My new friend

K: I accepted Christ a month ago. I am 18. I am homeless. I don't know where my life would be if I didn't have Christ.

I don't remember being that sad in a very long time. I wept and wept for her. What do you say to that?

All I could hear while she was sharing her testimony was:

"They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death. " Revelations 12:11

EED

Note: a few friends are already trying to help her out. I am going to be spend some more time with her today.

Elom reflects on Scott's reflections: Growing- Part 2- Soil management

I sometimes wonder how good the soil is in different parts of my heart. Some areas are dryer than I care to admit, while others seem to be growing faster than I ever thought possible. As I try to start thinking of where to begin the healing journey on some of this less-than-top-soil, I wonder if the process will be painful... I suppose it will be, at least a little. Soil management sounds like a lot of hard work.



There is a part of me that is comfortable living in the status quo and that is not ready to make the changes needed to grow. The other part of me (which incidentally is a little louder) can't help but look back at the painful times I have been through and the impact they've had on my spiritual walk... Knowing this does not make growing any easier, it just makes it more bearable.

EED

Elom reflects on Scott's reflections: Growing part 1: Sow what?

I really like the new series on growth. Growing has been a crucial part of my life in the past few years. Growing can sometimes be forced, but sustainable growth requires more than the initial push. It demands commitment, patience, and endurance. The fruits, well, they depend on what I decide to sow.



When I started on my growth journey, I really was not sure of where I would end up (I am still not sure of where I will end up...). I was very lost, very sad, very depressed, very angry, but I was also very tired of feeling that way. I had to do something, I had to commit to something, someone bigger than me. I had to consciously decide to take a step and start planting new seeds in my life. The crops could hopefully not be as bad as the previous ones I had planted. And that's what I did. I started planting, investing, sharing, opening up, serving... God really honors that I think. He honors that first step, that first leap of faith.

I started planting seeds to grow closer to God, and I have seen results in so many different areas of my life. I am still planting, I have more growing to do, more emotional healing to go through, more lessons to learn. Yet, every time I start planting new seeds, I am still amazed at God's faithfulness throughout the process. It's hard for me to take any credit when I see some of the things happening in my life, but I love it when I can see the Word come alive in my life:

"A man reaps what he sows." Galatians 6:7

It's pretty matter of fact...

EED

A kind word can...

A kind word can change my mood,
A kind word can make me less grumpy,
A kind word can remind me to be more forgiving,
A kind word can help me focus on something besides myself,
A kind word can unlock the door of my heart and spread its content,
A kind word can put a smile on my face, make me forget my worries,
A kind word can make a difference in the way I treat my family, friends and coworkers,
A kind work can inspire me to be more inspiring to others.

A kind word might be what someone needs right now.

So, here is one for you: "You are loved, my friend".

Good night,

EED

Did you hear?

(Scene: C and me standing in line serving at the food pantry)

C: Did you hear the good news?

Me: No... what happened?

C: Well, I called the doctor yesterday to get my lab results?

Me (anxiously): Yes...

C: They couldn't find anything! The doctors don't understand what happened!

Me: Wow! What did you do?

C: I hung up the phone as soon as they said that, because I know what happened! God healed me.

Vision

We've been talking about vision in my small group for the past few weeks. What is the vision for my life? This leads me to another confession: every time I hear someone say "God called me to be (...)", I feel a little sad, because I haven't figured out the (...) for my life yet. Not jealous, or envious, just a little sad. I have a vision for my life, I think. It just feels a little fuzzy sometimes, at least it felt this way until a few minutes ago.

I was listening to Brandon Heath's song "Give me your eyes" this morning, and I silently prayed that I would have "His eyes for just one second" (or maybe two seconds). That's when I realized, that I probably could not handle having His eyes, even for one second because... I would freak out! I'd try to deal, negotiate or even worse, try to make it happen. I'll just be content with what I have for now, thank you...



I just love when messages like that travel from my brain to my heart!


EED

A father's blessing

I realized something important over the past few weeks: having my father's blessing does not mean that he will approve of everything I do.

It might sound obvious for some, but it took me a while to figure it out. I have spend years trying to reconcile the two concepts: blessing and approval. My father reminded me that I had his blessing in everything I do. His comment took me by surprise considering the few "issues" we've been through over the past few months. I was so caught up in my need for approval that I lost sight of the meaning of a blessing.

No wonder Jacob so eager to steal Esau's blessing (granted Esau didn't seem to have much consideration for his birthright..)

EED