DAY 4 - Let's Go!

Moved with compassion, Jesus reached out and touched him. “I am willing,” He said. “Be healed!”

Mark 1:41 (NLT)

As a gifted bass fishing pro, Sonny made a great living touring, competing on ESPN and dining with celebrities at the finest restaurants in America. He was well on his way to becoming a millionaire until he got caught up in a horrible crack addiction and began to sell off all his things—his house, his boat, his Harley … everything.

Sonny wound up homeless, living on the streets of Las Vegas. For eight months, he woke up every morning and washed people’s car windows. Most days, the only thing he’d ever say was “Thank you” as people gave him a tip. Later in the day, he’d hop on a bus, ride across town to buy crack and then come back to where he slept in a field beside a church.

Sonny didn’t want anything to do with God, but one day, he walked into the church because he heard that he could get a shower, food and some clean clothes. It had been three months since his last shower, and he stunk so horribly even the homeless guys had started avoiding him. Yet, when he walked through the doors of the church, a woman named Michelle—a soccer mom—looked directly at Sonny and said to him, “You look like you need a hug.”

At that moment, Sonny said all he wanted to do was put a gun in his mouth and pull the trigger. He looked at Michelle and said, “You don’t want to hug me.”

She said, “No … you look like you need a hug.”

Despite the fact that he absolutely reeked, Michelle walked up to Sonny and embraced him. Looking in his eyes, she said, “Jesus loves you.”

Sonny later said, “I hadn’t been hugged in months. With all the street preachers I had encountered, all the tracts people had given me and all the ‘Christian stuff’ I’d seen in my life, nothing prepared me for that moment of genuine human contact.” As he looked Michelle in the eye, something cracked in his heart.

Sonny took a shower, got some clothes and checked out a Bible from the church’s library. A few weeks later, he got on his knees and prayed, “God, I’m done. I don’t know how I’m going to deal with this addiction. I don’t know how I’m going to be able to move forward, but I surrender my life to You.”

Fast forward four years … Sonny got married and started his own business. While watching the news one morning, he heard that the mayor of Las Vegas wanted to pass a law forbidding individuals from feeding the homeless. You couldn’t give them a sandwich, a cup of water, anything. When Sonny heard that, something within him said, “That’s just wrong.” And so he filed a suit on this motion against the mayor of Las Vegas.

When Sonny’s complaint finally came to a hearing, the judge looked at it and declared, “It’s unconstitutional to intentionally discriminate against a specific group of people,” and he threw the case out.

So the reason you can give someone a sandwich on the streets of Las Vegas today is because a former homeless guy named Sonny was hugged by a soccer mom named Michelle. And both of them, by seeing themselves in Christ, were transformed to make a difference in the world.

The Gospels tell us that whenever Jesus encountered someone in need, He didn’t just passively stand by and offer encouraging words. He always responded by actively reaching out and touching their lives, whether physically, emotionally or spiritually. And He calls each of us to follow His example and do the same—to be His hands and His feet to those we come in contact with each and every day.

When it comes down to it, that’s all “outreach” really is … it’s simply reaching out. Imagine what kind of difference you can make if you just allow God to use you to reach out and touch those in need around you!

If we could only be a bit more like [Jesus], the world would be transformed.

Bono

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Let's Go (Day 3)

Led by the Spirit

Day: 

3

Then the Spirit said to Philip, “Go near and overtake this chariot.”

Acts 8:29 (NKJV)

Growing up in churches and religious schools with strict expectations, Amy couldn’t wait to graduate from high school and break free from all the rules and constant shame she felt every time she messed up. Once she graduated and began living her own way, she eventually found herself single and pregnant at the age of 19. Scared with no one to reach out to, Amy felt alone and confused—so much so that she contemplated getting an abortion even though she knew it wasn’t the right choice. She needed just one person to love her and accept her. She needed one person to tell her it would be okay. She needed a friend.

Amy went to an abortion clinic, and the sonogram technician told her that since she was almost seven weeks pregnant, it was way too late for her to do anything other than keep the baby, give it up for adoption or have an abortion. Not knowing what to do, Amy went home, still scared and lonely. Then out of the blue, her phone rang. It was Sacha, an old friend from high school who had gone through a pregnancy during their senior year. Amy told Sacha about her situation and the choices she was wrestling with. Encouraging and uplifting her, Sacha stayed on the phone until she was sure Amy knew that this pregnancy wasn’t the end. Sacha told Amy that it was just the beginning, God would be faithful to turn everything for good, and her baby was going to be a tremendous blessing.

Amy chose to keep her baby and soon married the love of her life. She gave birth to a baby boy and decided to name him Jess which means “gift from God.”

While at a women’s conference at Gateway Church in 2008, Amy heard Christine Caine talk about seeking God to find His calling for your life. On the last morning of the conference, God gave Amy a vision: She saw glimpses of her day at the abortion clinic, full of sadness and loneliness; but then the vision shifted to her full and happy life with her beautiful children and husband. It ended with her helping a single, pregnant woman and throwing a baby shower for her. Afterwards, Amy spoke to her friend, Salina, who had been with her at the conference and found out that she had also received a word during the conference about helping “mommies and babies!”

Six months later, after several meetings and going through some training, Amy and Salina started an outreach for single, pregnant women called “Embrace Grace.” This group ministers to young women by encouraging them and teaching them how God’s grace covers all; they simply need to receive His gift. Since the group has started, they’ve witnessed many miracles and transformed lives. And it all began because Amy’s friend, Sacha, was sensitive to the Holy Spirit’s leading to pick up the phone and make a simple phone call.

The book of Acts tells us about another individual who was sensitive to the Holy Spirit’s leading and willing to be open to whatever God had in store. When the early church first began, it grew so rapidly and exponentially that it became difficult for the apostles to distribute food and money to its needy members without neglecting their primary ministry of prayer and preaching. Some widows came to them complaining that they were being overlooked and not receiving their fair share of food and money. Realizing that somebody had to be responsible for administrating the daily business of the church, the twelve apostles appointed a group of seven men who were full of faith, wisdom and the Holy Spirit to oversee this critical need. Philip was one of the seven men chosen.

One day, an angel of the Lord came to Philip and said to him: “Get up and go down the road that leads from Jerusalem to Gaza.” Even though this particular road stretched for 50 miles through the desert and although he wasn’t told the reason for his journey or where it would take him, Philip obeyed and went where God told him to go—no questions asked, no hesitation.

We don’t know how far Philip walked down that hot, dusty, 50-mile road through the desert before he heard the sound of a horse-drawn chariot thundering up behind him. As the chariot flew by him, Philip caught a glimpse of a high-ranking Ethiopian official sitting in the chariot reading a scroll. In that moment, the Holy Spirit spoke to Philip and told him to go overtake the chariot. Even though the chariot was being pulled by horses and Philip was making his way on foot, once again, he didn’t hesitate or question. He simply obeyed and started running.

When Philip drew near to the chariot, he heard the Ethiopian official reading aloud a portion of Scripture from the book of Isaiah. Running alongside the chariot, Philip asked the man, “Do you understand what you’re reading?” He answered, “How can I understand unless someone explains it to me?” The official stopped the chariot and invited Philip to climb in and sit with him. As the two men continued to journey down the road, Philip began to explain how the passage from Isaiah was a prophecy from hundreds of years before that had recently been fulfilled through Jesus, the Son of God, who was crucified but three days later rose from the dead.

This message of good news resonated so strongly within the Ethiopian’s heart that he started to get excited. Spotting a stream of water, he asked Philip, “Is there any reason why I can’t be baptized right here and now?” Philip led the man into the water and baptized him. As they came out of the water, Philip suddenly disappeared! After obeying the Lord and accomplishing what the Lord had sent him to do, the Holy Spirit miraculously took Philip away. He later appeared in the city of Azotus, some 19 miles away from Gaza, where he continued to preach the gospel everywhere he went. Meanwhile, the official continued home to Ethiopia full of joy and excited to share the good news about Jesus with his own people.

Philip, Sacha and Amy were all where God wanted them to be … in the right place, at the right time. More importantly, they were sensitive to hear, believe and obey the Holy Spirit. Because Sacha was willing to obey the Holy Spirit’s prompting to call her friend, not only was Amy’s life transformed, but ultimately so was her family as well as every young woman who has and will come to the “Embrace Grace” support group. Likewise, Philip was sensitive to the Holy Spirit’s leading even though it didn’t make sense and seemed a little crazy. Nevertheless, he obeyed, and as a result of his willingness and openness to hear, believe and obey the Holy Spirit, the Ethiopian man’s life was changed and the lives of all those he shared the gospel with.

Are you—like Amy, Sacha and Philip—tuned in to the Holy Spirit’s voice and sensitive to His leading? Ask the Holy Spirit today to show you specific ways to reach out and show His love to someone around you.

ALWAYS WITH YOU

Day: 

2

“I know what I’m doing. I have it all planned out—plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for. When you call on me, when you come and pray to me, I’ll listen. When you come looking for me, you’ll find me.”

Jeremiah 29:11–13 (MSG)

“The poor you will always have with you.” As a young girl, Jessica Jackley’s heart was troubled when she read those words in her Bible. At first, she was terrified by the thought of poor people following her around her entire life asking her for something. But then she read Jesus’ words in Matthew 25: “Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of Mine, you did for Me,” and her attitude towards the poor began to change.

Growing up in Pittsburgh, Jessica had a variety of experiences that ignited a passion in her for the poor. At church, she heard numerous missionaries from around the world speak about people overseas living in desperate conditions. She gave money every month to help sponsor and feed a child in a third world country, and when she was a senior in high school, Jessica chose to spend her spring break on a mission trip in Haiti. Seeing kids her own age spending their entire day working—just so they could eat—left a lasting imprint on her heart that she couldn’t forget.

A few weeks after she returned from Haiti, she was getting ready for her senior prom and was struck with the sudden thought: “Although it feels like those kids in Haiti are a world away, they’re really not. They’re only a plane ride away. They aren’t unreachable. I’m going to do something with my life to help them.”

Figuring that the best way to make a difference in places such as Haiti was to get involved in government, Jessica went on to attend Bucknell University in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania, where she majored in philosophy and political science. All the while, she continued to pursue her passion of helping those in need by interning at World Vision. During her junior year, she enrolled in a study abroad program called “Semester at Sea” and spent three months circling the globe on a ship and visiting various countries. Then, when she was a senior, Jessica attended the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington, D.C. where she met Matt Flannery, a student from Stanford University in California. The two immediately hit it off and soon began a long-distance relationship.

Shortly after graduating, Jessica moved to California and got a job at Stanford Business School while Matt worked on his Master’s degree. They joined a 13-week pre-engagement class at their church and met with other couples to talk about important life issues such as faith, family and finances. One week, about midway through the course, the group members began discussing their long-term career goals. Matt started off: “I want to live in the Bay Area and work at a high-tech startup in Silicon Valley.” Jessica then followed him by saying, “Well, I want to live in Africa and work in finance to help the poor.” Suddenly, it was very awkward. There was sort of a deafening silence in the room, because everybody—including Matt and Jessica—realized they had a problem they needed to work out.

A year later, Matt and Jessica got married in spite of this issue, rationalizing that somehow the situation would eventually work itself out. Six months into their marriage, Jessica was offered the opportunity to pursue her dream job and spend half a year providing business training, funding and mentoring to farmers in rural areas of East Africa. She accepted the offer and headed to Africa while Matt stayed behind in the San Francisco Bay Area and focused on his new job at TiVo, Inc.

While Jessica was in Africa, Matt took several weeks off to visit her. During that trip, the couple prayed and decided to combine their individual passions and form Kiva.org—a microfinancing website that allows an individual from anywhere in the world to directly lend small amounts of money to an entrepreneur in a third world country who would not otherwise be able to receive any funds. This in turn helps the poor who receive the loan to improve life for themselves, their families and, ultimately, their communities.

At first, Matt and Jessica viewed their website as nothing more than a hobby—a little side project—their friends and family could get involved in. But word about Kiva spread like wildfire. Soon their site was averaging over a million hits per day, and Matt decided to quit his job at TiVo to focus on Kiva full-time.

What started off as a simple desire to follow Jesus’ call to help those in desperate need eventually evolved into a little side hobby website and has now turned into a massive international non-profit organization that’s been featured on The Today Show, The Oprah Winfrey Show, CNN, FOX News, TIME Magazine and The Wall Street Journal. Today, Kiva helps the poor all over the world by distributing over $100,000 in loans every 24 hours! More than 500,000 individuals from 182 different countries have loaned almost $100 million dollars to 228,000 entrepreneurs in approximately 50 countries. What’s even more astounding is that Kiva’s current repayment rate for their loans is 98.5%!

From the time Jessica was a little girl, God placed a dream deep within her heart to help the poor. He knew all along the twists and turns her life would take. God doesn’t do anything by chance or coincidence. He brings specific people and experiences into our lives that shape us for His purposes. Jessica’s life is a beautiful example of how God orders our steps to accomplish His purpose … to advance His kingdom. Because of her passionate, unwavering desire to follow and surrender to God’s leading, He orchestrated the events and opportunities of her life that step by step, bit by bit, led her to where she is now—a young woman pursuing her dream of making a huge difference in the world by offering hope to the hopeless.

God wants to use you … to send you. Don’t think you’re too young or too old for Him to use you. Regardless of your age, His plans for you are so much greater than you could ever imagine. What stirs your heart? What burning passion has God given you? Don’t grow weary and give up. The dreams He has placed in your heart He will accomplish—in wonderful, creative, unexpected ways—if you choose to seek Him, trust Him and obey Him. Ask yourself today: “Am I willing to be open to God’s will for my life?”

WHAT'S IN YOUR HAND?

Day: 

1

Then the Lord asked him, “What is that in your hand?” “A shepherd’s staff,” Moses replied. “Throw it down on the ground,” the Lord told him.

Exodus 4:2–3 (NLT)

It was just another ordinary day. Nothing special. Nothing out of the norm. For Moses, it was pretty much the same routine it had been for the past 40 years: Wake up. Take care of sheep all day. Go to bed. Start all over the next day. His years spent growing up as a prince in Pharaoh’s palace on the beautiful banks of the Nile seemed a lifetime away. Now his days consisted of taking care of his father-in-law’s flocks of sheep out on the dry and dusty desert plains of Midian. At 80 years old, his life was over. Whatever dreams he may have once had were now long gone.

It wasn’t a horrible life. In fact, it was pretty peaceful. In spite of his education and learning, Moses had come to accept his lot in life and resigned himself to it. But then he came across a burning bush. God asked him a question. And life as Moses knew it forever changed.

The sight of a bush burning in the desert probably wasn’t terribly shocking to Moses. But then, when the bush continued to blaze without burning up, his curiosity was piqued, and he drew closer to investigate. At that moment, Moses heard God’s voice coming from within the burning bush, calling him by name.

Imagine how Moses felt when God told him He had seen the agony of His people in Egypt and heard their cries for deliverance, and He was sending Moses to lead them out! For 40 years, he had led nothing but sheep. Is it any wonder that Moses responded with, “What if they won’t believe me or listen to me? What if they say, ‘The Lord never appeared to you’?”

Do you know how God chose to answer Moses’ question? With a seemingly unrelated question of His own: “What’s in your hand?”

Now Moses must have wondered why God would ask him a question He obviously knew the answer to, but he simply replied, “A shepherd’s staff.” And then God commanded, “Throw it on the ground, Moses.” So Moses threw it on the ground, and lo and behold, it turned into a snake! Naturally, Moses turned and ran; that is, until he was stopped in his tracks by God’s command to pick up the snake by its tail. With a considerable amount of nervousness, Moses cautiously reached out his hand and picked the snake up by its tail, and it immediately became a staff again.

We don’t know how long Moses had been using that particular staff, but odds are that it was quite a while. Most likely, he had grown pretty familiar with all of the staff’s little nicks and grooves, and the passage of time had probably weathered the wood to the point where it was now smooth and completely at home in his hand. His staff represented so much more than just a walking stick. First, it represented his identity. Just as a stethoscope represents a doctor or a tool belt represents a mechanic, Moses’ staff was the most recognizable symbol of his occupation as a shepherd—his career, his job. Secondly, it was a symbol of his income. In those days, people didn’t have bank accounts, credit cards or hedge funds … they had cattle, goats and sheep. And as caretaker of his father-in-law’s flocks of sheep, Moses’ income—his money and possessions—was inextricably linked to his position. The third thing the staff symbolized was Moses’ influence. Because when a shepherd uses his staff to move sheep from Point A to Point B, he is essentially influencing them.

So in essence, when God asked Moses, “What’s in your hand?” and told him to “throw it on the ground,” He was saying, “Are you going to lay down your identity? Surrender your income? Let go of your influence? Because if you do, I’ll take something that seems dead to you, and I’ll make it come alive. I’ll make a miracle out of it. It may seem like an insignificant stick to you, but if you surrender it to My hands, I’ll do things you could never imagine possible.”

The question that God asked Moses so many years ago still resonates just as strongly today: What’s in your hand? Your talent, background, education, freedom, health, contacts, opportunities, mind, passions, wealth, ideas, creativity … What’s in your hand?

The first step to going out lies in giving in. Before we can “go,” God wants us to “let go” … to totally, completely, unconditionally, absolutely surrender to Him each and every single day.

So ask yourself today, “What’s in my hand?”

God can’t give you the blessings He has for you until you first put down the other things you are clutching in your hands.

Richard Stearns

Let's Go!

JOIN US FOR 21 DAYS AS WE FOLLOW GATEWAY CHURCH'S Let’s Go devotional intended to encourage and inspire you to follow Jesus’ Great Commission to “go everywhere in the world, and tell the Good News to everyone” (Mark 16:15).

When we think about “going,” it’s easy to immediately start thinking about packing up everything we own and heading out to a foreign country to live as a missionary. And while that is a part of it, that’s not all of it.

Going is simply reaching beyond ourselves—stepping out in faith as God leads. It’s about stepping outside of our comfort zones and taking our faith beyond the four walls of our church buildings and homes. It’s about sharing the message of Jesus’ good news in our neighborhoods, our workplaces, our schools, our cities, our nation and around the world. It’s about obeying God’s call and partnering with Him to redeem our culture—our world—from darkness and sin.

Over the next 21 days, you’ll read stories of men and women who obeyed Jesus’ call to go. You’ll see how God used their willingness to go to transform lives around the world. For some, it was as simple as giving a hug. For others, it involved leaving their family, friends and home to minister in another nation. The single common thread throughout all of these true stories about real people is that each person heard God, believed Him and obeyed His call to step out and go. Our prayer is that through these stories you will be inspired, challenged and, ultimately, motivated to go.

Before you begin each day, we encourage you to ask the Lord to let your spiritual eyes and ears be open to whatever He wants to say to you and show you. Ask Him to break your heart for the things that break His. And then, be willing to trust Him, step out and go.

Ready? Set? Go!

Unreached People - Rashaida

Pray for the Unreached People. 

"The Rashaida are known as a fierce warrior people group. However, if you show up at their tent uninvited, they will ask you in for a cup of tea and coffee. Their lives are built around Muslim traditions that have lasted for centuries. These traditions include big families, hospitality, praying regularly to Allah, hard work and sacrifice. The men are famous for sword dancing and the women for beadowrk, which can be seen on front of their burqas. 

They are a desert people group of more than 100,000 people. We do not know of one who believes in Jesus as his Savior. 

Pray for Rashaida people today ever time you see a Toyota. The Bedouin Rashaida cherish their Toyotas almost as much as their camels - they are often used for smuggling goods across the desert. Rashaida boys learn to drive them at about 10 years old."

Taken from The LIVE/DEAD Journal (copyright 2012/Dick Borgden)

Book Review - Domino Effect by Davis Bunn

So glad I read this book!!

Another riveting read from Davis Bunn! From start to finish, Bunn's clear knowledge of the international finance world slaps us with sobering reality of a very possible threat to America's economic future. I love how Mr. Bunn brings the characters to life and invites you into their world. He develops his characters with such nuances, flavor, background and real relationships. Esther is a brilliant introvert called to speak truth to the world; impressed by her pain I found myself cheering her on as she comes out of her shell, finding her true inner self through developing friendships, a budding new family and professional rewards as well.

Take a deep breath and delve into Esther's world of being a top risk analyst at one of the country's largest banking institutions as she becomes more and more convinced that she has uncovered a ticking bomb with the potential to overshadow 2008's market crash. Is this Esther's 'for such a time as this'? The markets are edging closer to a tipping point--like the teetering first domino in a standing row that circles the globe. And when Esther does sound the alarm, she wonders if anyone will take her seriously. But as public support grows for her ideas, so does the desperation of those whose conspiracy of greed she seeks to expose. With global markets on the brink, and her own life in danger, Esther is locked in a race with the clock to avert a worldwide financial meltdown.

This page turner will grab you and take you on the ride of your life. Fiction or Reality? You make the call.

I thankfully received this book from Bethany House Publishers in exchange for my honest review.

Yep, 62 Just Happened

62 just happened. That alone should be enough said. If you’re younger or older than that it is of no consequence.  You are either not at that pivot point or you’ve surmounted it. At any rate, I am there and experiencing mixed emotions. 

I have more wrinkles than energy. I also have more wisdom. I have aches and pains where I used to have muscle. I also love harder. I say things like “the kids these days” and “when I was that age”. I’m also able to laugh at myself for sounding like my parents and my grandparents. 

I’m less tolerant of drama, attention grabbing, and system twisting while finding myself more merciful toward those attempting to cope during a rough time in our world. 

I strive less to wait on God. I am more patient. I have learned to stand on His promises rather than run after my own desires.  I still want what I want when I want it, but have learned to ask first and be ok with ‘not right now’. 

I have idiosyncrasies that at one time would have made me blush but now I don’t even notice. I have lost my grandparents, Aunts and Uncles, friends, my sister, a beloved stepmom and husband; but my sweet parents are both very much alive and healthy and I've gained inexplicable love with Roy. 

My hearing is going south but my spiritual ears are more attuned. I’ve found quiet time is a good thing. In fact I crave it. Time to meditate on the Word of God; how I can give more, love more and become more like the Holy Spirit that hovers over me. Time to look back over the years; to laugh and cry and give thanks to the One who got me through so many situations. Time to ponder the future; to dream-build with Papa God and set my eyes on where he is taking me.

I feel old(er) today. But still and yet God has a plan for me. I’ve not finished the race, in fact have not even gotten to the sprint yet. I’ve lived more years than I have left but I’ve learned to live with abandonment; I say yes and no at will, dance even though I don’t look the same in reality as I do in my mind’s eye, sing at the top of my lungs & wear make-up as I please (oh yes, I appreciate those women who paint their faces & draw in their eyebrows and lips). 

I preach to whoever will listen, wax eloquent over global issues, read the news & tell whoever is with me how they (whoever they are) should fix whatever I don’t agree with. I am no longer too concerned with being politically correct because I have learned relevance is in the eyes of the beholder. What I DO care about is that I do not grieve the Holy Spirit, that anyone can tell I love Jesus just by my countenance, my words and my actions. 

So, 62 just happened. 

In MY mirror I see a young girl brimming with hopes and dreams. I see beauty the Lord created me with. I see Eve with her Adam trying to save a nation and bring revival to a world in need. I see a teacher, a preacher, a prophet, a missionary and a lover of life all encased in the wrinkles of a good, full and incredibly happy woman.

Happy Birthday to me.

But-For-God Generation

While I was praying this morning, this Ah-Ha came to me. Now, it may be no big life changing idea for you, but for me it was one of those times I suck in my breath and ask God to reveal even more. A moment when I realize there is more coming that will change my way of observing life around me. I don't even know how I came to this point but here is what provoked me to thought today:

When we are in another country or even just visiting someone we know, we adapt to the culture, food and ways of 'their' lives because we know that it is temporary; we will go 'home' soon to the security of our own ways. We laugh at their humor, listen openly to their political views and their life's drama because, well, it's not our life. We will return to our own comfort zone, the friends who share our beliefs and value systems and wolf down a plain old peanut butter and jelly sandwich. 

It occurs to me (that we could be inclined to) roam this earth that same way; settle in, become resolute - in a disconcerting way - with the politics, the religiousness, the poverty, pain, disease, illness and hopelessness of the people we read about or surround ourselves with. It could become sort of normal day to day stuff.  

Yet, we are the light, the hope & the glory of the Lord sent down to be the salt of the earth. We are sanctified & set apart (being Holy and living a Holy, righteous life) for such a time as this; to awaken people to the Truth and the Light of the world. We are the BUT for GOD generation that sees what's going on, yet recognizes our God is bigger than all of this. 

Knowing we are seated in the "Heavenlies" (Eph 2:6), we ought to live our life here on earth significantly, knowing that we go HOME after our time here is done. The here and now is temporary and then we return to the Kingdom of whence we came. Back to the place we can breathe freely and easily. No tension, no pain and no tears. No power hungry people fighting for top billing for there is no doubt Who is seated on the Throne. 

With that knowledge arming us, we can then become the Elisha's to the next generations asking that God open their eyes to see there are more for them than against them. (2 Kings 6:16) We are the Deborah's, the Esther's, the Joshua's and the Isaiah's; we are the Paul's, the Peter's, the John's, the Anna's and the Mary's. We are the ones who will step out for Christ's sake; who will boldly speak His name without concern of what other's will say or think. We are unafraid to teach those younger than us that all good things come down from the Father of Lights (James 1:17) and that we hold high the Name of Jesus without fear of death.  

As we strain toward the High calling, changing into the image of Christ, our interest in the things of the world become less and less. It is the devil's playground really...all the media, politics, the 7 mountains as Lance Wallnau calls it...and we do not want to engage in the activities the world promotes or maintain its corruption; we are physically present in the world, but not of it. (John 17:14-15)  We commit ourselves to the transforming of the mind; to the thoughts and ways of Christ. 

Blessed to enjoy the physical beauty of the world God created for us, we do not have to immerse ourselves in worldly values but rather lend ourselves to the worship of God, decreeing light into the darkness and pointing others toward our true Home. Our final destination. 

So, that's the thought I started out my day with....

Summer Attire

It’s been a long winter.  Holed up inside, lonely river water & soundless stadiums.  Just a glimpse of the sun has people grabbing for sandals, shorts and sleeveless tops.  I smile as they strain upturned faces struggling to feel the heatless rays on their countenances.  Vitamin D, warm or not, is a good thing.

I’ve held out.  I’ve yet to expose myself to the elements.  My legs are still encased in the fibers of my stockings.  Summer tops and flip flops are safely put away until the temperature dictates change.  I find a comfortable security wrapped in my old black sweater.  I love the new experience of season changes but drag my feet as I leave one behind and stretch toward the new.  It’s not so much that I like routine or dislike new adventures.  I’m just a sucker for the coziness of a good, fluffy robe. 

But God…

…dropped a vision on me the other day. The uncomplicated version consisted of me standing in a huge meadow.  To my left was a sparkly bubbling brook, the sun and a tree with a hollowed out ‘seat’, a writing table and a bookcase.  Heading to a lone tree quite a ways away to the right was a ‘yellow brick road’. I moved to sit beneath ‘my’ tree when I heard the Lord tell me “there is knowledge at the tree beyond.  You have found a place of comfort and you can always return for a season, but I need you to make your way down the path before you.  There you will find new information.”  

I faltered.  “Yes, you just settled but you may not stay.  You will never ‘stay’.  Like shedding your winter clothes for the vulnerability of summer attire, you will be subject to new environments and ravages of nature. But here I AM gathering and sending angelic presence to support you…” 

I saw myself turn toward the distant tree, take a deep breath and begin to walk.  My neck aches as I force myself not to look back, longing for the cool brook and tree nook.  For just that moment, I understood Lot’s wife.  

Open to the elements while running toward something new is overrated, though necessary.

Encased in angelic fold

I feel the sanctity of Your love

Brimming desire to look into Your eyes

Overcomes a weary heart.

One more beat

One more beat

Your passion becomes my strength.

T. Davis Bunn's new book The Fragment rocked

I think I have read every book Davis Bunn has written. I love them all. He is such a descriptive writer that I can see a picture, become the heroine and live the adventure. (Take for example, this narrative, “They approached the cloister just as the sunset laid a golden hand upon the western roof.”) Every once in a while I am touched through Bunn’s book at a spiritual level I didn’t realize could be reached. The Presence, The Turning and The Reluctant Prophet Series to mention a few. The Fragment was another one of these books. There is just a moment when you appreciate your relationship with God the Father, Son and Spirit are the most important things in life. Just a split second of ah ha that takes you to the Throne of God. It’s a subtle takeover.

This book, The Fragment, was a page turner from the beginning.

Bunn is excellent at stringing together a group of characters, creating intrigue, pulling in historical facts and creating a can’t-put-it-down story. From a resilient Paris in 1923 recovering from the ravages of WWI and the Spanish Flu to Constantinople via the Orient Express, photographer Muriel Ross and long-time mentor Senator Thomas Bryan head out on a journey to determine the authenticity of a reliquary - the One True Cross. Intermingled with travel, deception, a love interest and an exodus of sorts is a simple story of a dream come to be realized. 

I am glad I read it. 

THIS IS OUR WHY - MIDWIFE KITS

THIS IS OUR WHY

Mid Wife Kits

Roy & I got married in January of 2006, began ESM in May of the same year, went on our 1^st missions trip together in March of 2007 and were preparing to move to Lewiston, ID as soon as we returned from Africa. It had been a crazy 1^st year of marriage but our priority was to seek God’s intention for Eden’s Song so we were excited to be heading out with an awesome group of people to work with a Pastor and his college age ministry in Uganda.

One of the trips we took was to a village called Bombo where we passed out medical supplies, toys for the kids and spent the day working in a clinic. The Doctor was proudly showing us his ‘birthing room’ where they had just received electricity and a ‘new’ bed. We were excited with him but looked around in awe. There was a metal table with a thermos of water, a baby scale and the bed was ripped and torn. When we walked out of there, I told Roy our first project was going to be to supply them with the needed provisions to deliver a baby in a safe and hygienic area.

When Roy & I returned home we began calling our friends in the medical field to round up a resource list of things they should have and collecting them. However, we were moving from Las Vegas to Lewiston in 2 weeks’ time, so we decided to wait until we got settled in our new home, town and jobs. I started work at our church the day after we moved in & met a couple coming in carrying box after box to a storage area. I asked them what they were doing and they said that God had told them to begin collecting medical supplies. They didn’t know why but they were just being obedient. I told them about ESM and our trip and how we wanted to provide this village with medical supplies and they said “well, that must have been why we were doing this”. We took everything to our garage and that began what is now affectionately called the “blessing barn”.

Shortly after that I met a Pastor’s wife on a trip to Oregon who was a mid-wife. She taught us how to use the supplies and make up kits. We packed boxes of the midwife kits and what medical supplies the Bombo Doctor, took it all to the post office, spent every penny of our savings and shipped our very first shipment.

8 years later we ship midwife kits & clinical supplies through many medical teams like Family Circus, Bethel, Global Health, Show Mercy, Medical Teams Intl and ORU as well as individual missionaries reaching many hospitals, clinics and villages all over the world. We make close to 900 midwife kits per year and now add diapers, onesies, booties, hats and other baby goodies as well as a ‘Mama’s Bag” which is a tote bag full of grooming supplies, nail polish, lipstick, bible and a journal to the clinical needs.

We are so thankful to God for an incredible team of people that are just as excited to gather together, share their creative juices and allow Him to use us all in such an incredible act of love. 

THAT DIM GLASS

I looked in the mirror as I passed through the bathroom. I've seen the face that glanced back at me every day for 61 years, but today I didn't recognize who was watching me walk by.  The eyes were still sparkling but they were surrounded by tiny little strokes of a very sharp pencil, the smile embraced by laugh lines and there were crevices I'd never noticed before. It's not that I despise that I'm showing my age; my life is full and I enjoy every day. It's not even that I feel a need to all of the sudden settle in a bit and become my 'age'; I doubt that will ever happen. I know I'm always on the move and I'm good with that. It was just kind of a shock!

I had a friend once that I tried every wrinkle cream known to man with. We stopped short at Botox or surgery. We even went to a gal that gave us some cream that pulled our skin up and we were so happy until we ran out and plop. Down it all came. We had a ball doing it, but in the end we hadn't really changed. On the outside. Where I've found the most important change happens is in my heart. That the renewal of my mind, the love for the Trinity and the gifts they've given me to share with others is the best face lift I can ask for. Allowing myself time to lay before the Lord, dance in the Spirit and/or fall to my knees in prayer is the best rest I can take. They say water is the best thing for your skin. Drink a gob of it a day and it will stay supple. I drink the living water many times during each day to keep my mind hydrated.

I love the ME that God created. I'm not beautiful or perfect or always of good nature. But I am me. And I adore the One who loves me most. I love my husband, my home, my city and my life. Every day I can wake up and sincerely thank the Lord for the blessings He bestows on me. There are greater dreams and desires stored up in my heart. Without a vision people perish and I am not short of hope.

I encourage everyone to seek God for the MORE. Seek God for a bigger dream, a greater vision...what crazy, wonderful thing does he want you to do today? tomorrow? The thing you couldn’t possible do without His help. Then do it! 

I did read tonight that women my age should not wear eyeshadow or eyeliner but I'm not quite sure I'm ready to go that far.....yet. 

THIS IS OUR WHY - MAMA BAGS

We started making MidWife kits in 2007. We counseled with a mid-wife to ensure we had all the right medical supplies and with the hospital to receive the donations. They were a hit and in the 1^st year, with only 2 of us, we shipped out over 300.

Now we ship upward to 650 a year and have enhanced the packs greatly. Thanks to a missionary who began putting our midwife kits and women’s totes bags together for their pregnant mama’s, our ESM team pursued the idea with hearts full of love & a huge desire to bless. Now we now add baby clothes, blanket, booties, hats and a Mama’s bag.

What is a Mama’s Bag?

In our hand-sewn, vibrant-colored tote bags we add a bible, shampoo & conditioner, deodorant, toothbrush and paste, bar soap, lipstick, nail polish, sewing & manicure kits and any other wonderfully girly item that’s donated. Sometimes perfume, lotion, journals & pens and often a devotional book.

If you have those travel size items you pick up at the hotels filling your drawers with nowhere to go, we will gladly take them off your hands. If you sell Avon or Mary Kay or another makeup/skincare line and have samples left over, please consider donating them to our Mama Bags. Unused journals or those small devotionals you get in the mail cluttering your book shelf? We can use them! You get the idea! Email us at edenssong@gmail.com or respond to this facebook if you have pieces to donate!

THIS IS OUR WHY - Show Mercy International

Years ago Roy & I felt we heard from God what He wanted to do with Eden’s Song so I set out to find some missionaries that we could bless with ‘stuff’. I think we had some medical supplies, a very basic midwife kit and maybe a backpack. Roy had IPods. I googled ‘missionaries’ and Show Mercy was in among the first batch that came up. God said ‘write to them’. So I nervously sent an email sharing who we were and what we hoped to accomplish. Would they like anything? I received a response from Lori shortly explaining the Mike was out of town but they would write soon. And they did. And later we met. And then became partners in ministry and close friends in life. God knew what he was doing.

Show Mercy is an amazing ministry to orphans, widows & seniors in Uganda. They are compassionate, evangelical, apostolic and fun to work with. When we first met them they worked with an orphanage and school. Soon after they began the development of 25 acres of land they the Field of Dreams and for good reason.  Field of Dreams is the central base of operations for all of Show Mercy's outreaches in Uganda. There is accommodations for visiting teams and interns, a large multi-purpose facility called the Arc used for dining, gatherings and fellowship as well as housing for the directors of Show Mercy International Uganda. It also includes a fully functioning Medical Clinic as well as a fresh water well to both the compound and the people of the village of Nawanswa/Kaliti. Not to mention a farm and farm animals. this is more than just a project. This is a strategy; a perfect time to make a mark in history.

As their mission is to mobilize, inspire and empower others to live on purpose, their next project is a primary school and leadership academy. The 14 acres of land that was needed for this project is purchased and blueprints are in place.  Many children in Uganda do not have access to education because of poverty, lack of infrastructure and child labor. The SMI school will be a place where children are valued and shown constantly that they are loved and have a tremendous God-Given purpose in life. Top quality teachers will encourage them regularly to know with God all things truly are possible even for the orphaned or abandoned. 

You can visit their website at www.showmercy.org to find out more about them and join one of their mission teams.

Roy & I are blessed they are a part of our purpose.

Our WHY - FLIP FLOPS

THIS IS OUR WHY

Flip Flops

Why do we put flip flops in every backpack we make no matter the age? ESM had just begun making backpacks to send the kids heading off to school. We added a backpack, school supplies, grooming kits, coloring books and crayons and a bible. 

 Our 1st team with a set of backpacks.

  

Roy & I headed off on our annual Kenya trip and made our way home to Bungoma. We were excited to take backpacks to the kids! They loved them and were thrilled to have so much to start school with. As we were playing with them I noticed that almost all their little sandals had holes or pieces literally missing. It didn’t take away from their smiles, but it sure made us unhappy.  We went home determined that every backpack would hold a pair of flip flops!

              

Now, 7 years later, our backpacks are age group sensitive. The 3-6 year old receive cute, smaller backpacks, little pre-school supplies with a small grooming kit, a doll for girls and a toy for the boys, coloring book & crayons, a children’s book about Jesus & flip flops; 7-11 year old receive their backpack & school needs, grooming kit, finger flashlights,  a puzzle or game, activity book, (every girls get a doll, no matter what age – we call them little scraps of love), Book of John & flip flops. The older kids usually go to boarding school so they get their backpack, school supplies along with a dictionary, a grooming kit including shaving items & deodorant,  Book of Hope or New Testament, flashlights or booklights, & yes, their flip flops. All backpacks include a note of encouragement as well.

We also add a flashlight/reading light or finger flashlight in each backpack as most families do not have electricity or solar lighting. The flashlights help the kids do their studying at night.

  

We provide almost 900 of these every year and are setting a goal for 1000 this year. That is 1000 of each article we provide including Flip Flops. If you would like to invest in the orphans around the world, please consider helping us collect the items needed. Our Joy in a Bag list will help you as well as the Amazon Wish List link on the front page of our website! If you’d rather invest monetarily each kit costs us $25 to make.