My Dangerous Lover

Seriously, everyone needs to read The Irresistable Revolution by Shane Claiborne. I will even buy it for you- it's completely ruining me, and I pray that it would ruin us all.

Here's a preview for you:

(speaking about the fear of God) "On one hand, the shuddering is like that of new lovers- giddy, obsessed, infatuated. Any portrait of or story about our new lover that we can get our hands on, we cling to. Whenever someone metions his or her name, our eyes twinkle and our hearts jump- that kind of shudder. Jesus, the one I long to fall asleep cuddling with, run off into the woods with, live and die with... my lover.

On the other hand, it is a shiver of awestruck wonder. I have no idea what's going to happen next, just throw my hands into the air and hold on, like riding a good roller coaster. Have you ever seen the Lion King? It's like the part where the hyenas are talking about Mufasa, and one of them says his name and they all shake and say, "oooh! say it again... Mufasa...oohh!" That kind of shutter. "Jesus..ohhh! say it again!" Just the thought brings buterflies to my stomach. That's the Jesus I love. And that's the Jesus who scares me to death. There are plenty other options for living that will not get you jailed, mocked, or nailed to a cross. And there are much easier ways of being cool than by trying to follow Jesus.

..As French theologian Jacques Ellul once said, 'Christians should be troublemakers, creators of uncertainty, agents of a dimension incompatible with society.'

When I got home fron Iraq, a woman came up to me, pointed her finger in my face, and said, "How dare you be so careless with your life and put your mother through all that? Jesus would be shaking His finger in your face, saying 'How dare you be so reckless?'" I listened silently, wondering what Jesus she was talking about. The Jesus who died on a Roman cross and invited his disciples to do the same? The Jesus who taught his disciples that if they wanted to find their lives, they should lose them? (And most of them did, perhaps leaving behind angry parents.) For centuries, Christians have been jailed, beaten, and executed for preaching that Jesus. How was I to tell this lovely lady that Jesus was actually the one responsible for my traveling to Iraq in the heat of the bombing, not a decision that I would rationally make, even on my worst days?"

"All around you people will be tiptoeing through life, just to arrive at death safetly. But dear children, do not tiptoe. Run, hop, skip, or dance, just don't tiptoe."

Monday. A good day.

So we've decided that on Mondays, here in our quaint, stuffy, cluttery office, we are going to take time to listen to some online sermons and let ourselves be refreshed and encouraged. I guess I never imagined that happening- working at a church and having to do all the "spiritual feeding" and not receiving much myself. In short, this new Monday tradition is much needed and appreciated.
Craig Groeschel, an amazing pastor from Tulsa, said this blessing in one of his sermons and it definitely caught my attention:

May God bless you with discomfort at easy answers, half truths, and superficial relationships, so that you may live deep within your heart.
May God bless you with anger at injustice, oppression, and exploitation of people, so that you may work for justice, freedom and peace.
May God bless you with tears to shed for those who suffer from pain, rejection, starvation and war, so that you may reach out your hand to comfort them and to turn their pain into joy.

May God bless you with enough foolishness to believe that you can make a difference in this world, so that you can do what others claim cannot be done.
And the Blessing of God, who Creates, Redeems and Sanctifies, be upon you and all you love and pray for this day, and forever more. Amen.

I want that so much. I want to begin to hate the superficial masks I use when I don't feel like giving my heart out. I want to be angry at how people are treated in our world today. I want to weep and mourn and fast for those who see no hope for their future. And I want that foolishness that only those who are so in love and sold out for Jesus Christ have... the belief that I can change my world, my family, myself for the better and that I can totally destroy this box that people have put God into.

I could go on and on for days, maybe even years, about how the Gospel most of us claim to live by is not about dressing nice for Sunday mornings, or just paying 10 percent of our income to the church. This Gospel is alive and active and it is working on the behalf of those who do not have, who do not know, the man named Jesus whom we've grown accustomed to all these years. I want faith AND deeds. I want miracles, signs, wonders. I want to see pride broken, hearts mended, minds restored.

I want to see God move on behalf of His people. And I know it will happen. Not only that, but I know it is happening. And for that I am honored to be called to this Gospel-living, Bible-thumping, so-called "religious" way of life. No matter what misconceptions people have of God or His Son, they will know Him when they see us. Doesn't that propel you to live a life worthy of your calling? I pray that it does.

Just to let you know...

I bathed my dog outside today in a t-shirt and shorts. And I'm VERY bitter to be in hot, sticky South Alabama in December.
Still, I'm thanking the wonderful loving good Lord for all I have and all I am able to give this Christmas. He never ceases to amaze me. Even if it all fails and I am left with only Him, I pray that I could love and trust Him more than I do now. I love Him. We can never pay Him back for the gift He gave. Instead, He invites us to join Him in this beautiful frienship and romance called life. I hope and pray that you are able to feel His joy and His heart for you.

Merry Christmas!

My Calcutta

Man, I'm just a bloggin' fool here lately! Well I MUST share something that has profoundly impacted my life, and I just read it this morning. In this book, The Irresistible Revolution, Shane (author) writes about his search for a real Christian. He finally narrowed it down to Mother Teresa, who was still alive at the time. Shane journeyed to Calcutta, India, to observe her work and perhaps for the first time encounter the reality of the gospel.

The story is inspiring, and makes me heart ache for all those whom I was blessed to meet in India, but that's not what profoundly spoke to me. Mother Teresa made the statement, "Calcutta's are everywhere, if only we have eyes to see. Find your Calcutta."

BAM!

It's like fireworks went off in my spirit! There is destitution and poverty and desperation even amidst the wealthy and materially rich people of this nation, and of my community. Wow. How eye-opening is that?! Maybe I'm just super excited because after reading all these books about selling all your posessions, and living with the homeless, and pioneering ministries overseas, it was a blow to me that this is my Calcutta. Here. Here in this free nation where we can get pretty much anything we want.... this is my Calcutta. He and I can bring freedom to the captives here. Peace to the lost and hopeless and those who cannot afford their next house payment. These are my lepers. These are my wandering sheep.

These children who have no sense of thankfulness or gratitude for the many things they have- they are my orphans. Girls that keep moving from boy to boy, relationship to relationship, all the while staying ignorant to the heart and passion of their Lord- these are my widows.

There is so much here to see and to change. Why only think that it's in India or in Uganda? It's HERE.

I knew I was getting into something deep when the description of the book read, "this brings comfort to the disturbed, and disturbs the comfortable."

Now that's the kind of Gospel I want to live by.

Money, Love, Giving, Faithfulness.

I was thinking the other night about how much we have done here lately... everything from Operation Christmas Child to serving hot chocolate at Walmart at 5 am on Black Friday, and going to Build-a-Bear and spending so that others may have a cute, cuddly (and fashionable) bear for Christmas.
We have been blessed with many different activities to get involved and serve and GIVE BIG :) but what I'm hoping is that this doesn't just happen between Thanksgiving and Christmas. I want this to be my life.
In the book I just finished about the Kingdom of God, Rick challenges his readers to be aware of how they spend their money. Not just what they buy or how much they buy, but to really pray and use discernment. It is now branded into my mind and my spirit to ask this question: "How is this dollar showing love to those less fortunate?"
Often, I have to change my mind because I'm not spending for others. I'm choosing to fix a certain caffeine addiction at Starbucks, or a certain insecurity to have super cute clothes (which I have enough of already!)
I just want to be a giver. Really. I want to be faithful in my finances- to God and to His precious people. I know there's a "balance", but it has always been a strong conviction of mine. There's so many people who need what I have so much of.
I've begun a new book, ha ha, and I have a feeling its going to ruin me even more. Maybe so much so that I sell all of my clothes and shoes and hand the money to people that need it. But why don't I do that anyway?


Jesus, make me wholly devoted to You.
Use the resources you've entrusted me with
to bring glory to Your name and reputation.
Let me invest strongly and bodly into Your kingdom.
I want to help, I want to give, I want to welcome a new world.
Amen. So be it.

Secret Blessings

Do you ever think about how much of life just passes you by? How much you miss when you are too busy focusing on your own life & agenda, and not on the miracles God is performing all around you?

I'm pondering that today...

I was holding a little girl after Allies at the elementary school, and just staring at her precious little face, and taking in her laughter- it blew me away. She is such a beautiful image of Jesus.

And then I noticed the wind fiercely blowing the trees as I was driving down the road, and saw for a second how even they worship our King.

There is a tree down my street that has turned this striking red orange color, and amidst the gray skies and rainy day, its color shone the brightest I've ever seen it. It makes me realize that He is ever present, even when things around me are dull and dying.

Next time you are in the mountains, or at the beach, or in the school, even at your job- make the choice to seek out God's face in this place we live in. Ask Him to open your eyes to the things unseen. Learn about what God's Kingdom is all about, and how it can show up in the most surprising and secretive ways in your life.

"No eye has fully seen, how beautiful the cross. And we have only heard, the faintest whispers of how great You are..."