Category Archives: Life

A Mother’s story…

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Posted by Mel on January 28, 2012 – 12:07 pm
Filed under Community, Jesus, Life, Relationships

My guest writer for this post is very dear to me. I jokingly and lovingly refer to her as the one person that helped me make it through kindergarten! And it is the truth! (That’s a story for another time.) I am honored to know her and share life with her today even long distance. She is truly a woman that loves God and her family; and spends every moment of her life showing that to me and those that are lucky enough to know her. Recently, my friend and I had the opportunity to pray and support Jessie Joy Reese as she battled cancer that, ultimately, ended in Jessie’s victory over cancer and death. We know that Jessie is resting in Jesus’ presence right now, even though we don’t always understand. To my dear friend, Tammy Vogt, this struggle was something very close to her as a mother living life in similar circumstances. I asked her to share a little bit about her family’s story and her heart as a mother. She honored me by saying yes and she honored God by sharing sincerely and transparently her family’s story. May it bless you in the midst of any discouragement or valleys you are walking through.

It is my honor to share my forever friend, Tammy, with you…..

Just a few short weeks ago I watched a celebration service via live webcast for a 12 year old valiant little girl named Jessie.  Tears ran down my face as I heard stories told of this precious young gal who had lost her fight with a brain tumor but won her prize in life as she crossed from this life to life eternal.  I had never met her.  I don’t know her family.  “Why” you ask did I find myself peering in on what should seem like a private celebration of life? Maybe it is because Jessie’s mother’s story could have been mine…

Three years ago March 16th I took my daughter Brenna into the doctor for what we thought was a virus she just couldn’t kick.  She was 7 years old at the time and was a happy fun loving little gal.  She loved to play sports and even this ‘sickness’ couldn’t rob her of playing outside with her friends, but something wasn’t right.  Her coloring was off and she had some strange dizzy spells that would make her nauseous and vomit.  After explaining this to her doctor he looked me in the eye and told me it was probably nothing but suggested we take some blood tests to rule out the ‘big and scary’.  Later that afternoon when the tests results came back we received the news that would shake us to our core and change the course of our lives.
Brenna had leukemia.

Her blood levels were dangerously low and she was in need of an immediate transfusion.  We were told that they were already waiting for us on the fourth floor of St. Luke’s hospital in Boise, ID.  We were to go home, break the news to our other three kids, pack a bag and get Brenna there as soon as possible. I remember that car ride like it was yesterday.  My eyes went from the shock on my husband’s face to my little girl sitting in the back seat who was absolutely clueless of what the word ‘cancer’ meant.  All she knew is that she was sick and mommy and daddy were taking her to the hospital so she could get better.
I looked out the window of the car that day and my whole spirit cried out to God.  I silently wiped the tears, trying not to let Brenna see them.  I thought about asking the question ‘why’ but I knew better than to go there.  There were no answers.  There will never be any answers on why 7 year olds get leukemia or 12 year olds have brain tumors.  People would try to tell me in the days and years ahead that God causes everything to happen for a reason.  I see two things wrong with this statement.  Number one:  there is no reason in this.  It is horrible, not reasonable. Number two: the God I know has a heart that breaks when a child goes through something so terrible…He doesn’t cause it. No, the whole of the ‘why’ is big and black and deep and I knew I wouldn’t make it through this if I let myself fall into it.  I declared then and there that no matter what I wouldn’t turn on my God. I knew I couldn’t make it through what was ahead, no matter what that was, without Him.
That day began a journey of doctor visits and hospital stays.  I watched as Brenna endured test after test, poke after poke, and chemo treatment after chemo treatment. I sat by her bed countless nights and prayed for fevers to break and critical blood levels to rise.  I held her and we cried when her hair began to fall out.  And though my heart broke, I watched in amazement the strength and sense of peace of this little girl of mine.

I asked Brenna recently how she got through the tough times.  She said she got through it with the help of her family, friends and God.  I asked her specifically how God had helped her.  I just wanted to hear what word she would put to her story.  She said, “God told me everything would be okay”.  Being the very curious sort, I asked her how she knew God had spoken this to her.  She stated in her beautiful child like way…she just knew.
And that is how it was. He never left us.  Not one minute. Just like it says in His word:


Hebrews 13:5-6
“Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”
So we say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid.”


I can be honest with you and say that I didn’t always feel His presence.  There were definite times of discouragement.  Definite times where I begged for a sense of peace but just as honestly I can tell you that I never saw Brenna without it.  Isn’t that amazing? Brenna is ten years old now and from looking at her you would never know that she ever endured such a fight.  She still goes back every four weeks for blood checks and won’t be considered ‘cancer free’ for a few more years, yet we can see the healing in her life.
When I heard the news of Jessie’s fight I began to follow her on facebook and prayed for her healing. It wasn’t but a few short days later that she had passed on.  My heart broke for her family.  It just didn’t seem fair that I would get to keep my precious little girl and they would lose theirs.


I still have no answers and it is still not fair. This is a broken world we live in where sickness and disease take lives.  I believe this breaks the heart of my heavenly father and while I still don’t believe He causes such atrocities, I know that He does bring purpose out of them.  This is what He is all about: restoring broken things.  He is a redeemer of life.


Brenna will go on to tell of her story and Jessie’s story will live on to tell of hers.  Both are a story of peace.  Both are a story of trust. Both are a story of two families who know their hope can only lie in one place. And that is with a God who will never leave us and never forsake us.
In Jessie’s short fight against cancer she started an organization called NEGU which stands for Never Ever Give Up.  Her family continues this fight by raising funds for research and encouraging other kids to NEGU.

You can follow Jessie’s story on Facebook and her website.

https://www.facebook.com/jessicajoyrees

http://www.jessie.org/

Life.

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Posted by Mel on January 21, 2012 – 3:48 pm
Filed under Grace, Life

Do you ever find yourself grieving over life sometimes? Not grieving a loss or a failure..but a grieving of this life. I find myself there occasionally!

I am reminded of a friend that prays for patience when it comes to this life. It’s hard to not long for eternity..and when she spoke those words they made perfect sense to me. This friend sees a lot of  life’s darkest moments. We all know that we live in a broken world, a place of darkness and greed. Turn on the news. It is apparent in the lives of the “least of these”. Remember them? The ones that Jesus charged us with taking care of and looking out for. Have we failed Him miserably? Have we failed them? In my recent travels I’ve talked to people who believe that when we love one another we don’t fail, they believe and see hope and a future. They see it more clearly than I am able to some days.

Sometimes, I have to close my eyes.  Sometimes, I cry from all the images and stories. Stories of cultures that slaughter little girls…for no other reason than they were born the wrong gender. Stories of children dying of malnutrition, dying from dehydration, from cholera, malaria, aids, typhoid. Stories of the millions of children that are stolen and sold into the sex slave trade.  Stories of women who are used up and thrown away or used as property or their voices silenced.

It seems like the most heinous crimes of this world are perpetrated against children and women.  Do you see them?

Who are their advocates, their protectors?

Who should it be?

Should it be Christ’s church?

Should it be those that call themselves Christians?

Should it be me…..? ….or you? …..or us?

Mother Teresa gives a very real glimpse through her eyes what this life can be…and I am learning…..

“Life is an opportunity, benefit from it.
Life is beauty, admire it.
Life is a dream, realize it.
Life is a challenge, meet it.
Life is a duty, complete it.
Life is a game, play it.
Life is a promise, fulfill it.
Life is sorrow, overcome it.
Life is a song, sing it.
Life is a struggle, accept it.
Life is a tragedy, confront it.
Life is an adventure, dare it.
Life is luck, make it.
Life is too precious, do not destroy it.
Life is life, fight for it.”

…and only with Christ’s sacrifice, great love, and never ending grace does any of it make sense.

So it begins….

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Posted by Mel on January 1, 2012 – 4:44 pm
Filed under Journey

2012! That sends a little shiver of anticipation or maybe even a little anxiety over me when I wonder where we will find ourselves in this new year! So much has happened in the last year. One high school graduation, one college graduation, two trips to Haiti, different job responsibilities, and a whole lot of learning!

Kayla officially became a “grown-up”, graduated college, living on her own, teaching school, working a second job, and buying a car…oh, and hanging out with Joel.

Seth graduated from Fredericktown, started college at MAC as a music major, and continues to work through a lot of what it means to be responsible for himself! We can all relate to that, right?

Miss Em left elementary school and started intermediate school and spent most of the first semester trying to settle into that change. It hasn’t been as easy for her as it was the older siblings. Being our shy one she’s struggled a little bit with getting her feet under her! She’ll figure it out and be stronger for it.

Michael has been busy as ever but I often wonder how he would be any other way! I noticed this past year a focus to that busyness. More purpose toward God’s plan and not ours. Which I have loved seeing and look forward to the NEXT thing!

There was Haiti…and it changed us all. It made us different, it shifted our world focus. It brought us some painful moments and some moments of absolute joy! It has become part of us. I look forward to sharing Haiti with you this coming year!

Many people have passed in and out of all our lives. Some we knew for just a moment, some we will forever be connected with, and some we will not see again this side of heaven.

This year we moved from a Farmington cell family (through our church~The Bridge Community Church)  to a new Fredericktown group that started. We attend this small group weekly with some people that have become very dear to us and we decided as a group that we would start a study on the book of James in December and conclude it at the end of January. It happens to be Beth Moore’s new study of James…..Mercy Triumphs. The guys in our group have been awesome and have even got used to being called “sister” numerous times in an evening. All fun aside….it is changing us all and encouraging us and teaching us. God’s word is mighty, it is a promise, a lesson, it is infallible, it NEVER comes back void, it is everything.

2 Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds,3 for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.4 And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. James 1:2-4 (ESV)

Let that soak in for just a moment! What an amazingly beautiful promise. That verse has been read in my Bible more times than I can count. It provides me so much comfort. But it’s not an easy verse by any means. Be joyful when you have trials? Doesn’t seem to make a lot of sense until you experience that verse and you find joy in the midst of pain. It is only something that God can make right in us. It reminds me that God is so. very. faithful. Beth Moore says “you can live with pain a whole lot better than you can live with purposelessness“. I very much agree. The hardest times for me are when I lose my focus, when I forget who’s business I am about, when I have no purpose. She goes on to say often our passion comes out of pain. We find that thing that we are meant for, we find ourselves sharing our story with those that need to hear it! I am reminded of the promise of heaven, the sacrifice of Jesus, and that my time here is very limited. Painful circumstances have taught me to not wait, to go out and LIVE my life now. Not when my kids are on their own, not when I’ve retired, not someday! NOW!

My prayer is that I will love people better this year, that I will seek God first in every decision of my life, that I will serve better. That I will try and possibly fail but I will try. That I will give more and take less. That God will be glorified in every moment of my life!

My prayer for you…is the same! May God’s blessings and purpose and love pour into your life with this new beginning…this new year…..

A Full Life in the Emptiest of Places.

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Posted by Mel on November 13, 2011 – 8:11 pm
Filed under Journey, Relationships

9 Then when you pray, God will answer. You’ll call out for help and I’ll say, ‘Here I am.’ A Full Life in the Emptiest of Places “If you get rid of unfair practices, quit blaming victims, quit gossiping about other people’s sins,10 If you are generous with the hungry and start giving yourselves to the down-and-out, Your lives will begin to glow in the darkness, your shadowed lives will be bathed in sunlight.11 I will always show you where to go. I’ll give you a full life in the emptiest of places-firm muscles, strong bones. You’ll be like a well-watered garden, a gurgling spring that never runs dry.12 You’ll use the old rubble of past lives to build anew, rebuild the foundations from out of your past. You’ll be known as those who can fix anything, restore old ruins, rebuild and renovate, make the community livable again.  Isaiah 58:9-12

I don’t know what it’s like to get up every day and not have the things I need. I don’t know what it is to be hungry, or homeless, or ignored. I don’t know what it’s like to be a mother raising three girls who’s just lost her husband, in a place where life is very hard. I don’t know what it’s like to be sick and not have healthcare. I don’t know what it is to be uncomfortable. I don’t know what it is to make desperate choices so that my children might live another day. My life is easy. I have been really good at insulating myself from those kind of things. Then Haiti happened to our family and then we met Tia our Compassion child and God took off the blinders I had been wearing. Then, not done with opening my eyes,  God sent me to a place that made me uncomfortable and there He gave me joy that I can’t describe. And I don’t ever want to go back to not knowing those things.

Last week I sat across from a mother of three beautiful girls whose husband had just died. She was at the medical clinic I worked and she made sure that each of her three girls were seen and received medicine for what was wrong with them. I noticed the spot on her leg right away. It was infected and it looked like it hurt and I knew it could get a lot worse than it already was. But she never asked for anything for herself, just for the girls, and then she was just going to walk away. It’s funny how God works things out. She was the last person I saw that day. So, we just spent time and didn’t hurry. Unfortunately, communication was difficult, my Kreyol is still very bad.  I was grateful for the translator that was with me that day, he was very kind and patient. We took care of the important business of opening the area and cleaning it well and then showing her how to change the dressing everyday. We made sure that she had an antibiotic and something for the pain. She talked very little but did share that her husband had just died and I know that means things will be more difficult for her family. I saw sadness in her spirit that day. Then we finished with God’s most important business~we prayed together.  I felt grateful that I met her. I felt grateful for my education and what I knew about healthcare. I felt grateful for the opportunities in my life that I can no longer take for granted. But mostly, I felt grateful that God put us together on that mountainside under the beautiful sunshine that day.  I hope I see her again and I pray she is doing well. We saw over 500 people in our medical clinics that week and she was my final person not just that day but for the week. No coincidence.

Please God continue to use my life for your purposes. I know you don’t need me but I’m thankful that you want me. I pray for a full life in the emptiest of places, a life that glows in the darkness. May I never go back only forward. Thank you for Jesus. ~Amen

October…

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Posted by Mel on October 1, 2011 – 1:31 pm
Filed under Freedom, Journey

October 1st already! I read a post this afternoon by a dear friend of mine about her love of October…it reminded me how much I really enjoy fall. Crisp days, cool nights, beautiful scenery and that feeling of slowing down for just a moment. A time to take a breath and look around. What a beautiful feeling fall can evoke! Something about fall makes me ready for change.

I’ve learned to embrace change over my lifetime of bumpy roads and dark nights. Looking back over those years the most amazing times of my life have come through change. Sometimes those “changes” have been bitter and painful. Not always the “blessings” this world tells us we so deserve. There’s this beautiful song that I’ve been listening to a lot lately and it speaks words to my heart that are beautiful and so very true.

Life is always challenging and often painful, but those moments remind me of God’s faithfulness.

He is a good God, a loving God, a just God. He is always the same, he never wavers. There will be moments that we need reminded that God doesn’t ever leave us, that he loves us so much. There will be times that the “aching of this life will reveal a greater thirst….. than this world can satisfy”. Those moments remind us that our treasure is not here on this earth.

But sometimes, we listen to the lies of this world. That we need a life of comfort and security to be truly happy…that it’s okay to blame others and even God when things don’t go the way we think they should. We buy into debates of why bad things happen to good people and why God “lets” things happen to us. Never intending ourselves to face the bad choices we’ve made or the bad behavior we exhibit! My prayer recently has been that I know that the “blessings” of this world are not meant for me….that I look to God for the blessings that he has for me and the knowledge that those difficult times are bringing a change in me I desire…a change that always brings me closer to God! Haiti reminded me that I have much to do before I leave this life and still so much to learn! No time for complacency or ideas for my own comfortable life. In just a few weeks Michael and I will be back in Haiti and I look forward to that very much but I’ve realized that wherever God sends me I will go and whatever he asks of me I will do….. whether that’s in Haiti or here or to the ends of the earth!

We pray for blessings
We pray for peace
Comfort for family, protection while we sleep
We pray for healing, for prosperity
We pray for Your mighty hand to ease our suffering
All the while, You hear each spoken need
Yet love is way too much to give us lesser things
‘Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You’re near
What if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise

Blessings by Laura Story

Words to say.

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Posted by Mel on January 20, 2011 – 6:00 am
Filed under Community, Journey

I have something to say but no words to say it. It is a secret. Words escape me tonight. A part of me doesn’t know how to say it out loud; maybe I don’t really want to say it out loud. It will change things; it will leave me forever changed.  But I was changed a long time ago.  I’m not afraid to tell you I love Jesus with all of my heart. If you’ve read anything I’ve ever written you already know that.

That’s not my secret, but this is:

I will follow Jesus wherever He asks me to go.

Michael and I feel the same on this, of that I’m sure. There have been plenty of conversations over the last ten years as we’ve shared this journey. Ten years of learning what faith is and how it will see you through the darkest times. Ten years of finding out the best and worst parts of loving people. Ten years of figuring out that God desires our complete obedience in all things. I wouldn’t trade a moment of the last ten years. I wouldn’t be who I am right now; I wouldn’t even know what it means to truly glorify God if it weren’t for all those things. Hard lessons taught me how to look to God first in all I do and taught me life is about so much more than I thought.

The story of the rich young ruler in Matthew 19 keeps coming to my mind tonight. Every time I read this passage I think about Jesus saying to the young ruler, “If you wish to be complete, go and sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” It’s the word “complete” that jumps out at me. A lot of people will pass right over that scripture without another thought. That scripture holds me captive. I believe what it says. I’m tired of living the “American Dream”. It’s an empty promise. We deserve that “blessing”, right? Just a lie that we placate ourselves with.

Six months ago our ideas about people and life and relationships really changed. They changed the day Michael stepped off a plane in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. He would never be the same. Our family would never be the same. God cut our hearts, opened our eyes to the fact that there is much to be done. It’s with those thoughts on our minds we’ll be returning to Haiti this summer.( Michael, Seth, Emilee and I will be spending the month of June in Haiti helping Growing Hope for Haiti.)  I want my children to know more about the world. I want them to grow up loving people more than they love cell phones and iPods. I want them to be willing to give everything up to follow Jesus. I want them to realize loving Jesus and reading their Bible isn’t as complicated as we make it sometimes.

I think it’s pretty simple. God calls us to love and honor Him in all we do; He calls us to love one another and to help those in need. Not complicated!

Michael’s blog will have his thoughts on Haiti and what God’s speaking to his heart. You can read his thoughts here.  He will also have details on how you can partner with us on this part of our journey, whether that is with your prayers or giving financially to help us get to Haiti. We’ll be updating as we get ready for our trip and I hope you’ll check back often. Thank you so much for being present in this moment with us.

Catalyst: What is that?

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Posted by Mel on January 4, 2011 – 8:38 pm
Filed under Journey, Opinions

Catalyst 2010 Atlanta, Georgia

That word~ catalyst~ it keeps coming up. I read it different places. It’s bouncing around in my brain. I’ve heard it used when sometimes describing people and sometimes describing events.

I had the opportunity to attend the Catalyst Leadership conference back in October and there it is again-big as life over the front door. The opportunity to attend Catalyst came at the last possible second as I wasn’t originally expecting to go. Coincidence? Nope, I don’t think so! It was a wonderful experience and I learned a lot from people who have some really good words to say. TD Jakes’ conversation about “getting off the corner” had me in tears! I wasn’t expecting that!  Francis Chan’s excitement was contagious. Such joy! (I think that guy knows something we all better hope we figure out!) Watching Gungor perform was AMAZING! So much talent and so unique. I met Anne Jackson; author, blogger, and a very awesome lady. What an experience as God continues to unravel this messy ball of humanness that is me.

I’ve reflected a lot  on that experience and it’s been one of the things that has been a catalyst for me in some circumstances. But I still wasn’t sure I had a very good grasp on what exactly it means. So,  I thought I’d look up the definition of catalyst so I would have a better understanding. (If you’ve been around here very long you know how much I adore definitions!)

cat·a·lyst

–noun

1. Chemistry . a substance that causes or accelerates a chemical reaction without itself being affected.
2. something that causes activity between two or more persons or forces without itself being affected.
3. a person or thing that precipitates an event or change: His imprisonment by the government served as the catalyst that helped transform social unrest into revolution.
4. a person whose talk, enthusiasm, or energy causes others to be more friendly, enthusiastic, or energetic.

I think it’s good I finally looked that up…because it’s not really what I thought. Maybe you guys can help me work through this idea a little bit. I know there’s a lot of you that think about these things. Okay, so what do I absolutely know? Looks like a catalyst is “something” that causes “something” to happen without itself being affected; and it’s “something” that causes an event or a change; and I like #4 the best. In fact, let’s talk about #4 for a moment. I like that one, it’s very “nice”. It makes me feel good and if I “become” that (#4) it could make me feel important? Maybe it’s good that I don’t think I’m that. I think of words like…sinner, redeemed, covered by grace, authentic, lover of Jesus and people…when I think of me. I really like the idea of a catalyst happening in my life and I know when that happens it’s important for me to do something, to not be complacent…to recognize it for what it is….to know that it can help transform me. Like Jesus transformed me and continues to transform me. I continue to be a work in progress!
In closing, I have to say I feel some concern about the word now that I’ve looked up the definition. Sometimes there will be people in the world around me that are a catalyst but that’s not always a good thing. (Think Hitler.) I’m sure some people who are considered to be catalysts don’t always have the best intentions or really know what could happen. Like me as a “catalyst”……not a good idea..I have a tendency to be prideful! That’s something I’ve been talking to God about. I pray often for Him to surround me with people who understand humility. They are a great example!
Catalyst conference was great and I learned a lot that I really think I needed to learn. So catalyst as an “event” was great. A person who is a catalyst? I’m going to have to think about that a little bit. I also have to be careful about putting more focus on what people think and do than on Jesus, in the past I had that pretty messed up.
I’d love to hear your thoughts……
(You can visit my Facebook page to see the rest of my Catalyst photos. I have to say some of them are pretty blurry!)

Here We Go!!!!

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Posted by Mel on December 17, 2010 – 12:44 am
Filed under Books, Journey, Women

I’m reading a new book and I’ll be sharing a little about it each week. (If you’re interested in reading along I’ve included the  link to the website just click on the title below.)

@stickyJesus: How to live out your faith online.

Is that even possible? How do I make that a true statement in my life? I do spend time online, I write a blog, I “tweet” occasionally, I cultivate friendships and stay in touch with all manner of people…online. Do I effectively share my faith online? At the end of this book I hope to be able to answer that question.

I’ve seen so much change in this life over the last 41, okay, almost 42 years. I was born into the era of rotary dial telephones, 3 snowy TV channels, and black & white baby pictures! I’ve watched the world evolve and become smaller and more intimate. Far away places like Africa and Haiti don’t seem so far away when I can stay connected via the internet. I can find an answer to every question, research anything I’m not very knowledgeable about, and know the things going on in this world as they are happening! Who would have ever dreamed in 40 years so much would change. Sometimes I feel like things are stuck on fast forward. There’s always something new right around the corner….the iPod, iPad, Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, Blogging.  We’re connected all the time and rarely out of reach of our family and friends. No matter where we go! Where do I fit in all this? Why do I have this overwhelming desire to write? Who’s reading? What’s my responsibility in all this? I love Jesus but how do I translate this to people who may not know him or even believe in him?

This week I’ve started reading the book I referred to at the beginning of this post. @stickyJesus is going to be one of those books that will probably change my ideas on some things. That can be a very good and important thing to have happen. If you’ve been around here for any length of time you’ll often hear me say that I need to “keep moving forward” because sometimes I can get distracted by life, by painful moments, by “shiny things”.   I could say that it was a very bizarre string of “coincidences” that brought me to this time and this place but I stopped believing in coincidences the day I started a relationship with Jesus. The very amazing part of reading this book is reading it with a group of women from all over the nation. This will be a new experience for me and I can’t wait to see where it leads. I look forward to their thoughts and observations. I’ve read through today’s posts and realize we are all so different but one thing is constant and that is our love for Jesus and our passion to share him with a dark and dying world.

This week was  Chapter 1: you: born for such a time as this. The chapter starts with the sentence, “Welcome to the Land of Shiny Things”. Oh, how I know this land of shiny things. Our  lives today are full of shiny distractions, aren’t they?! My thoughts sometimes get tangled in these shiny things and I lose sight of what’s most important. I’ll admit right now that I very much enjoy the connection I have to the world via Twitter, Facebook, and my Blog. But! It is my greatest desire to use these platforms to share Jesus with everyone I know. Time moves so fast and I know my life here is only a vapor, a mist. What impact will my moment here have on others? Will they know how much I love Jesus? An even bigger question…will they know how much I hope and pray that they meet Jesus and love Him? Although the world changes and evolves and technology goes at high speed~the message remains the same. Paul was writing letters to the church and traveling miles and miles to share the message of Jesus with the world a very long time ago. Letter writing or internet blogging….we’re all born for such a time as this. Paul in his time and place. Us….today……. now…. in our time and place.

Tami and Toni who are the authors of this book have this desire to equip all of us to shine our light into the darkness of this world. They want to help us navigate this internet world we live in.  I’m glad I’ve made it here, I’m glad I know who they are. After reading Ch. 1 I realized I was so ready for this journey! I desire to glorify God in everything I do in this life. I’m probably not very good at that sometimes. I’m learning that it’s important to be in community with other believers. I didn’t really understand that before but I do now.  I have a lot of questions. You may have noticed that one on your own!

Did I mention I’m ready for what comes next?

Lord…I pray that everything we do on this journey glorifies you. I pray for understanding and patience for each one of us. It is my hope and desire that we all make it to the end together and Lord I ask that you guide us through. I lift up all the women who are part of this moment. I ask you to empower each and every one of them as they find their voice and their platform.  Thank you for loving us and thank you for grace, but most of all thank you for Jesus. Amen.

Jesus loves me.

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Posted by Mel on November 6, 2010 – 3:48 pm
Filed under Jesus, Life

I love that children’s song.

Jesus loves me this I know, for the bible tells me so!

How many years did I miss that feeling because I never took the time to read my bible? Reading every day has definitely changed the way I feel inside, the way I treat my family and the people around me. It’s made me realize how absolutely lost I’ve been for such a long time. It’s helped me know God and  know every word the bible says about Him is absolutely true. It is so unfathomable to me how much comfort pours out of those pages. I love going to Church and hearing the words of that book spoken every single weekend. It never gets old, it never gets boring, it  keeps me on the edge of my seat. It makes me ask questions, although sometimes they may seem like really dumb questions…..my husband remains very patient and I appreciate that so much. It grows me and stretches my thoughts and ideas, it compels me to keep moving forward, get off my corner and help all the people in the world…one person at a time.

I never want to take for granted all the things I did before. People matter, relationships matter, loving others and God is the most important. Living on less, giving it away, and going wherever I’m led…..that’s what this life is about. I want to help the least of these that the bible talks about~the widows and the orphans.

I found this wonderful online Bible last Christmas and started reading right before New Years. I’m 310 days into one of the reading plans on the website and I can’t wait to get done so I can start over again. If you are looking for a great program I highly recommend YouVersion.com and if you have a phone or iPod or laptop  that allows it you can take this bible with you anywhere and in any version you want to read it in.

I hope you’re not like me and maybe you read your bible all the time. If you do but haven’t heard of YouVersion maybe this will be helpful in some way and if you are like me and don’t read maybe this will help get you started like it did me!! Happy reading!

May God bless you with~ discomfort?

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Posted by Mel on November 2, 2010 – 8:42 pm
Filed under Jesus, Journey, Life

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 pain, rejection, hunger, and war,
So that you may reach out your hand to comfort them
And turn their pain into joy.
And may God bless you with enough foolishness
To believe that you can make a difference in the world,
So that you can do what others claim cannot be done
To bring justice and kindness to all our children and the poor.
Amen”

~Franciscan Benediction

A year ago I would have read the words above and thought….a little crazy!! Now I read them and they make perfect sense. In fact they are the very thoughts that run around inside my head all the time . There will come a day in my life that people will possible find me uncomfortable to be around. I don’t know how I feel about that. There is part of me that is a conformer, a rule follower. But there is another part of me that doesn’t care so much what other people think. A side of me that is wildly compassionate and crazily creative. I often have wondered how they have co-existed in the same body all these years. I’m learning the closer I find myself to Jesus the more the rule side diminishes and the other side becomes more passionate and fearless.

I’ve always been 100% sold out for Jesus since the moment of my salvation but there’s something about getting to know him and drawing closer to him that magnifies that about a million times. Reading through the gospel this past year has changed a lot of the ideas I had that were from my own perspective or something I had heard somewhere and believed. A lot of wrong ways of thinking. I find myself relating more and more to John the Baptist these days, a little more edgy and outside the norm!  I don’t believe the idea that blessings and prosperity are what we should expect here but I also don’t believe it’s all doom and gloom either. The thing I’ve learned about the bible is there is a lot of both of those things in there. Times to dance, times to cry, times to work….for every moment of this life there is a purpose, a season we go through. When we lean one way or the other on the prosperity/gloom scale we don’t get a very true picture of this life. This life isn’t heaven, if it was why would we ever desire to go anywhere else? It’s also not just waiting to move on to heaven. We have stuff to do here and Jesus was pretty specific about those things. You can dismiss a lot of the bible and as human beings sometimes we do that because it’s a little uncomfortable. But sometimes it invades your entire life so much that you can’t ignore it or escape it.

I don’t find myself getting very excited anymore about certain things. Shopping has lost a lot of it’s luster for me since Michael went to Haiti and brought back all those pictures of babies sleeping on the ground and not having anything to eat.  Those are dire circumstances that we don’t face in our house. The worst might be that we have to eat PB&J for a few days before payday. I realized after that trip that I didn’t want to go back to just pretending it didn’t exist and go back to ignoring it. So everything I do right now, everything Michael and I do right now is sending us in a different direction. Not anything we could have come up with on our own or even “dreamed” of in a million years.

I’m almost to the end of reading through the entire bible. I started last December and I’m coming up on the end of it. I realize that I’m really just beginning! I’ll have a lot of reading to keep me busy over the years, it’s not a book you can just read once. I have a feeling every time I read it I’m going to be learning something new about life. I read this passage this week and it’s really one of those passages we like to ignore. It’s uncomfortable and we really just believe it wasn’t written for us, but I think that it was written to anyone that calls themselves a follower of Jesus. What do you think?

16 Now someone came up to him and said, “Teacher, what good thing must I do to gain eternal life?” 17 He said to him, “Why do you ask me about what is good? There is only one who is good. But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments.” 18 “Which ones?” he asked. Jesus replied, “Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony,19 honor your father and mother,s and love your neighbor as yourself.”s20 The young man said to him, “I have wholeheartedly obeyed all these laws. What do I still lack?” 21 Jesus said to him, “If you wish to be perfect, go sell your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasures in heaven. Then come, follow me.”

Matthew 19:16-21