Some lessons I learn repeatedly. One of those is that each person was created to reveal God in certain ways that only they could. It's like God locked up his beauty in people and you can choose to see it or not to see it. A right alignment of vision is needed for this.
I again realize that it's in me too. The ways I was created to be and move should not be hindered. It's quite easy to get busy and crowd out the simple sweetness God's given us to enjoy each day. When I do 'stop to smell the roses' everything else has a way of working itself out -- and I'm joyful the whole way through.
God has beautiful revelations, messages of love, moments of peace, and hidden kindnesses for us every morning... please, don't let it be missed today!
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
Sunday, May 25, 2008
heart. hurts.
ahhhhh my heart hurts. i love so many people. i know so many excellent, outstanding individuals around this planet and i don't know how to hold them all in my heart at the same time. sometimes i fear it may explode. and then i meet another person that's so beautiful and unique and revels God in ways that only they can and the growing pains come again.
as i serve and travel and seek God the world keeps moving. friends marry, have kids, get divorced, move, and i miss a lot of it. makes me miss the changing of seasons in one location. what was that like again? staying around long enough to see 4 seasons in a proper order?
plants are fascinating. you stick the seed in the ground and with water, sun, and soil it will grow s l o w l y. it may produce exotic flowers or delicious fruit, but it's worth waiting for. it can't be hurried along. a plant moves at it's own pace.
someday i want to tend a garden. fruits and vegetables will grow there. i will have planted those seeds with my own hands and then eventually nurtured those plants long enough to eat their fruit. what a grand dream.
as i serve and travel and seek God the world keeps moving. friends marry, have kids, get divorced, move, and i miss a lot of it. makes me miss the changing of seasons in one location. what was that like again? staying around long enough to see 4 seasons in a proper order?
plants are fascinating. you stick the seed in the ground and with water, sun, and soil it will grow s l o w l y. it may produce exotic flowers or delicious fruit, but it's worth waiting for. it can't be hurried along. a plant moves at it's own pace.
someday i want to tend a garden. fruits and vegetables will grow there. i will have planted those seeds with my own hands and then eventually nurtured those plants long enough to eat their fruit. what a grand dream.
Thursday, February 14, 2008
need to blog
if i had a $1 for every time i think about writing on this thing...
anyway, i'm inspired by another friend's blog. there's so much in my heart i want to express to the world.
currently i'm back in limbo. caught somewhere between nashville and new zealand... yet i continue to discover we are all in transit no matter where on the planet we are. "you are today becoming what you will someday be" is my new favorite quote. it's true. you're in transition toward becoming _____. what are you becoming? a dad? a rocket scientist? a dolphin trainer? a president? an author? a world changer?
i have a dream. it's a dream that is crazy in modern-day language. it goes against all odds and fights against all hope. it's true, it's passionate, and it's ever moving forward even if i decide to forget about it. God's Kingdom on earth as it is in heaven. I want to see and live and eat and breath that. sometimes i feel that if i laid out the dreams of my heart people would look at me like i'm some sort of goofy disney character. i do believe there is beauty and love and hope even where it looks like none exsists. i want to be a part of that. i want to be a part of the impossible.
Every 3.6 seconds someone starves to death and 3/4 are children under the age of 5.
Nearly 1 billion people are illiterate; more than 1 billion people do not have access to safe water; some 840 million people go hungry or face food insecurity; about one-third of all children under five suffer from malnutrition.
Each year, millions of girls and boys are exploited — they are raped, forced into early marriage, enslaved in the global sex trade or used for bonded labor.
I don't want to just read about these things. I'm not going to die haven't thrown up my hands to these issues simply because the problems seem too big. "What difference can I really make?" A huge one. YOU can make a huge difference. You've heard it said, "the only thing it takes for evil to prevail is for good men to do nothing." It's true.
What are you going to DO?
anyway, i'm inspired by another friend's blog. there's so much in my heart i want to express to the world.
currently i'm back in limbo. caught somewhere between nashville and new zealand... yet i continue to discover we are all in transit no matter where on the planet we are. "you are today becoming what you will someday be" is my new favorite quote. it's true. you're in transition toward becoming _____. what are you becoming? a dad? a rocket scientist? a dolphin trainer? a president? an author? a world changer?
i have a dream. it's a dream that is crazy in modern-day language. it goes against all odds and fights against all hope. it's true, it's passionate, and it's ever moving forward even if i decide to forget about it. God's Kingdom on earth as it is in heaven. I want to see and live and eat and breath that. sometimes i feel that if i laid out the dreams of my heart people would look at me like i'm some sort of goofy disney character. i do believe there is beauty and love and hope even where it looks like none exsists. i want to be a part of that. i want to be a part of the impossible.
Every 3.6 seconds someone starves to death and 3/4 are children under the age of 5.
Nearly 1 billion people are illiterate; more than 1 billion people do not have access to safe water; some 840 million people go hungry or face food insecurity; about one-third of all children under five suffer from malnutrition.
Each year, millions of girls and boys are exploited — they are raped, forced into early marriage, enslaved in the global sex trade or used for bonded labor.
I don't want to just read about these things. I'm not going to die haven't thrown up my hands to these issues simply because the problems seem too big. "What difference can I really make?" A huge one. YOU can make a huge difference. You've heard it said, "the only thing it takes for evil to prevail is for good men to do nothing." It's true.
What are you going to DO?
Sunday, October 28, 2007
can't we all just get along?
love. we all agree we need it. we all agree we should give it. how about when someone is mean to you? if some is rude, lies, or manipulates you does that give right not loving that person?
Luke 6:
If you love only the people who love you, what praise should you get? Even sinners love the people who love them.
Luke 6:
If you love only the people who love you, what praise should you get? Even sinners love the people who love them.
undeserved blessings
Who gave me this story? I don't deserve it. God's grace constantly amazes me. I would have never dreamed I could have done all that I've had opportunity to do and see... and yet God is always asking me to keep dreaming... He whispers "don't stop there - I have much more to show you!"
God gives us what we don't deserve all the time. I can't believe how lavish he is about it too. Just when you've had a wonderful day filled with friends, beauty, and Holy moments, God tops it all with real-time painting using the setting sun. I LOVE the Lord. No one is like Him. No one touches my heart like He does. No one forgives so quickly and lovingly. No one pursues my heart like He does. We serve a relentless God of love.
I've discovered a new passion. It's, well, basically... spreading passion. I love to ignite the passions of others to discover who they truely are in Christ.
And I love that my story begins and ends with God's hand at work in my life. Any tales I tell of far off lands or hearts made whole are all because of God's leading. Seriously, I couldn't have written a life story I would rather live out thus far. I'm not that creative!
My simple story is this: I was bored living my life for myself in Nashville. I took all those crazy passages seriously where Jesus says, 'don't worry about what you'll take with your or might need - follow me. Go where ever I send you.' Slowly, slowly I've let go of all the things I thought I needed to be happy and allowed God to show me true satisfaction found in him. And now... I follow Jesus. If he says 'stay.' I'll stay. If he says 'go', I'll go.
God gives us what we don't deserve all the time. I can't believe how lavish he is about it too. Just when you've had a wonderful day filled with friends, beauty, and Holy moments, God tops it all with real-time painting using the setting sun. I LOVE the Lord. No one is like Him. No one touches my heart like He does. No one forgives so quickly and lovingly. No one pursues my heart like He does. We serve a relentless God of love.
I've discovered a new passion. It's, well, basically... spreading passion. I love to ignite the passions of others to discover who they truely are in Christ.
And I love that my story begins and ends with God's hand at work in my life. Any tales I tell of far off lands or hearts made whole are all because of God's leading. Seriously, I couldn't have written a life story I would rather live out thus far. I'm not that creative!
My simple story is this: I was bored living my life for myself in Nashville. I took all those crazy passages seriously where Jesus says, 'don't worry about what you'll take with your or might need - follow me. Go where ever I send you.' Slowly, slowly I've let go of all the things I thought I needed to be happy and allowed God to show me true satisfaction found in him. And now... I follow Jesus. If he says 'stay.' I'll stay. If he says 'go', I'll go.
Monday, September 10, 2007
wakeboarding with Jesus
Yesterday I was at Simon Peter's house in Capernaum. You may remember stories in the books of Luke and Matthew that reference some of Jesus' time spent there. Although once a thriving city, it's all in ruins now except for the new fences and plaques that keep tourists out. Over Peter's house is a beautiful chapel with a glass floor to look down on the house from above. The windows of the chapel look out over the Sea of Galilee only about 200 yards from the house. I paused for a few minutes there to pray and try to make sense of the scene below... Jesus had been in this place. He had healed here, taught here, eaten here, and blessed many in this very place. Wow... and then a wakeboard boat passed by. I love to wakeboard in the summer. And somehow it all connected - God's presence, his joy and delight that he takes in me, in this modern day today while standing over a house where He once stood 2000 years ago. Jesus is alive. He is still present with his people and takes delight in them. I love this about God - how He has always been present and takes great delight in His creation.Tuesday, September 4, 2007
with love from Spain
as usual i feel this is a bit overdue. there is so much i'd like to write in here. how do i sum up my time in the islands of lake victoria in Uganda? how can i fully express the contrasts of morocco? how do i put into words all that's in my head and heart that needs to be sorted?
i'm in Spain now, typing from a beautiful home on a hill that overlooks the Mediterranean. the temptation is simply to watch the ocean and not think, not process, simply flatline my brain. but my coffee buzz is just right, so i'm writing to you, my general public. actually, whoever is reading this probably holds a special place in my heart so that means you're not 'general'.
the extremes of emotion after 3 months of intense travel have me feeling bi-polar. one moment i'm so grateful, thrilled, and feeling blessed for all i've beheld. the next i'm internally whining about wanting to settle down and stay put for a while. can i please have some constant relationships in my life? lately that's what i've found most difficult. i mean, i love the life track God has me on, but i find it most difficult to change my deepest friendships every few months. i mean, true friends always hang on through all my world exploration, but my heart longs to have more consistency.
on the other hand, i've met more amazing people can i can possibly describe this little blog space. how else would i have sat next to a teenage boy from a slum area of Johannesburg and found out about his dreams of business and housing ideas for people in his position? if i had not departed, i would not have met Pam, a Kenyan woman with 2 children suffering from AIDS. her husband passed away last year and now she struggles to physically get out of bed each day, let alone pay for her children to attend school and face her family that shuns her. if i had not left my home, i would have never met Sam who works to bring the good news of God's love and freedom to the Muslim world in Morocco. his cover is his business there and he prays for opportunities that these beautiful Berber people would know the fullness of God's salvation.
so once again, my heart is full. every time i feel i can't take any more in, God enlarges my vision and my capacity for more. i wish i could show you somehow through videos or photos or moving poems all i've seen and heard. i'm not sure exactly what inspiration it may bring, but i can tell you nothing is like seeing it firsthand yourself.
maybe you want to depart too. either you're planning it in your heart or you're going to leave for ____________ [insert location here] soon. but in past months you've have amazing 'ah, ha!' moments yourself. if you've read this far, then you may have time to type out one of your own below. i'd love to hear it. being this far from home and stability, it's soo good to hear what new things you've discovered.
sending blessings and love from Malaga....
i'm in Spain now, typing from a beautiful home on a hill that overlooks the Mediterranean. the temptation is simply to watch the ocean and not think, not process, simply flatline my brain. but my coffee buzz is just right, so i'm writing to you, my general public. actually, whoever is reading this probably holds a special place in my heart so that means you're not 'general'.
the extremes of emotion after 3 months of intense travel have me feeling bi-polar. one moment i'm so grateful, thrilled, and feeling blessed for all i've beheld. the next i'm internally whining about wanting to settle down and stay put for a while. can i please have some constant relationships in my life? lately that's what i've found most difficult. i mean, i love the life track God has me on, but i find it most difficult to change my deepest friendships every few months. i mean, true friends always hang on through all my world exploration, but my heart longs to have more consistency.
on the other hand, i've met more amazing people can i can possibly describe this little blog space. how else would i have sat next to a teenage boy from a slum area of Johannesburg and found out about his dreams of business and housing ideas for people in his position? if i had not departed, i would not have met Pam, a Kenyan woman with 2 children suffering from AIDS. her husband passed away last year and now she struggles to physically get out of bed each day, let alone pay for her children to attend school and face her family that shuns her. if i had not left my home, i would have never met Sam who works to bring the good news of God's love and freedom to the Muslim world in Morocco. his cover is his business there and he prays for opportunities that these beautiful Berber people would know the fullness of God's salvation.
so once again, my heart is full. every time i feel i can't take any more in, God enlarges my vision and my capacity for more. i wish i could show you somehow through videos or photos or moving poems all i've seen and heard. i'm not sure exactly what inspiration it may bring, but i can tell you nothing is like seeing it firsthand yourself.
maybe you want to depart too. either you're planning it in your heart or you're going to leave for ____________ [insert location here] soon. but in past months you've have amazing 'ah, ha!' moments yourself. if you've read this far, then you may have time to type out one of your own below. i'd love to hear it. being this far from home and stability, it's soo good to hear what new things you've discovered.
sending blessings and love from Malaga....
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