I Have You in My Heart

Last year…

I carried orphans (Lindo, Thabo, Jamesy)  on my back. I watched my baby (Lindo) be adopted into a family that welcomed me.

I held Lerato (love) in my arms before mixing mud to make bricks to build her a house.

I equipped learners with biblical truths and encouraged them to step out to become contagious Christians.

I worshipped God on a mountain with my people.

This year…

I pray. I call. I encourage. I am mindful.

I bought TOMS shoes that give a pair of shoes to a South African kiddo.

I bought Lerato shirts to support someone who spoke truth into my life and still does..

And now. I can shop at the Thrive Store.

~

Even though, things look quite a bit different from last year

what I wrote before and finally got around to painting rings true.

“I have you in my heart.” Philippians 1:7

I can still make an impact

even from 9000 miles away

and so can you.

A shirt, a coffee mug, becoming a monthly supporter…

Together we can hold them in our hearts and make it possible for them to be held by loving arms, to learn God’s truth, to be empowered with love to change their nation.

So, what are you going to do?

What a Hug!

“Then Esau ran to meet him and embraced him, threw his arms around his neck, and kissed him. And they both wept.” Genesis 33:4

After reading this, I sat back and thought…wow, what a hug that must have been! Such emotion and love all wrapped into two sentences.

I’m not usually a touchy-feely kind of girl, but really. Give me a big hug and I’m soaring. Like the hug captured here with this amazing woman who so walked with me (and still is even if it’s across the ocean for now!) and gave me so many “what a hug!” moments…

We must find the time to stop and thank the people who make a difference in our lives –Robert Kennedy

p.s. I love you, June…and now you’ve got me all teary-eyed.

*Photo taken after I was baptized on November 5th 2009

Nothing Missing, Nothing Broken

He calls us to be salty.

To let the world see the difference.

He calls us to repentance.

To stand on the promise that we are chosen by God, holy and dearly loved.

He calls us to love and walk as a new creation in Christ.

To experience the Hands of the Healer.

He says “Follow Me.” Immediately.

To show us that he doesn’t run away from our needs, even needs wrongly met, because they reveal something about us that He wants to transform, to redeem, to deepen our roots through relationship with Him.

He looks at the Samaritan woman with love and maybe we should say: “Look at what potential she has for God.  See how hard she’s trying to find the right thing in all the wrong places.”

To ask us if we looking at messy, real lives and saying “that’s wrong” or if we are penetrating the walls and masks to seek why they are in such trouble in order to love them where they are?

He reminds us that our message is not that we have it all together.  Our message is that we know the one who does!

To let us rest in shalom שָׁלוֹם: nothing missing. nothing broken. life as it was meant to be.

Messy Relationships

Ephesians 4:15

but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ,

The balance between truth and love in relationships makes a BIG difference.

Here are some thoughts from group discussion on the varying levels of truth and love:

All Truth

• Cactus Christian–always poking and pointing out wrong things or “truth”
• Chameleon

All Love

• Minnesota Nice
• Shallow
• No Vulnerability
• Passive Aggressive
• Two-Faced (in instances where someone is nice to the person and then talks about them behind their back)
• We shy away from conflict

Other thoughts

• Anger doesn’t have a place at the table even if it’s just–“If I take anger to the table, I will sin”
• Healthy balance
• Getting so intensely angry that we shut down and refuse to let relationships and conversations happen
• Mercy included
• Making mentoring and relationships a priority–addressing conflict or issues
• Matthew 7
• Power of prayer!

Finally, we went through a sheet on confronting sin.  The examples happened to be 3 situations regarding sexual sin.  After the examples, I was thankful that one of the people in the class made a point to address the fact that the church so often obsesses and focuses so much on sexual sin without addressing other issues like pride or greed.

Also, something that I found interesting was how in classes like that we really DON’T know where a lot of the people are coming from and the experiences they have.  This is beneficial to the class because then we can learn so much more.  A couple people shared about their experiences dating non-believers and one even was currently dating someone.  Then there’s also the question of who in the room has dealt with sexual sin.  Plus, this isn’t even counting the day to day struggles each person deals with.