the rain had let up and we ended up having the best adventure of our time there. Before I start this story I would like to say that I do not recommend doing what we did. If we would have stopped and thought about it we probably wouldn't have done it, but hey...When in Africa, do as the African's do...Or as the crazy American's do!

We decided to walk with all the girls, Chris, and Jim (A fellow American in for the school dedication) the 1-2ish mile trek to the rice paddies.

We had walked down a few days before to observe the girls planting (pic on left), but Jim had not been there and wanted to check it out. The walk was interesting to say the least. It was mud puddle after mud puddle and about every 5 feet or so you would hear a girl scream from losing their shoe in the mud! As a matter of fact, at one point we thought Liv was going to lose her foot in a mud puddle...Quite the entertainment! We got to the rice paddies and what looked like well mapped out rice paddies a few days before now looked like a huge swamp! (Pic below)

There was a one ledge of mud that we could still walk on top of. We walked (or slipped) on the ledge over to the big paddy they had planted earlier that week. We were all standing on the mud ledge around the paddy which was now a big pond. Liv, Jim and I were standing together and Chris was across the way. I looked at Liv and mentioned how funny it would be if one of us just "slipped" into the rather large mud puddle. Jim said he would do it! We told Chris our plan and he got the girls to countdown from three. They had no idea why they were counting down since they couldn't understand us...

The look on their faces when he dove into the puddle was priceless! Check it out!

They laughed and laughed until they were crying! A moment worth remembering!

We began the trek back and came upon a large open area that was flooded and we were going to have to wade through. It was about knee high...Some might see it as an obstacle, but we saw a swimming pool! Chris was at the front of the long line, I was a few girls behind him, Liv a few behind me and then Jim was bringing up the rear. He yelled back and asked if we wanted to swim. Liv and I looked at each other and said "Yeah!"

Chris walked to the middle of the "pool" as if he was going to help the girls cross, but as they got to him he dunked them!

The girls caught on to our plan, began to scream and then began running towards Liv and I. We blocked them and began throwing them in!

We spent the next several minutes splashing and dunking each other. At some point Liv and I both went under the not so clean water. We called truths and began the very cold and wet trek back to the house. We were greeted with a not so nice look from the matrons who had to clean the girls up once they got back, but once they saw the smiles and heard the stories of the girls they just looked at Liv and I,

shook their heads and laughed! I'm pretty sure they were thinking "Crazy Americans..."

As we were washing off and hanging our clothes to dry Liv and I reflected on our actions and couldn't believe we did it. We then began thinking about all the things that could have been in the water and what kind of crazy diseases we could have contracted. Yeah, we wondered if we were going to wake up the next morning throwing up or having a extra arm grow out of our head or something! However, later on one of the girls came up and in her broken English she said, "I like swim. Thank you." Worth it? I think so! I was OK being the crazy American.

A crazy American...Yep, that's what I felt like the whole time I was in Africa. We definitely stuck out looks wise, but also by our actions. People couldn't understand why we came to Africa to see them, minister to them, and give them things. It just didn't make any sense. It was crazy. People here in America thought we were crazy too. Who would ask people to donate large amounts of money in the middle of an economical crisis so they could go to Africa??? Who would want to be in Africa living in the "jail cell" with no hot water??? Who would want to give Christmas away instead of receiving presents??? That's just crazy.

Well, I can honestly say that I am OK being crazy...It was well worth it. I can honestly say that God blessed two "crazy" girls more than we could ever imagined while we were at JBFC. It was a crazy, but life changing Christmas for us both....

I am a firm believer that as Christians we are called to be crazy.

- Love your enemies...Crazy.
- Pray for those who persecute you...Crazy
- Turn the other cheek...Crazy.
- Die to self and put our will aside...Crazy.
- Put others before yourself...Crazy.

This stuff is crazy! As crazy as it sounds...It's true. Liv and I dared to be crazy for three weeks and we definitely got some funny looks and a few laughs. However, the results we saw and heard because of it was well worth it. Crazy changed us.

Are you willing to be crazy? It's the crazies that are going to change the world...

TIME OUT!!!!

2011-01-01T23:20:00.005-06:00

OK, so I know you are all (and by all I mean all 3 of you who read this!) dying for me to finish blogging about my Africa trip so you can know the last few crazy things we encountered. Trust me, I'm going to finish it and there is still some GOOD stuff that happened the last few days, but I need to call a timeout. I need to call a timeout and blog about something different for a moment. Something that is slightly attached to Africa, but yet deals with today. So....

TIMEOUT!

Happy New Year! It's officially 2011 and the resolutions have begun. I've never been one to make a "resolution", if you will. That's just not me. As a matter of fact I will be the one at the gym next week shooting death looks to all the "resolutioners" who are going to "get in shape" and all they really are doing is getting in my way! Just keepin' it real!

Anyway, I guess you can say this New Year's day I have something...not a resolution, but a commitment. While I rang 2011 in here in Pelham, AL a small bit of me is in Africa...In the form of a letter...In a binder...In a backpack...In the hands of a missionary...

My crazy, passionate, and ever talented best friend Liv, who was the Thelma to my Louise in Africa last Christmas, is in Africa as I type this. She left a few days ago with a friend for three weeks of ministering and planning. (Yes...I am jealous!) In 2009 she and I started something that I thought was a one time thing and well, two years later we're still doing it. In 2009 she was preparing to go to Africa for two weeks with a group from church (This was the trip that birthed the idea for our trip last Christmas!) and me being silly didn't want her to have to go two weeks without hearing from me (ha!) so I concocted a plan! I began to write her a small note for each day...The small note turned into a 2 page typed letter for each day she was gone. Yes, I like to talk! Anyway, as I was writing the letters I longed to make a point out of each days letter and not just ramble about non-important topics so I came up with a theme for each day. One word to focus on throughout the day. I called it the word of the day. (WOD)

Along with the letters I gave her a sharpie to write the word on her wrist so she

would remember it. I was here doing the exact same thing and every time I looked down and saw the WOD I lifted her and the team up in prayer.

(One of the WOD letter rules is that you HAVE to take a picture of the WOD written on your hand everyday! This picture is of mine and Liv's hands when two high school girls that hold a special place in our hearts were on a mission trip over spring break. We gave them WOD letters for their trip!)

It was pretty cool, but like I said, I figured it was a one time thing. Ha! A few months later I was boarding a plane for a 10 day mission trip to Uruguay...I boarded the plane with 10 envelopes each holding a WOD letter. Since 2009 every time either one of us travel doing mission work we leave with a packet of letters. As a matter of fact when we were preparing to leave for Africa last Christmas we both became sad when we realized if we were both going there was no one to write WOD's. Liv's mom caught wind of it and we boarded the plane with 19 WOD letters! She and I have also used it to minister to 5 other friends who have served on the mission field over the past two years. Over the years the letters have evolved from a simple letter with a word to a letter with a word based on a devotional we've written and a prayer for each day......As I was thinking about today I felt the urge to share January 1's letter and WOD that I sent with her:

Saturday, January 1, 2011

Woot-woot it’s a new year! As you are reading this it’s a new year and depending on what time you are reading this it might still be 2010 in Alabama…Crazy to think about huh! (Insert a bunch of small talk that none of you would probably care to read or understand!!!)

Check out Acts chapter 9. Look at verses 1-22…I’ll wait!

Yeah, I know #1 you have heard this story 1,000,001 times. #2 You might be scratching your head asking yourself “Why in the world does she choose to start the new year off with this passage? What is she smoking?” Well my response would be #1 I know is a familiar passage, but one of my favorite things in the world is to read a familiar passage and get something new from it! And #2 I’m not smoking anything…I’m doped up on cold medicine! :) Anyway, let’s look at this passage shall we. Saul was a horrible human being. I’m pretty sure that he did almost anything we could imagine. He persecuted the believers and threatened others. He lived years of horribleness. (Not really sure that’s a word, but work with me!) He was so far gone that I’m pretty sure others thought there was no hope for him. God had a different plan. God met with Saul in the middle of a road. For three days Saul pretty much did nothing. He couldn’t eat or drink, he was almost unfunctionable. (Yeah I’m pretty sure that’s not a word either!) I can only imagine what he did for those three days. If I had to guess, I would guess that he spent those three days reflecting on the years he spent persecuting people and reflecting on the encounter he just had with the God of the universe.

At the end of the three days Ananias went to him as the Lord instructed, laid his hands upon him, and Saul regained his vision. He immediately got up, got some food, was baptized, spent sometime with the disciples, and started proclaiming Jesus to everyone. Saul was soon to become Paul. Saul was DIFFERENT.

In my world, like I said, I would imagine that Saul spent his three days of blindness reflecting on his life and the years he had wasted. He had an encounter with God and he was changed. I could imagine that in those three days he thought of the way he was going to be DIFFERENT. He was a new person.

What does this have to do with you? Today is the beginning of a new year. A new start if you will. My prayer/challenge is that you spend today reflecting on last year and looking forward to this new year. Saul spent time reflecting and thinking on what he needed to do DIFFERENTly, it’s your turn to do it. Pray and ask God to meet with you today on your “Damascus Road” and show you what you need to do or ways you need to be DIFFERENT this new year. Is he calling you to be DIFFERENT … Is He calling you to do something DIFFERENT … Dare to spend 2011 being DIFFERENT. DIFFERENT for God…

Clearly the WOD for Liv today was DIFFERENT. I can honestly say that I am a different person now than I was this time last year. Some ways good, some bad. However, I also know that I still need to be a little bit more different. I am firm believer that God is always working on us to become more like Him. That means He's always working to make me a little more different. I like different. Over the last few weeks I had my Damascus road meeting...I know how 2011 is going to be different for me. What about you? I'm ready to face 2012 in 364 days more different than I am today...I can't wait to see what God does. Just know...I'll be different... Will you be different?

Do You Hear What I Hear?

2010-12-29T23:09:00.022-06:00

I guess the more appropriate title would be "Did You Hear What I Heard?"

We survived the painting of the school and were now looking forward to Christmas day with the girls! It definitely was a Christmas to remember...I heard things that Christmas that changed me forever. Have you heard them too?

#1 I was in Africa literally in the middle of nowhere...sleeping on the top bunk in the "jail cell" (Pic to the right)...Under a mosquito net...In the crazy hot African summer weather...However, it was still Christmas. The previous few mornings at the girls home were pretty slow going. When the alarm clock went off we stayed in bed until the absolute last second then drug ourselves to breakfast. It wasn't that we didn't want to be there, we were simply exhausted. Chasing 28 girls around all day in the summer heat will wear you out! Since we had a long day of painting the day before I expected that morning to be the same, but it wasn't. It was Christmas morning! I woke up way before the alarm clock just like I did every other year at home simply excited because it was Christmas morning. I just laid in bed because I thought that Liv would sleep until the alarm went off. I laid there and reflected on Christmas' past and how different this one was. I reflected on getting up every Christmas morning to my brother telling me it was time to get up and open presents. I actually got a little emotional, I missed that moment. For the first time in 24 years I wasn't going to hear it. After a few moments of reflection I decided I was going to roll over and try to sleep a little more because I knew it was going to be a long day. As I rolled over I heard Liv move around too. I just figured I shook the not-so-stable bunk and stirred her a little. Ha! After a second or two I heard "Merry Christmas!" I replied back with the same. After another moment of silence I heard, "It's time to get up and open the stockings our moms put in our bags..." I heard it. 8,000 miles from home I heard it. I heard God telling me "Merry Christmas. You're exactly where you're supposed to be."

#2 After breakfast Liv and I took some of the little toys, cards, and fingernail polish that our mom's packed in our stocking to the girls dorm. Liv painted fingernail after fingernail as I played cards, yo-yo'd and jumped rope. We were simply enjoying time with the girls. Due to the language barrier there wasn't much talking going on. A few words exchanged between Liv and I every once in a while and likewise among the girls. We would play game after game of Uno. Yeah, playing Uno with people you can't communicate with is quite the entertainment! Especially when different groups of girls have different rules. Some how we managed to do it, but if it wasn't for head nods and hand gestures it would have been impossible! Anyway, we played and played and loved on the girls as much as we could even though the room was mostly silent. I decided I was going to show off my mad yo-yo skills to the girls. A group gathered around and watched as it went up and down and even as I "walked the dog" a little bit. I decided to get fancy and sling it in out in front of me to do another trick. I slung it alright. I slung it right off my finger, across the room and into the wall. I heard laughter. I kept hearing laughter. I'm pretty sure I heard a little snorting mixed in! I heard "Merry Christmas. Thank you for being here."

#3 An hour or so later while Liv was still painting fingernails I was taking pictures and showing them to some of the girls. In the midst of our still somewhat silent state we heard a bell ring. It was the bell that they rang to tell everyone to report to the dinning hall. All the girls got up and ran to the dinning hall. Liv and I sat trying to figure out what was going on. It wasn't quite lunch time yet, we hoped nothing was wrong. As we got up and walked towards the dinning hall we saw this:

It was time to clean the chickens for our Christmas dinner. The closest either one of us had ever been to doing something like this was Liv cleaning an already prepared chicken in culinary school. What in the world?!? Liv was taking pictures so I thought to myself "When in Africa, do as the African's do." I jumped in and did as best as I could. We heard a bell. We heard "Merry Christmas. To the Jews I became a Jew (to the African's I became an African)... I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some. I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in it's blessings."

#4 The afternoon went on and Liv and I actually had the opportunity to slaughter, pluck, a clean a chicken ourselves. (A later post will have to share that story!) Anyway, as the afternoon was drawing to an end Liv and I went back to the jail cell to clean up for the BIG Christmas dinner and celebration later that night. We headed to Chris' house to help with the final preparations and to begin to welcome the guests as they came in from the village. 75 people crowed in the living room to feast on our rather American Christmas dinner of FRESH roasted chicken :), mashed potatoes, dressing, homemade rolls, and kool-aid! It was awesome. We topped off dinner with some mango cobbler and it was time for presents!

We gathered around as the girls eagerly awaited getting their presents out from under the awesome mango branch Christmas tree we had decorated a few nights earlier.

Before we opened presents Chris spoke for a few minutes then there was a reading of the Christmas story from Luke 2. Now granted, it was in Swahili so I'm not sure what I really heard! However, I heard, "Merry Christmas. At the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."

#5 It was present time! The girls got a few presents from people including a new dress and a new pair of shoes that people from our church purchased with money they raised. The last thing they opened was their stocking that had been hanging on the windows.

A few days before Liv and I had the awesome privilege of stuffing their stockings.

We brought a whole trunk load of little things over for each girl to go along with some things that Chris had for them. We had everything from bouncy balls and yo-yo's to toy rings and necklaces to crayons and finger nail polish. It was awesome! After we handed out all of the stockings the girls dumped them out and started going through them. They put on their jewelry, tried out the markers, bounced the balls, smelled the lotions, and played with the little toys. They were in heaven. You would have thought they just recieved the greatest Christmas gift ever. Liv and I sat for the longest time just watching them go through all of their stuff and get a little more excited with every thing they saw.

In the midst of it all there was a lot of noise. However, I heard the sound of 28 little girls giggling with excitement over the gifts they had received. It was one of the greatest things I have ever heard. I heard "Merry Christmas. I came that you might have life. Abundant life. A life of Joy."

I walked away from this trip with many lessons learned, but I can honestly say that the lessons learned this day made the biggest impact on my life. I can sum up the five things that I heard that day with one word: Humble. Humbled because God chose me to be there that Christmas. Humbled because I was able to spend time with those girls, love on them and hopefully impact their lives. Humbled because He became exactly what I needed and had given me the opportunity to be His hands and feet so I could show His love through it. Humbled because He is such an awesome God and worthy to be spoken of and praised no matter what language it is. Humbled because those stockings were stuffed with what Liv and I called 'Chuck-E-Cheese" toys. Toys that kids "win" in America and have forgotten about them by the time they get home, yet they were the best things in the world to those 28 girls. Humbled.

God sent His only son to this dirty, rotten, sinful earth so that we might have life. Abundant life. A life of joy. The incredible thing about the whole story? He didn't send Him in the form of a powerful king or official like many expected. No. He sent Him in the form of a humble baby. Born in a humble stable. Laid in a humble manger. Worshiped by humble shepherds. Humble.

Last Christmas I heard humble. What did you hear?

A Christmas Eve to Remember...

2010-12-24T23:04:00.002-06:00

December 22, 2009 Liv and I hopped in the back of a Land Rover and took a 45ish minute ride that took us to a place that forever changed our lives. JBFC. Now, technically, the place did not change our lives, but the people and experiences there that God used to teach us new things changed our lives. JBFC is a home for girls that was started by a guy my age from Oklahoma. You can check out what they are all about here. After getting ourselves settled in, spending some time getting to know the girls, and learning how things were done, we were ready to do something.

It was Christmas Eve... On Christmas Eve I typically sleep in, spend sometime with the family, maybe bake a few cookies, then attend the candlelight/communion service at church followed by a Christmas get together with some families from church. Ha...that's not the way Christmas Eve works in Africa!

We got up, grabbed some breakfast and got our assignment for the day. What was that you ask? Painting. Painting the walls of the school that would be opening in 2 days. Being involved in Children's ministry I am used to painting. I'm just saying that you don't go to a store and buy VBS backdrops! As Liv and I walked down to the school I thought to myself, "This is nothing...We can knock this out in no time flat!" I was sadly mistaken! Chris showed us the walls that needed to be painted. Three of the outside walls then 2-3 classrooms. Piece of cake...So I thought. Liv and I grabbed our rollers and dove right into the pale yellow paint. As we began to paint we noticed a few things. The first thing we noticed was how runny the paint was. Now, when I say runny, I mean runny. Like it was so thin that as we rolled it on we ourselves were covered in splatter. I could live with that...It was kind of fun. Then we noticed this distinct smell. After doing a little research we found that they put kerosene in their paint to make it go farther. So not only were we going to be splattered with paint, but we were also going to smell like kerosene too. I guess I could live with that. Finally we noticed our hands. After just a few minutes our hands began to ache. African paint rollers are well...horrible. Within minutes we both had huge blisters...I could live with that until they started to bleed and paint mixed with kerosene got into them. OUCH!

Although the conditions weren't great (Did I mention it was summer time in Africa and it was WAY HOT!) we both were having fun. As we painted we both reflected on past Christmas' and shared stories from when we were kids. We were sharing our favorite things about Christmas Eve and we both agreed how much we loved the Christmas Eve service at church. We both love the music at it. That led us into a conversation about Christmas songs and it was at that point that we both wished we had a radio that played Christmas music. Well I didn't have a radio, but I did have a Liv. I always tell her she is like a personal jukebox. I could think about a song and she could sing it. It's crazy, but it was useful! I'm pretty sure for the next two hours she sang every Christmas song ever written and it was awesome. The African men working on the other side of school kept looking through the windows at us and laughing! It was a little piece of home in Africa.

Well what started out as a couple of hours of worked turned into 5. By the time we finished the all the walls we were covered in paint and blisters. However, if you look at the picture bellow I would say we did a pretty good job!

The picture on the right is one of the photos we took once we were done. Notice all the paint on our face. I'm pretty sure this was taken after we had already washed our face once! It was a long, tiring, messy, and somewhat painful experience, but we made the most of it! As I laid on my bunk before dinner while Liv was showering I thought about how my family was just getting up and starting their Christmas Eve, while I missed them I knew that I was exactly where I was supposed to be. I also thought that my Christmas Eve could not get any better...Boy was I wrong!

We cleaned up, rested a little, and did some crafts with the girls before dinner. Typically we ate our meals in Chris' house and they were somewhat "American" meals. Chris had to go into town to pick up another guest from the airport so we were going to eat dinner with the girls and the matrons in their dinning hall. We walked into the dinning hall and were directed to go to the front and fix our plates. Our Christmas Eve dinner consisted of rice, beans, and fresh mango. Hands down the best Christmas Eve dinner ever.

We went and set at a table and our three little girls that followed us everywhere came and set with us. This is a picture of them. From left to right it's Salome, Abby, and Zia. LOVE these girls! Anyway, they joined us at our table, just the 5 of us. A far cry from me sitting in house of about 30 on Christmas Eve. It was getting dark outside and generator had not been plugged in yet so one of the older girls came and set a lantern in the middle of our table. It was Christmas Eve...in Africa...We were sitting at a table with three young girls who had been orphaned...eating rice, beans, and mango for dinner...It was a Christmas Eve I will never forget.

As I sat there soaking it all in, I had a moment. One of those moments where you feel a lump in your throat and then it takes over your whole body and you kind of think a tear might be coming. It was a moment worth remembering. It was a very humbling moment. Who was I that God called me halfway around the world to share His live at Christmas time. There definitely was a tear. To keep from sobbing like a baby I looked across the table at Liv to see if she could lighten the moment....It didn't help. The moment we made eye contact I knew she was having the same exact moment I was having. We both sat there for a few minutes soaking it all in...There definitely was more than one tear! It was incredible and life changing for both of us.

After we collected ourselves and finished dinner we wanted to spend a little more time with the girls. The girls LOVE to sing and so does Liv so she decided to teach them Silent Night in English. We sang together and it was awesome. One of the girls pulled out their Swahili hymnal and opened it up to Silent Night. They then taught it to us in Swahili. We spent the next hour or so singing hymns with them in Swahili. Well, Liv did most of the singing and I held the flashlight so we could see! Yeah, I do not sing any better in Swahili than I do in English! :)

It was an absolutely incredible evening. Usually at night I would take a shower and by the time I got back to the room Liv would be half asleep. Not that night. She was wide awake still humming Silent Night as she laid in her bunk. We ended up talking for awhile and swapping stories from the day of how God spoke to us. We both were changed. We both experienced a Christmas Eve that we would never forget.

From that moment on Christmas Eve would never be the same for me. It used to be about getting all the presents wrapped, cookies baked, and plans for Christmas day in order. This Christmas Eve all I can think about are the faces of the kids in Africa. This Christmas Eve I spent my time thinking of them, praying for them and thinking of things I can do to minster to them. Jesus came that Christmas Eve many years ago to give. He came to give us life. Abundant life. You and I have been abundantly blessed...How are you going to give?

Jealous...Really?!? Oh, I get it now.

2010-12-22T00:45:00.006-06:00

As I write these blogs reflecting on our trip last Christmas I refer back to the blog Liv wrote while we were there, the emails and updates I sent home and the journal I kept while I was there. Yes, I still have all the emails I sent and all the emails that were sent to me. Yes, I completely understand that I am a nerd, but I also understand that those interactions between my family and friends were some of the sweetest moments of my life...

Anyway, as I look back at them and read over them I'm brought to tears. Tears of joy because of the things God did while we were there, but also the way He is still working in both of us because of that trip. I also have tears of "sadness." Well, not really sadness, but longing. My heart longs and wishes that I was doing the exactly the same things now that I was doing this time last year. I can honestly say that when I set foot in Africa I never imagined that my heart would be captured like it has been... Never would I have imagined that I would long to be on the "mission field."

Anyway...After some time in Kenya we boarded a small plane and ventured to Tanzania. I had been in Africa for 4 days, but I still didn't feel like I was really in Africa. I was excited to touchdown in Tanzania and see what it was all about. For months I heard Liv's family talk for hours upon hours about Mwanza, Tanzania, the people, and the things God was doing there. I was ready to experience it for myself.

Once we landed at the "airport" (and yes I use that term lightly!) we hopped into a cab and began our venture into town. As I was in the backseat squashed up against the door I stared out of the window and soaked it all in. I felt like I was finally in Africa. I enjoyed my time in Nairobi, but the whole time I was there I never felt "settled", if you will, but now I was. It was like all was well in the world and I was back in a familiar, comfortable place and I was at peace with the world. The funny thing was I had never been there before.

Over the next few days we met with some of the street boys and were able to share the Gospel with them, feed them, play with them, and love on them. It in itself was an awesome experience. We also were able to attend church with local brothers and sisters. Liv preached and I was able to do my first African kids church! We spent time with the Limbe family and I was able to get to know Samuel and his precious family. We also were able to go atop a mountainousness area called Mabatini. After we hiked the mountain, in a skirt I might add, we were able to spend sometime with about 50 kids. Most of the kids could not afford school so a local lady was teaching them to read and write. We were able to sing some songs, hand out candy, and share the Gospel. I was able to share a cool little object lesson with them on God's love and well...The object lesson bombed, but I think I got the point across! Anyway, Mabatini was one of my favorite things we did on this trip. I'm not sure why, but I absolutely loved it!

So what did I take away from my first few days in Mwanza? In order to convey that I need to back up and tell you a "story". As Liv and I were preparing to go on our trip we spent a lot of time together preparing and packing. I spent many nights at Liv's house planning and listening to story after story from her and her parents. I loved it! Every time we were working on or talking about the trip and her mom was around she would sit with us and tell stories and what not. No matter what we were talking about her mom would always end the discussion with "I'm jealous of you girls." If she said it once she said it 100 times. I clearly remember the discussion we had the night we packed our bags. We talked about packing plenty of toilet paper because you never know when you might need it or where you might be going to the bathroom in Africa. She shared a story of having to use the bathroom on the side of road one time while traveling...We laughed, she shook her head and said "I'm so jealous." I remember getting tickled because it just didn't make sense to me. Why in the world is she jealous of that? Why is she jealous of us getting eaten up by bugs, taking cold showers, and not having a bathroom to use? I couldn't understand it. I just chalked it up to the fact that she was crazy! ;)

I did not understand it then, but after my first few days in Mwanza I understood it completely. Our last night in Mwanza before we left for the girls home was a "stressful" night. We both were tired and we were trying to get everything packed and ready to leave the next morning. I'm a night person and the kind who likes to talk at night at "debrief" the day if you will. All Liv had on her mind was going to sleep and well, that's what she did. I laid in the bed thinking about my first week in Africa. As I laid there tears rolled down my face as I reflected on all I had seen and experienced. The poverty, the orphans and all the other things that were "wrong", but also the joy, the love, the smiles, and the hope these people have simply because of Christ. The people there are absolutely incredible. I now understood why Paula was so jealous. We were able to spend three weeks with some of the most incredible, passionate, loving, joyful, humble and giving people in the world. Everyone should be jealous.

Liv is leaving in just a few days to spend three weeks there. Now I'm the one saying "I'm jealous!" Jealous...Not bad jealous, but good jealous. (If there is such a thing!) As I think about all the incredible things she's going to get to do, the time she's going to get to spend with some awesome people, and the fact the that she gets to eat some of Pendo's cooking :) I think about how God is a jealous God. He is jealous for me...and you. A small part of me (A VERY small part) understands how He feels. Just as I long to be the one spending time in Africa, He longs to be the one spending time with me. So many times in life I give God my leftover time. Time here and there when I'm not busy with something else and there's nothing good on tv. He's not worthy of my extra time here and there, He's worthy of all my time...My whole life.

Wow...He is jealous for me?!? Hmmm...I get it. Do you?

He is jealous for me,

Loves like a hurricane, I am a tree,
Bending beneath the weight of his wind and mercy.
When all of a sudden,
I am unaware of these afflictions eclipsed by glory,
And I realize just how beautiful You are,
And how great Your affections are for me.

And oh, how He loves us so,
Oh how He loves us,
How He loves us all

Yeah, He loves us,
Whoa! how He loves us,
Whoa! how He loves us,
Whoa! how He loves...

A Captured Heart

2010-12-19T17:01:00.009-06:00

Upon our arrival in Africa I did not feel like I was in Africa. We landed late in the evening so my first "look" at Africa was in the dark. As we were driving through Nairobi I stared out of the window of our van like a small child soaking up all of the sights. I was finally in Africa. The dream that started six months earlier had finally come true. Never in a million years did I think our dream would ever have come true. As I stared out of the window my mind was completely blown how God had worked in the lives of two girls and had them in Africa for Christmas. Little did I know how much He would continue to blow my mind.

After our day of rest I was ready to hit the ground running and do some ministry. We loaded in the van and headed towards Ruiru so we could go to the FOCUS Orphanage where Liv had been several times before. I was excited to see Africa and get my hands dirty doing His work. After a few orders of business we headed to the orphanage. I instantly fell in love when our van entered the gate. As we pulled in what felt like 1,000 small African children (Ok it was really like 50ish) running towards us screaming "Mzungu, Mzungu!" Which means "white person, white person!." They rushed our van and as we got out they all wanted to shake our hand and say "How are you? What is your name?" Over and over again. It was awesome. For the next few hours we played and we played hard. We played games, blew bubbles, took pictures, threw frisbees, introduced them to bouncy balls :), we did it all. I even played a game of soccer with some of the boys. And by "playing soccer" I mean that I tried to dodge a little boy so I wouldn't run over him and ended up hitting the ground...Hard. Like really hard...Like dust cloud hard. Imagine pigpen from Charlie Brown dust cloud! Anyway, after playing for a few hours we were able to share the Gospel and give each child a salvation bracelet. It was incredible.

As we were wrapping up our day the kids were playing this game and singing for Liv and I. I had Liv's camera out trying to get some good pictures, but this small child was standing on something getting all up in my way. Ahhh! It was probably a good thing he couldn't understand me. Just being honest. I was a little irritated to say the least. I was frustrated, then I looked down to see what he was standing on and saw this.

Instantly my heart was captured.

~~~TIMEOUT~~~

I need to call a timeout here and explain something. I have this "thing" if you will. This thing all started with this child on the left.

This is my small child. I love this kid and her brother more than any other kids in the world. I have seen her grow up since age 2 and one might say we just clicked. I give nicknames to everyone and the name she ended up with was small child. Even though she's not "small" anymore, she will forever be my small child. My American small child. In 2009 I ventured to Uruguay with her parents on a mission trip and was captured by this child on the right. After spending a few days with her and absolutely being captured by her Niki, my American small

child's mom, decided she was my Uruguayan small child. I'm ok with having more than one small child so I decided I'd have a small child to love on in every country I visit!

~~~TIME IN~~~

My heart was captured. I instantly fell in love with this child. My African small child. I decided to put the camera down, along with my frustrations, and simply love on and play with this child...So I did.

Not a day goes by that this small child is not on my mind. This weekend I have had the best time with my "original/american" small child. I've loved every minute of it. The laughs, the goofy faces, the corny jokes, the piggy back rides...Every moment. Still to this day she and her brother both capture my heart. As we laid curled up on the couch yesterday watching TV all I could think about was my African small child. It was a year ago yesterday that I met him. Six months ago I was able to see him again and he remembered me. As I thought about how these kids have captured my heart, I thought about other things that capture my heart. I thought about the things that capture the heart of God.

My prayer is that God captures my heart just as these kids do. I pray that I put more into mine and His relationship than I do with these kids. I pray that I long to spend time with Him as much as I long to spend time with my small children. I pray that I will go out of my way to do things for Him like I do for these kids. I pray that my heart would be captured for captures His heart. That it would also break for what breaks His.

What is it that captures your heart? Is He capturing your heart?

A Big Hurdle, But a Even Bigger God.

2010-12-16T23:51:00.001-06:00

Wow...It's been a while. I would like to finish up my story about getting to Africa so I can tell you about Africa and what God did while we were there... So in a nut shell...

The dream was in our reach, but yet there was still a BIG hurdle... Our parents!
The night we dreamed up this crazy dream Liv sent an email to a man by the name of Chris Gates. Chris is the founder of JBFC which is a girls home outside of Mwanza, Tanzania. She emailed Chris and asked him about the possibility of us coming to spend Christmas there. The team Liv was just with in Africa had visited the girls home one afternoon, but Liv was unable to go because she was sick. So pretty basically we sent an email to a guy... that we didn't really know... half-way around the world... and asked if we could spend Christmas at his house! Wow... That sound's a whole lot more crazier now, then it did at that point in time! :)

Both Liv and I went to bed praying that night that God would move and open doors if it was His will for us to go to Africa. Our prayer was that Chris would respond positively to our inquiry if it was something we needed to pursue. In the mean time we were trying to find the best way to discuss this with our parents... The next morning Liv and I were both at the church doing... only God knows what! We were in her mom's office so she decided to test the waters and mention our thoughts. She was all about us going to Africa until she heard the word "Christmas." I could be wrong, but I'm pretty sure her response was "absolutely not! Christmas is family time." We moved to the next office where my mom was. We gave our same little spill and just like Liv's mom, my mom was all about it until Christmas was mentioned. The excitement drained instantly from my body and I must be honest, I pretty much lost all hope. For the next 30 minutes or so Liv and I stared at each other trying to figure things out. Why did we feel so strong about this trip, but yet we felt like we hit a HUGE brick wall. I walked out of the office to do something and I came back to Liv reading an email on her phone with a big smile on her face. When she was done reading it she hopped up, grabbed me by the arm and pulled me into the next room. What in the world is going on?!? Little did I know that God was moving...

Once she collected herself she began to read me the email. As she read I went into a state of unbelief. I was shocked. I was so shocked that still to this day I really can't remember exactly what the email said, but I knew it was God's assurance that we were on the right track. The email was a reply to our inquisition to Chris about spending Christmas at the girls home. He pretty much told us we would be an answer to prayers if we would be there at Christmas. We were really excited, but we still weren't sure if this would help us any with our parents. We returned to the office and proceeded to read the email to both of our moms. Their attitudes went from absolutely not to maybe you girls are on to something.

Over the next few weeks our parents heard our desire to spend Christmas being the hands and feet of Christ and they realized that God was all over this. We began to make plans and dream about the thing we could do.

Needless to say the next few months were crazy. We realized that we each had to raise over $4,000...during the Christmas season...when the economy was at it's worst. All I have to say is that what looks impossible to man, is possible with God. God showed Himself over and over and over again.

I vividly remember knelling at the alter with Liv one Sunday morning because we absolutely had to buy our plane tickets within the next 24 hours and we didn't have the money. To my best knowledge neither one of us spoke a word to anyone about it, but God provided...That night we bought our plan tickets.
One week before we left I had to get my shots and buy my malaria prevention medicine. It ended up being twice as much money than we had budgeted and I didn't know how I was going to replace the extra money I had to use. The next day I was eating lunch at a restaurant and went to get my wallet out to pay and found a wad of cash in the bottom of my purse and still to this day I have no clue where it came from. Later that afternoon I received a Christmas card in the mail from an old friend in a different state and there was a check in there. I added the cash amount and the check amount together...It replaced the extra money I had to use on medicine to the penny. It seemed like everyday the devil would throw another expense at us, but everyday God threw back. Liv and I could tell story after story of how God not only provided, but how He gave us an abundance in which we could minister with. He indeed showed Himself as Jehovah Jireh.

A year ago today we touched down in Nairobi, Kenya for three weeks that changed us forever. Over the next three weeks I hope to reflect upon those memories and share how God is still using them to teach me even today.

Pressing On.

A Sharpie Marker, a Boring Meeting, a Passionate Friend, and a CRAZY Dream!

2010-01-20T23:33:00.014-06:00

Sunday, June 7, 2009 forever changed my life thanks to these things... Crazy? Definitely!

The previous day, June 6, my best friend, Liv, returned from a 2 week mission trip to Africa with a group from church. I had driven home late Friday night to surprise her at the airport on Saturday. After her plane arrived I spent the next 24 hours listening to all her stories from the trip and pretty much hung on every word. I really wanted to be with them on the trip, but missing Bible School in a children's ministry world just doesn't fly! Anyway, needless to say I was amazed by all her stories of how God moved not only through, but also in her while they were ministering in Africa. She had a real passion for Africa and the people there and that passion spilled over onto me. I felt the urge to get on a plane that very minute and experience it for myself.

Sunday afternoon Liv and I were in a BYBC meeting with a small group of people so she was sharing with them what God had done in Africa. She mentioned how she could not wait to go back and how it would be great to spend Christmas there at a girls home in which they had visited. She wished she could do it this Christmas, but it was already June and it would be crazy to even think about... All I have to say is that crazy is the only way I think! The moment she mentioned it, I was all about it. In my world it would be an experience of a lifetime and this Christmas would be the perfect time because we had nothing pressing that would hold us back.

Well, I kept my thoughts to myself and we proceeded into another meeting that was...well...boring! I had to find something to keep me from going crazy, so I diverted my thoughts back to Christmas in Africa. I thought and thought about it and weighed all the options in my head. The only conclusion I could come up with was "Why not?!?" I had a sharpie marker in my hand doodling on a piece of paper. Liv's hand was laying next to the piece of paper, so I leaned over and wrote "DREAM" on her hand. I had decided in my brain that if she asked me why I did that I would pitch the idea of going, but if she didn't I wouldn't mention it. The meeting went on a little while longer, we went out to dinner with some friends, and then we were hanging out at her house and it never came up... I was a little on edge, but I was slowly letting my thoughts of Christmas in Africa go...

It was getting late and we both were getting tired, but we were still talking and catching up on each others life. As we were talking she again saw "DREAM" and proceeded to ask me why in the world I wrote it on her hand. SCORE!!! So I pitched my idea, and she had this look like was I was CRAZY. After a moment of silence, she asked me if I was serious, because she would be all about it!

A few emails were sent and plane tickets were looked at... Now all we had to do was convince our parents... to let us go... half-way around the world... for 3 weeks... by ourselves... at Christmas time!

To be continued...

Love by Way of Sunglasses...

2009-07-31T22:35:00.000-05:00

In the past week or so I have had the same conversation with two different friends in different states so I thought I would share a little about the topic... Actually this is quite different from my normal blog posts, but hey, it's my blog so I can post whatever it is that I want to post! Anyway, the first part of this post is actually a entry from my journal on July 12, 2009:

" *'Love is in the house, and the house is packed. So much soul I left the back door cracked. Mamma always said it's a matter of fact When love is in the house the house is packed...'- TobyMac
*'I wanna know what love is...'- Foreigner
*'Love, true love...'

What is love?

For a long time I have (and still to some degree still do) struggle with the fact of 'love'. I personally have never been able to really define love- I really have never known what love is. Very rarely do the words 'I love you' come out of my mouth and sometimes when they do, they are just empty words with no meaning behind them. I simply have struggled with love. It often gets under my skin when people carelessly toss around the phrase 'I love you.' When couples of two weeks repeatedly exchange the phrase I stop and ask myself, 'do they really know what love is or are they just saying it because that's the thing to say?' There are random people in my life who every time I see them say 'I love you', but do they really love me? Do they understand true love? Am I the only odd ball who just doesn't get it??? Needless to say 'I love you's' are few and far between with me, but I'm thinking that's all changing now.

A few weeks ago as I was having my quiet time before work I was praying over kidz kamp and the material we had just finished writing. As I was praying and thinking through the stuff we had written I was silenced in an awe-struck humbling moment. I thought about how incredible this material (and material in the past) was. WOW...I am a dirty, unworthy, no good for nothing sinner, but yet God used me. I could not begin to understand why God still chose to use me cause I was a worthless sinner, then it hit me...LOVE.

God loves me so much that #1 He forgives me, but #2 He wants to use me. Many times in my life I have pretty much looked Him straight in the face and spit it in, slapped Him, and then turned and walked away. What did He do? He pretty much grabbed me, hugged me, cleaned me up, and used me.

As all of this hit me I began to weep-hard. I finally got what love was. Looking through the outside and the actions and loving the person no matter what. Not only loving them when it's convenient, but loving them when they hate you. Not only showing love, but empowering them and supporting them in the darkest times.

Love is giving it all, all the time, through it all, in all circumstances, with all that you are."

So what does sunglasses have to do with this?

You see a few weeks ago I was at the lake with a group of friends and we went into a cove, anchored the boats, and just hung out in the water and swam. I had my rather expensive Oakley sunglasses on, but decided to swim about 75 yards to my families boat to get my life jacket. So I handed my sunglasses to my bf and asked them to hold them for me. I swam to the boat and as I was almost back to my group of friends floating in the water I heard "Where are the sunglasses?" As I looked up I saw a couple of the guys diving down and realized my nice sunglasses are now somewhere in the lake... Not cool in my world. My friend had now entered the panic stage and well, to be quite honest, I had entered the pissed stage. After a few dives down, I counted it a lost cause and swam over to the side of the boat and just kind of sat there for a while. After a few minutes I sucked it up, joined the group again and tried to let it go. I said it was all cool, but it really wasn't I just wanted to give some kind of comfort to my friend and not be mad towards them any more.

A few hours went by and we were headed home. As I drove my friends in my car carried on many conversations, but I was in my own pissy little world harping on the fact that a giant catfish was now swimming around in style. I was was sulking in my loss and I thought about my friend and how bad they must feel... I knew that there was no way to go back and change what happened, but I could change my attitude towards the whole situation. I began to feel guilty for the anger that I had felt and then God and I had a cool moment... LOVE was made real. I still love my friend even though they dropped my sunglasses. The glasses were just an overpriced piece of plastic, but my friend is a priceless treasure. I'm not going to stop loving them because of what happened, even though I must admit the thought did cross my mind. Just being honest. That's how God's love is... Never ending. If God stopped loving me every time I did something that upset Him or went against what He asked me to do, quite frankly He would never love me. But He loves me no matter what I do to Him and I just don't understand. As Christians it's time to start loving like God does. He gives it all, all the time, through it all, in every circumstance, and loves us with all that He is...

I don't know about you, but I sure am glad that God loves me now matter how many times I "drop His sunglasses in the lake." Maybe it's time we start doing the same thing.

Pressing On.

...thanks...

The Little Things in Life...

2009-06-12T22:33:00.000-05:00

Lately I have been repeatedly reminded of how the little things in life can make a BIG difference. To be honest it has been rather entertaining, but it has been rather convicting too.

The first instance happened during VBS last week and came from a first grader. When asked if she was having fun she quickly replied with "Yes, it's better then that Methodist church. It's longer and funner and the bathrooms are cleaner!" Who knew that how clean the bathroom was during VBS would have such a HUGE impact on a first grader! Certainly not me!

The second instance started during VBS and continued this week during camp prep. A sixth grade boy asked if he could be on the purple team at camp. He had been to camp since he was in first grade and NEVER has been on the purple team. (Milan's colors are purple and white and well, let's just say this town bleeds purple!) Such a small thing as what color team he is going to be on is a BIG deal to him. I can't wait to see his reaction when he gets to camp and realizes that he is on the purple team!!!

The third instance happens quite often, but I just realized it this week. One of "Small Childs" favorite things in the world is to play with my phone. To take pictures, video, play games, or just listen to my ringtones. Typically it is rather annoying, but as I was sitting on the couch this past week with her and her brother they cracked me up. For 20 minutes they took turns taking short video clips of each other laughing, singing, and acting crazy and they LOVED it! Overall it really wasn't a big deal, but it was BIG to them. They were still talking about it the next day...

I could go on and on, but I will spare you. As I sit and reflect it's the little things in my life that mean the most. From a simple text from a friend just saying "hope you have a great day" and that they are praying for me to a family inviting me into their home for dinner since I'm away from mine to a simply thank you for all the work I put into my job to a reassuring smile and a "everything's going to workout."

I just started reading a book and have already been taken back by a comment in it. We are commanded in scripture to "love your neighbor as yourselves." I don't know about you, but I love myself a whole lot. Often when I meditate on this scripture I think that I have to start loving myself less and others more, but this book has made me think differently. Instead of decreasing the love of ourselves so we don't have that high of a "love bar", if you will, to reach with others, why don't we just start loving others as much as we love ourselves?!? If I loved everyone I know as much as I love myself, WOW...That would be a lot of lovin' going on!

This doesn't mean that you have to go out and do BIG crazy things for everyone you know. Simply love them and treat them as yourself. For me it's the little things that make a BIG difference, so I've decided to start making a conscience effort to do little things for people.
Little notes or texts, simple prayers, some thank you's, and maybe even a free lunch here or there just because.

So my challenge to you simply is to love your neighbors as yourself. Figure out what you love and how you want to be treated and then go and treat the world that way...

It's the little things that make a BIG difference... Go make a BIG difference...

5 Lessons... Part 5!

2009-04-30T21:27:00.002-05:00

Instead of recapping the whole story up unto this point, I think I am simply going to recap the first 4 lessons. Here we go...

Lesson 1~ Attitude

The first lesson we can learn from this miracle of Jesus is ATTITUDE. In order to be all you can be for Jesus you have to take on the right attitude. With God ALL things are possible. God has put us where we are for a purpose and He has placed large tasks in our lives. We have to take on the correct attitude in order for God to use us and conquer these big tasks.

LESSON 2~ Give it All

The second lesson we can learn is GIVING IT ALL. God has incredible things in store for our lives and He wants to use us beyond our comprehension, but in order to do so we have to give everything to him. Just as the young boy gave all of his lunch for Jesus to use, we have to give Jesus all of ourselves.

LESSON 3~ Keep On Keeping On.

The third lesson we can learn is that you have to KEEP ON KEEPING ON! It looks impossible sometimes, but with the right attitude, and when you give all you have, and keep on keeping on no matter what, God will use you and bless you far beyond your imagination. As you keep on, you daily have to come back to God in order for Him to "refill your basket" just as He had to do for the disciples. You cannot serve/feed others when you yourself have not been fed and refilled.

LESSON 4~ When it's all said and done: JESUS.

The fourth lesson we can learn is that whether it's a project at school or work, a lesson you teach, a group you lead, a task you complete, or the life you live, WHEN IT'S ALL SAID AND DONE let it be JESUS that they see and praise!

AND FINALLY, Drum roll please......

LESSON 5~ Unique and Special

The fifth lesson that I think we can take away from this Miracle of Jesus and help us to "be all we can be for is Jesus" is to understand that we are unique and special. You see, my favorite thing about this miracle is not lessons to be learned, it's not the little boy giving it all, it's not the disciples serving, it's not Jesus multiplying food to feed the thousands of people, but it's the fact that this is the only miracle that is recorded in all 4 gospels! I love that! Like I said in lesson 1, that makes this miracle special. I also think that this miracle is unique. Although there are several miracles of Jesus, even one where He feed 4,000, this one is still it's own unique miracle.

Just as the miracle is unique and special, you are unique and special. Created for a specific reason with incredible plans (Jeremiah 29:11). The Psalmist tells us in Psalms 139 that we are fearfully and wonderfully made and that we were woven together by God. WOW! God stopped and took the time to weave you into creation just the way He wanted you to be.

God spoke all of His creations into existence, except for humans. He created us and breathed life into us. He went on to leave His unique mark on us and even gave us our own unique and special marks, fingerprints. Just as this miracle is special and unique, you are special and unique. God loves you beyond your imagination and has plans and thoughts for you that are beyond what you can fathom (Isaiah 55:8-9). Your fingerprints distinguish you from the rest of the world, so be unique, don't conform, and live the special plans that God has for you! God has left His fingerprints on you, now go leave His fingerprints across the world...
I wrap this point up with lyrics to a song that came from a late night conversation with a friend and thought that were swimming in our heads over the course of a few months.

It's simply titled "Fingerprints"

As I look at the stars I can’t help but think about the
day you formed them into existence.

The moment you spoke the words the creation
in its perfect forms for me to enjoy and see

Each star and constellation a unique creation in itself
it’s like you left your fingerprints on the night sky

As I look in the mirror I can’t help but think about the
day you formed me into existence

The moment you created me in your perfect
image and Woven with beauty only by your grace

Given a specific purpose to impact this world

When I was created, your fingerprints were left on me

Just as a potter leaves his prints on the clay

God has left His fingerprints on me

If you are the potter then I am the clay.

I am a creation skillfully mastered by the master’s hands

Woven with beauty in the image of God

I can’t help but see the fingerprints you left on me

I am your creation, yours and yours alone

I am shaped and created to be what I am supposed to be

Get the right ATTITUDE, GIVE IT ALL to God, KEEP ON KEEPING ON, in the end WHEN IT'S ALL SAID AND DONE let everything you do and say point to JESUS, and be your UNIQUE and SPECIAL self that God created you to be and you will be all you can be for Jesus!

I hope that God has spoken to you just as much has He has spoken to me through this story...

John 3:30 He must become more important. I must become less important...

Pressing On.

Five Lessons... Part 4

2009-04-20T00:40:00.001-05:00

Yeah, it's been a LONG time... Anyway, let's do a quick recap of lessons 1-3 then take care of 4 and then maybe 5 in the next day or two so I can move on in my ramblings!

Jesus had gone away with His disciples and the multitudes had followed. It was dinner time and Jesus took charge to feed all the people. In the first post I noted that the first lesson we can learn from this miracle of Jesus is ATTITUDE. In order to be all you can be for Jesus you have to take on the right attitude. With God ALL things are possible. God has put us where we are for a purpose and He has placed large tasks in our lives. We have to take on the correct attitude in order for God to use us and conquer these big tasks. In my second post I noted that the next lesson we can learn is GIVING IT ALL. God has incredible things in store for our lives and He wants to use us beyond our comprehension, but in order to do so we have to give everything to him. Just as the young boy gave all of his lunch for Jesus to use, we have to give Jesus all of ourselves. When you give it all sometimes you have to do things that you have no desire to do or things that look impossible, but as I noted in the last post the third lesson we can learn is that you have to KEEP ON KEEPING ON! It looks impossible sometimes, but with the right attitude, and when you give all you have, and keep on keeping on no matter what, God will use you and bless you far beyond your imagination. As you keep on, you daily have to come back to God in order for Him to "refill your basket" just as He had to do for the disciples. You cannot serve/feed others when you yourself have not been fed and refilled.

Whew... Awesome, let's jump into the scriptures and take on point 4! We're going to look at John 6:14-15

After the people saw the miraculous sign that Jesus did, they began to say, "Surely this is the Prophet who is to come into the world." Jesus, knowing that they intended to come and make him king by force, withdrew again to a mountain by himself.

Everyone in the story had had a BIG day and the day was almost over, but yet I think there is still a lesson to be learned from these 2 verses. The people had come, the disciples attitudes had been seen, the little boy had given it all, Jesus had preformed a miracle, the people were fed, the disciples kept on keeping on, and they had received their "reward". WOW, could you imagine the conversations going on between the people in the crowd. Stories were made that day that would be past on for many generations to come... It had been an INCREDIBLE day.

The disciples could have received tons of recognition for serving the people food over and over again, but they didn't. The little boy could have been given recognition for giving his lunch to enable the process to happen, but he wasn't... Jesus spoke a few words, multiplied the food, and handed it to the disciples... He was the talk of the town.

LESSON 4~ When it's all said and done: JESUS.

When the amazing day was over, who did they see? They saw Jesus. They didn't talk about what the disciples did or what the little boy did, they recognized Jesus. They realized that He was the prophet they had been hearing about, He was the one. I must admit that these two scriptures hit me the hardest.

We, as servants of God, do a lot of cool and incredible things for God and on His behalf. I know when God calls and equips me to do things for Him, they usually turn out really good. Big things happen, people walk away changed, and God really moves, however a lot of times I want to take the credit. When all is said and done I want people to see Meredith and what Meredith did and how awesome it was because of what Meredith did... WOW, now that my friends is selfish and way wrong. When all is said and done JESUS should be the only person that the people see. When all is said and done people should walk away saying "WOW, look at God and what He did. Look how awesome He is and at the incredible things He has accomplished!"

In the end it should be all about Jesus. When your life is all said and done are people going to look at you and see what all you've done or are they going to see Jesus and all the things He did through you and all the lives of the people who were impacted because you were His vessel?

In Matthew 5: 14-16 Jesus says

"You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven."

Whether it's a project at school or work, a lesson you teach, a group you lead, a task you complete, or the life you live, WHEN IT'S ALL SAID AND DONE let it be JESUS that they see and praise!

I leave you with the lyrics to "Do They See Jesus in Me?" by Joy Williams. A friend gave this song to me a few months ago and I think it fits perfectly with this lesson...

Is the face that I see in the mirror the one I want others to see?
Do I show in the way that I walk in my life the love that you've given to me?
My heart's desire is to be like you in all that I do, all I am

CHORUS:
Do they see Jesus in me?
Do they recognize your face?
Do I communicate your love and your grace?
Do I reflect who you are in the way I choose to be?
Do they see Jesus, Jesus in me?

Well it's amazing that you'd ever use me, but use me the way you will
Help me to hold out heart of compassion and grace
A heart that your Spirit fills
May I show forgiveness and mercy the same way you've shown it to me

CHORUS

Well I want to show all the world that You are the reason I live and breathe
So You'll be the one that they see when they see me...

Pressing On.

Five Lessons... Part 3

2009-01-09T00:18:00.001-06:00

Quick Recap: Jesus had gone away with His disciples and the multitudes had followed. It was dinner time and Jesus took charge to feed all the people. In the first post I noted that the first lesson we can learn from this miracle of Jesus is ATTITUDE. In order to be all you can be for Jesus you have to take on the right attitude. With God ALL things are possible. God has put us where we are for a purpose and He has placed large tasks in our lives. We have to take on the correct attitude in order for God to use us and conquer these big tasks. In my last post I noted that the second lesson we can learn is GIVING IT ALL. God has incredible things in store for our lives and He wants to use us beyond our comprehension, but in order to do so we have to give everything to him. Just as the young boy gave all of his lunch for Jesus to use, we have to give Jesus all of ourselves.

Sweet... Let's jump into the scripture. This time we are going to look at Luke's "version" of the miracle~ Luke 9:14-17

(About five thousand men were there.)But he said to his disciples, "Have them sit down in groups of about fifty each." The disciples did so, and everybody sat down. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke them. Then he gave them to the disciples to set before the people. They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over.

At least 5,000 men were in attendance at this gathering, that is not counting women or children. Wow, now that' s a whole lot of people! Like I noted in a previous post, Bible Scholars believe that was an estimated 10,000 people there all together. For the sake of wanting a number to help get my thoughts across we are going to go with 10,000. It really doesn't matter, but it will help with a little visual!

Now as you recall from previous posts that Jesus had crossed the sea of Galilee with His disciples and they had gone up and sat on a mountainside. Keep that in the back of your head for a moment! Anyway, they had gone up and Jesus decided it was time to eat and the disciples had no clue what Jesus was about to do. A young boy had given his lunch to Jesus and the disciples did not know what He could do with such a small lunch. Jesus told them to sit the people down in groups of about 50, so they did. But I think that they still did not understand what they were fixing to experience... Little did they know that their job was about to begin!

Stop. Soak it in. Think through the story up until this point. Got it? Here we go...

LESSON 3~ Keep On Keeping On.

There are 3 different things I want you to see from this.

#1- Jesus had 10,000ish people sit down in groups of 50. Now by my calculations that means there were roughly 200 groups! Now pull that fact out that I asked you to store a moment ago. They were on a mountainside. That means that they were probably on or around the mountain and Jesus and His disciples were most likely at the top. Jesus blessed the food and began to give it to the disciples to hand out to the 200 different groups of people. 200 groups divided by 12 disciples= 16 trips per disciple with a few trips left over. 16 times the disciples had to get a basket go out and distribute it and come back get another and to it all again. I can only imagine that they were probably playing paper-rock-scissors to see who had to go to group #200 who was the furthest away. WOW... What a job they had. A task that probably seemed like it would never end. 16 trips up and down the mountain just to do what Jesus had commanded them to do. In their minds the still did not understand what was going on. They saw an impossible task before them of feeding that many people. They saw Jesus bless the little lunch to create enough resources to do what He called them to do, but yet they still had to do the work. They kept on keeping on, doing the work that Jesus called them to do. I'm sure that by the 10th or 11th trip back up the mountain they were done and ready to stop, but they didn't. The kept on until everyone had food and they were satisfied. Which leads me to point number 2.

#2- The disciples did not quit. The kept on until the task that they were called to do was finished. The endured through it all and finished. When everyone had eaten and they were satisfied the disciples went through and picked up 12 baskets of left overs. Coincidence? I think not. 12 men who had given it all, they left everything, they had nothing. 12 baskets left over- I think this was their reward. Since they had given up everything and had nothing I'm sure that a basket of food was a huge blessing. They kept on keeping on doing what they were called to do and I believe that they were blessed and rewarded for it. God has called each one of us for a specific purpose. He has called us to keep on keeping on.
Maybe you are in the middle of a situation and you don't know when or how you are going to get out... Keep on keeping on.
Maybe God has called you to do something and you are frustrated and ready to give up... Keep on keeping on.
Maybe the task before you is bigger than you and you're just not sure if you can do it or not... Keep on keeping on.
Maybe God has told you to be patient and just wait... Keep on keeping on.
I promise that if you keep on keeping on God will give you the strength and resources that you need to keep going. I also promise that after you have come through the storm, accomplished the task, climbed your mountain, or whatever it is, a blessing/reward lies on the other side for you. Just as the disciples gained their baskets, God has something incredible for you, it might not be an earthly reward, but I promise there's something for you. This brings me to my favorite insight from this whole passage.

#3- In order for the disciples to keep on keeping on feeding the people they had to continually come back to Jesus and get another basket. They would go to Jesus, get a basket, feed the people, come back and get a refill. Then they would go out and feed some more, and then they had to go back to Jesus, over and over again. In order for us to keep on keeping on we have to daily go back to Jesus and get our "baskets" refilled before we can out and serve and feed His people. Daily we have to come to Him in prayer and Bible study in order to be refilled for each new day. You can't go out to serve and feed God's people when you have nothing to serve and you yourself have not been fed to have the energy to keep on keeping on.

It looks impossible sometimes, but with the right attitude, and when you give all you have, and KEEP ON KEEPING ON no matter what, God will use you and bless you far beyond your imagination.

I leave you with these verse from 2 Corinthians 4:16-18:

Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

Pressing On.

Five Lessons... Part 2

2008-11-29T00:36:00.002-06:00

Quick Recap: Jesus had gone away with His disciple and the multitudes had followed. It was dinner time and Jesus took charge to feed all the people. In the last post I noted that the first lesson we can learn from this miracle of Jesus is ATTITUDE. In order to be all you can be for Jesus you have to take on the right attitude. With God ALL things are possible. God has put us where we are for a purpose and He has placed large tasks in our lives. We have to take on the correct attitude in order for God to use us and conquer these big tasks.

Here we go...to the scriptures~ John 6:9-11

"Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?" Jesus said, "Have the people sit down." There was plenty of grass in that place, and the men sat down, about five thousand of them. Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted. He did the same with the fish.

Andrew had found a young boy who had brought a meal with him. The young boys meal consisted of 2 fish and 5 loaves of bread. Now lets think about this for a second. John tells us that it was a "boy." No age is given, but in my brain (and most others) a boy is a child. Now this boy could have been a teenager or he could of been elementary age, but none the less I believe he was young. With that thought in mind lets think about what this boy was caring. John tells us that he had 2 fish. No matter what size the boy way, we know his fish could not have been too large. Number one John refers to them as "small" and number two if he was a boy we know he was not caring mammoth size fish such as whales. He simply had 2 small fish. As far as the loaves of bread goes, I cannot imagine them being too large. Anyway, the boy was caring enough food for him to enjoy a nice meal. I'm pretty sure that when he or his mom or whoever packed it they thought about satisfying his hunger, not the hunger of over 5,000 people.

As the disciples were trying to figure out how to feed all of these people, the little boy offered a solution. If I would have been there this would not have been the ideal solution. I mean how many people can you really feed with that amount of food? It can't be too many. Although the food did not appear to be enough, the boy still gave it ALL. If I was put in this situation you could bet money on the fact that I would have stuck a loaf of bread and part of a fish in my pocket. It's MY food and I want to make sure that I get what I want. I do not want to go around hungry. However, this was not the mentality of the little boy. HE GAVE IT ALL. Every fish and every crumb of bread, all of it. He kept NOTHING for himself.

LESSON 2~ Give it All

I know in my life there are many things that I want to hang on to. I want to do this or I want to that or I want it my way. So many times we think that if we give God our Sundays, Wednesday nights, a 30 sec blessing before each meal, and a maybe few minutes of reading scriptures then a few prayers thrown out here or there that it is enough. IT'S NOT! God wants it all. Every aspect of our lives, every moment that we live, everything that we do. He wants it all; the good, the bad, and the ugly. He doesn't want 1/2 or a 1/4 or even all of one or two days a week. He wants all of you to be all about Him 24 hours a day 365 days a year.

Does this mean that we have to give everything up and move to a foreign country and talk about Jesus all the time. NO, but it does mean that we have to die. We have to die to ourselves. Each and everyday we have to make the conscience decision to give all that we are to God. We have to empty our hands and put it all in His hands. I'm not just talking about giving our material stuff, I'm talking everything. Our attitude, our will, our desires, our loves, EVERYTHING. Is it easy? No, if it was easy everyone would be doing it.

When we give our whole-self's to God it's then and only then that He can use us to our maximum potential. The boy gave everything he had and God did something extraordinary with it. Just imagine what God could do if we gave Him everything we have and everything we do. Think about the life's that could be impacted. I mean, he fed over 5,000 with a small meal, just think what would happen if 10 "stars" in Hollywood decided to give God their all and live sold out for Him. Think of the amount of people they could reach. God wants you to be all you can be, but in order to do that you have to give Him your all.

Everything you say (or sing, a choir is just not for show): He's given you the ability to speak/sing why not give that talent back and use it for His glory and honor.

Everything we do: Every action and every reason for doing that action should be about God and His business, not what we want or for our business.

EVERYTHING- thoughts, actions, friends, family, sports, material objects...

Give it all over to God and let Him control what is going on. Let Him be the tour guide and you simply soak up the incredible scenes, adventures, rides, and experiences that God wants to take you through. It's not going to be pleasant at times and the road will get a little bumpy, but everyday give everything to God.

In John 3:30 John the Baptist says that "He must become more important. I must become less important." It's not about me. It's all about Him. God WANTS to do great things with you, but you have got to give Him your all.

Everything... Every small thing... All of it... Hold on to nothing... GIVE IT ALL...

Pressing on.

Five Lessons From Five Loaves of Bread and 2 Fish... Part 1

2008-11-17T22:36:00.003-06:00

This summer I did some incredible research on the the miracle of Jesus feeding the 5,000. As I began the research I really did not think that I would gain much from it because I have heard/read the story hundreds of times and I probably could tell the story without even having to think about it real hard. I'm pretty sure that God just laughed and then opened my eyes to some awesome stuff. Anyway, over the next few days I would like to share five lessons with you that I have learned from this story over the past few months. We'll call them "five things to help you be all you can be for Jesus..."

This miracle of Jesus is the only miracle that can be found in ALL FOUR gospels. (In my world that means it's special!) In my thoughts and lessons learned from the story I will be using the record of it in John 6 and in Luke 9.

Here we go... Lesson 1!

First let's look to the scriptures~ John 6:1-9:

Some time after this, Jesus crossed to the far shore of the Sea of Galilee (that is, the Sea of Tiberias), and a great crowd of people followed him because they saw the miraculous signs he had performed on the sick. Then Jesus went up on a mountainside and sat down with his disciples. The Jewish Passover Feast was near. When Jesus looked up and saw a great crowd coming toward him, he said to Philip, "Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?" He asked this only to test him, for he already had in mind what he was going to do. Philip answered him, "Eight months' wages would not buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!"Another of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, spoke up, "Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?"

Jesus had been healing people and His "popularity", if you will, was growing big time. Jesus had crossed the sea with His disciples to get away, one would imagine, but it didn't work. As they sat on the side of a mountain multitudes of people surrounded them. Now it was dinner time and if there was a baptist anywhere in the crowd people would be alerted that it was time to eat! Jesus sat there and saw all these people*** Side Note: We are told that there are five thousand MEN there, but scholars estimate that when you add in women and children there could have been somewhere around ten thousand people in attendance. Anyway, this point is irrelevant except for the fact that it just makes what Jesus did even more cooler!*** Back to the real world, Jesus and His disciples were sitting there and Jesus decided to ask what His disciples thoughts were about dinner. Philip was, well, dumbfounded. He was like "where in the world can we find bread for all these people. I mean we couldn't even give everyone one bite if we spent eight months pay on bread." Andrew looked around and found a boy with two fish and five loafs of bread. He came to Jesus and said "Here's what we got, but how can we feed so many?"

Soak that all in...think about it...Here we go!

Lesson 1~ ATTITUDE

Jesus and His Disciples sat on the mountainside and saw a HUGE task before them. Jesus, already knowing what He was going to do, turned to His disciples to test them. First we look at the attitude of Philip. Philip looked at the task and could not believe that Jesus was even thinking about trying to do it. He made excuses and decided that there was no way that the task at hand could be accomplished. Then there was Andrew. Andrew looked around at the task and was a little dumbfounded just like Philip, but he saw something. He saw a young boy with a small lunch. He wasn't sure what could be done with it, but I think he was willing to try.

Now granted, I understand that neither Philip or Andrew showed the kind of faith in Jesus that they should have, but the difference in their attitude towards the situation tells the story.

Attitude~
God has set a huge task before each one of us. First of all I think as Christian's we all have the task of bringing the world to the saving knowledge of Jesus. BUT I also think that God sets before each one of us our own unique tasks. For instance: God might have laid a project, a mission trip or a friend/family member that you need to share the Gospel with, on your heart and that is your huge task. You might be looking at it with the attitude of Philip and saying "God, this is bigger than me, I can't do it." What kind of attitude is that? You have a task sent just to you from the Creator of the Universe and you don't think He is big and powerful enough to supply everything you need to get it done... Or you can look at it with the attitude of Andrew and say, "God, I really can't see how this can happen, but here is what I have. Take it and let's see what you can do."

So what is your attitude going to be like? Are you going to have the attitude of "This is impossible. I see no way that it can happen" or are you going to take on the attitude of "God, I know I can't, but here's what I have. Show me what you can do."

To be all you can be for Jesus you have to have the right ATTITUDE...

Pressing on.

One Touch...

2008-11-10T22:20:00.000-06:00

The whole faith concept and practice has become a prominent focus, study, and unfortunately, it has been somewhat of a issue in my life. Moving away from everything I have known for 22 years has been a somewhat difficult thing to do. It is taking everything in me to keep my faith in God and remember that He is in control and His way is perfect no matter if it makes sense to me or not.

Back in June I did something I have always wanted to do, but never thought I would. I got a tattoo on my right foot of an icthus with the Greek word for faith on the inside. It can be seen here where my grandfather blogged about it! Anyway, not only do I think that it's cool, but it also serves as a reminder/declaration to walk by faith. In the midst of the tattoo and having my faith stretched by moving I heard Nicole C. Mullens song on the radio entitled "One Touch". After hearing the song I decided it was time to revisit the story of the woman with the issue of blood and see what God had to show me.

As I began to read in Mark 5 I was blown away simply by her faith. Wow, such a "low" woman on the social status took a huge risk, basically risking her life, just to see if she could be healed. It wasn't a done deal that if she touched Him she would be healed, but with her faith she knew all things were possible and she was willing to take the risk.

Here's where God stepped in and showed me something new... After she touched the robe of Jesus, He stopped and asked who touched Him. Now, Mark says He was in a large crowd and they were pressed against Him.

Let me put a visual to this, Below is a picture of the busiest crosswalk in the world.This crosswalk is located in the Shibuya district of Tokyo, Japan. It is estimated that 5,000 people cross it at each changing of the light. Now I have walked this crosswalk several times and let me tell you, It is impossible to walk across it without being touched. Now, this might be a little out there, but I want you to have a visual of a crowd and how many people were around Him.

Hundreds of people touched Jesus, but He only stopped at the touch of one. Why? Because He felt the power leave His body. The woman's faith had healed her... Wow, amazing, but here is what I saw as the cool part...

Time out, soak in the fact that many people had touched Jesus while in the crowd...

Here we go. Hundreds of people had touched Jesus, but only ONE received the power and was healed. Likewise, hundreds of people "touch" God today and they do not come away any different. Some people read His word and are changed, but some aren't. Some people spend time in prayer and worship and draw closer to Him, but some don't. Some pray and receive the strength, but some don't. Each time what the people did outwardly was the same. They worshiped, prayed, ect the same way outwardly or physically if you will, but the inward actions make the difference- Faith. Many times we go through the motions and get nothing because we expect nothing, we are just doing it because we are supposed to. It's when we believe, have faith, and confidence in God and His powers that we receive the power and come away different after "touching" Him.

Join me in approaching God with faith and confidence during prayer, study, and worship times and come away different. I leave you with some of the lyrics to"One Touch."

I had to touch the Hem of His garment
And i know I've been made whole
And how I had pressed my way through this madness
And His love has healed my soul.

Then with one word He touched the hem of my garment
And you know I've been made whole
And somehow He pressed His way through my madness
And His love has healed my soul.

Pressing On.

Open Doors Aren't Always Meant to be Walked Through...

2008-11-04T19:36:00.001-06:00

Being in church all of my life I have often heard many people talk about how they can see an "open door" in their life. People see a new or open opportunity and automatically think that since the door is open, if you will, that they are supposed to walk through it. They do not stop and take the time to take it to God, compare it to scripture or spend time meditating on what God's will exactly is. They simply see an opportunity and assume that it is God's will. Well, in the words of a friend "You know what assuming does!?!"

One of my favorite things in the world is to read a chapter of scripture that I had read hundreds of times before and get something new out of it. This happened to me back in July with Acts 16. I was studying through the book of Acts and was searching for a short devotion to share in staff meeting the next day. I rolled my eyes and when I got to Acts 16 simply because it was a story I knew by heart and I heard it year after year in Sunday School since I was a small child. As I began to read God opened my eyes to something new and exciting and it has been fresh on my mind the past few days because I have been struggling with what to do with my life.

Paul and Silas were in prison for simply casting a "spirit" out of a young girl. They were severely beaten and then thrown into jail. They did not sit and moan, but they prayed and sang praises to God. In the middle of the night an earthquake came and the prison door was opened and their chains were loosed. They had an open door to leave, but they didn't. When the guard realized what was going he went to kill himself because he figured all of his prisoners had escaped, but Paul and Silas had not. Because they stayed, the scriptures tell us that he and his whole family came to the saving knowledge of Christ.

Soak it in and hang with me...

Many times in our lives opportunities arise. Sometimes a "door opens" and it can serve as a bail out for us to get out of things we do not want to be apart of anymore. Time after time I feel the desire to quit, to give it all up, to get out of the ministry in which God has called me to enter. The pressure, the people, the stress, and even the world makes me so mad that I am just ready to get out! If an opportunity arises why not bail out? I mean it is "God opening the door" anyway right? WRONG! Paul and Silas had an open door... It made all the sense in the world for them to get out of that jail, but the didn't. Why? I have no clue, but I suspect they did not because they knew they were exactly where God had called them to be. They stayed when it didn't make any sense and I'm sure they didn't want to stay. I mean who wouldn't want a get out of jail free card? But they didn't, they stayed where God wanted them to be and look what happened... The prison guard and his ENTIRE family came to the saving knowledge of Christ. WOW, all because they did not walk through the open door.

I say all of this to simply say this: Stick with it. God has put you where you are for a reason. Yes, God might be opening a door for you to go somewhere else, but don't give in or up because you are sick and tired of doing whatever God has called you to do. 2 Cor 4:16 says "Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day." In the Message Translation (I know, just bare with me) towards the end of Acts 16 in verse 34 it says that night was "a night to remember."

My challenge to you is that God has you where you are for a reason... don't bail out, don't give in, stick with it. Although it might not make sense and there is a chance to get out, stay with it... God has you where you are, doing what you're doing for a reason... Your night to remember is coming!

Pressing On.

Before the Moment Comes Preparations...

2008-10-28T23:10:00.000-05:00

I am ready for the moment. You know... the moment... the moment in your life where you are ready. Ready to: go for it, to run and not look back, to count it all as lost, to dive in and discover new territory, to jump even though you are not sure where you are going to land...

The past few days I keep telling myself that I am ready to do the BIG vision that God has called me to carry out. However, I have no clue where to start or what to do. I was ready, but I could not get any direction from God about it. I told myself that I was ready, at least that's what I thought...

I just finished studying the book of Exodus and I have moved on to the book of Joshua. Yesterday morning I was reading Joshua 5 and it's the chapter before God gives Joshua the instructions to take down Jericho. When I started to read the chapter my excitement was little to none because the headline for the chapter was "Israel is Circumcised". But as I began to read I realized something that I have never noticed before...

You see in Exodus chapter 3 God calls Moses via a burning bush. Before God would give him any instructions and before He revealed His plan for the exodus He commanded him to take his sandals off for he was on Holy ground. Everyone knows that story, but most do not realize, just as I didn't, that Joshua had a similar experience. In chapter 5 a Commander of the Lord appears to Joshua and tells him to take his sandals off for he is on Holy ground. After each of their encounters they rid themselves of their shoes and then God went on to give them their "big assignment" if you will.

This new realization got me to thinking... The ground itself is not Holy, it is only Holy because God is there. The ground is also uncommon ground, not for just any old Joe Blow. God specifically brought them out of their "zone" to a different spot, a spot to where He was present. However, these two men could not fully be on the Holy ground because something was there separating them... their sandals.

Soak it in and hang with me...

I know that God has something BIG for me to do for Him and I know that He has something BIG for everyone. I am ready to go and do it, whatever it is, but before I can do it I have to go to God and stand with Him on Holy ground. He just wants me to get where He is and be with Him, but in order for me to do that I have to take off my sandals. I have to rid myself of whatever is in my life that is keeping me from being in perfect fellowship with Him. Whatever it is that is between me and Him that is keeping me from plainly standing on Holy ground. It's then, when I am where God is at and there is nothing hindering our relationship, that God can give me my instructions to go and do the BIG thing for Him!

My challenge to you is to join me: go out of your "zone", get with God, take off sandals, and see what incredible things has for you...

Pressing on,
MER