Our Cup Over Flows....

People have been asking a lot lately whats next for us...

And our response is we have no idea. We do know that we are resting in this season. And we have rest and peace in our very being so we know that we are where God has us for now. And we are thankful to be in this place. We lived in restlessness for three years and that is not a fun place to live but hind sight we see it as the work of God in our lives... getting us ready for something new, stripping us of junk to prepare us for this, to strengthen our faith muscles and to carry us by grace to see the FATHER'S love in new ways.

We are seeing God doing this in the lives of our friends and family, starting to uproot them, get them thinking about moving or putting dreams and passions on their heart, not knowing how to walk forward and not knowing exactly where God is leading them but being faithful by taking one step at a time in faith into the unknown. I smile knowing the faithfulness of God but knowing the struggle ...knowing what they will find that God carried them to someplace more wonderful than they could ever dream...

This summer has been a gift to our family...we have stepped back from lots of commitments that make us chase and fly around and we are enjoying relationship with each other, family, friends, getting to know our neighborhood. having the boys go to work with Kevin, Ally and I spending quality time together, having family meals again, and inhaling a bit before we get our running shoes on again:) it is building us all closer to the heart of God. There is nothing better.

A few snap shots of our summer...

Sawyer taking a mission trip to Newark, New Jersey...he has come back more committed to his walk with the LORD and has made some friendships that have broaden him, challenge him, and have given him new experiences. I think of last summer at this time as we were preparing to move, and Sawyer was our child that was upset about moving here, I remember praying to God and saying LORD sawyer is our Isaac...you need to get a hold of him cause it is breaking our heart to see him so against this move...God did more that get a hold of him, He is transforming him and Sawyer is thriving. Praise the LORD.

Ally, Brayden and Logan are doing well too, enjoying this relaxed summer, longboarding has become the thing to do here, we walk/longboard to the fish ladder, the kids are starting to adventure out into the city of Grand Rapids on their longboards...a little independance...a lot of trust for me.:) They are liking city life although I know the brayden and logan do miss the country living, the pond, and a place to shoot their guns, so we need to make it a priority to get them in places where they can shoot their guns and get a fishing pole in their hands. Wild at heart - just like Kevin:)

We are having a blast with the guys that live across the street. Max. John, Jake and James...Mighty men that love the LORD. Our kids get front row seats to see these guys live a life devoted to Jesus. When I dont know where the boys are I look out my window and see them sitting on Max's front porch with them talking and laughing. John coming over to grill his 4 pounds of meat every other night. Having great conversations about health, exercise, football and Jesus.

Engagements, babies and puppies are all gifts we get to celebrate in this community over the past month.

We also experienced, break ups, loss,death friends moving out of the neighborhood and new friends moving in.

We are experiencing the summer noise, which is not so pleasant at times, displaying tough love to our homeless friends that live such a self centered life and learning that boundaries are necessary... getting to know the kids in the neighborhood, praying for more intentional living and mission for the kids here. Hearing the dreams God is putting on Tony and Jenns heart about starting a Christ centered school on the Westside for the kids in the neighborhood - seeing the kids flocking to the boiler Room each day at 3:00 to hang out with emily.

God igniting the passion for Africa in our hearts again...feeling like this season is a time of prep and learning and trusting that sometime, somehow Africa will be in our future although it is in our present because its in our hearts whether it be through adoption, short term trips or maybe long term trip or maybe we will experience Africa through one of our kids. God is faithful to make our path firm and straight.

God bringing a precious family into our lives that love the LORD Jesus in the most simple yet profound way and has a common passion for these people (they have adopted two beautiful boys from Africa). Who we met on the bleachers at church last labor day and our hearts were instantly knit together.

Enjoying lake life at my parents, and enjoying family time there as summer is a time to hang out with the whole family. Making memories with the cousins, aunts,uncles, grandma and grandpa. Catching up with each other, encouraging each other toward good deeds and a deeper relationship with Jesus and laughing a lot.

Short camping trips with dear friends, bon fires, movie nights in the back yard, watching God bring the lonely into families, watching our church family care for one another and going into the hard places to advance the Kingdom of Christ.

Experiencing God move mountains in our life, seeing Kevin get new opportunity for his work, and watching him grow into a more humble, godly man who is a picture of a man laying his life down for others. I struck gold with him.

Watching my belly grow and wondering what this precious little boy will look like, what he will be like, standing in humility and amazement that God has this little guy in HIS plan for us. Hearing our kids pray over this bundle, coming up with a name together, dreaming about what it will be like having a baby around...watching my body change and grow and hearing questions from the kids - it is hilarious at times:)

And our dog Mya...sweet sweet dog:)

Is our life perfect...not even close...its hard...but life is hard wherever you are...we found that out...you can live in a beautiful house with lots of land and have lots of extras and life is still hard.

I dont know, I think often what if we said no to this place...to these people, to this adventure as a family. We would have missed out on a lot. It has made us know our need for Jesus more, it has given us freedom from materialism, it has made us jump and experience God catching us. It has made us appreciate the gift of our Byron Center community, the schools and the opportunity our kids have going there. We have experience GRACE - The Father's heart - its all HIM. WE have learned so much but know that we have so much more to learn...

...surely goodness and mercy shall follow us all the days of our lives and we shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever.

So yes, knowing that our cup overflows, not with worldly riches but riches that are lasting.

Restoring My Soul

The LORD is my Shephard, I shall not want, He leads me by still waters and he restores my soul.

My sister in Christ prayed this over me last week. Then she received a picture of me sitting on a bank by a creek with my toes hanging over the side and Jesus sitting there beside me.

The very next day I took my dog for a walk, not because I wanted to or because I was thinking of finding a creek or thinking about this Psalm, my dog was stir crazy and if I didnt get her out I would go crazy, so off we went my dog and me to a park I often visit with her, but on this day she decided to take her first wade/swim in the creek that runs in this park. At first I was frusterated, yelling for her to get out, becaue she had to get into my van..all wet. But then I spotted a perfect place to sit, on a bank with my feet dangling over the still flowing water, and I felt the presense of Jesus. And Psalm 23 was recited in my head over and over and watching my dog have the time of her life.

Funny, Psalm 23 was the probably the 1st Psalm that I have ever memorized, It is quoted everywhere, even in non-christian circles, its the psalm people give to comfort those who are grieving. Its like John 3:16...we know it so well that sometimes they become only words and they lose the greatest truth of all.

But on this day, for the first time I pondered on the beauty and the promises that are packed full in these words from our loving Father for me. The promise that He leads His sheep to quiet pastures and still waters, the promise that He will restore our soul when we are weary, the promise that He leads us into righteousness so He will be glorified. The promise that as we walk through the valley of death, He walks us through with His protection. The promise that he is preparing a feast for us, and annoints us with oil, so much abudance that our cups will over flow. And goodness and mercy will be ours all the days of our lives and then we will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.

Finding true peace and rest in this chaotic, rat race we live in, is being drenched with God's word and sitting in His presense. That is the miracle of all miracles, because when these words become truth that we live by, then striving, and worrying, and performing can be relaced with Freedom in and Worship to the Author and Finisher of our faith and to be restful, joyful and peaceful in all circumstances, and knowing when the Great Shephard calls, following him is the safest place to be.

All week been reciting this great Psalm, asking God to make this Psalm real not only in my head, but also in my heart...He is doing that...He is restoring my soul and I am overwhelmed by His goodness and mercy in my life, he knows I need it....and I cant wait to dwell with my Jesus forever and ever. Amen

AWAKENING

WAKE UP, O SLEEPER, RISE FROM THE DEAD AND CHRIST WILL SHINE ON YOU. - EPH 5:14

This is a promise from our Covenant God, our Faithful Father. A promise I am claiming for myself, family and this neighborhood.


I dont think ever in my life have I sensed a need for God' Spirit to awaken my heart to spiritual things, to see things like they really are. And He is doing it bit by bit.

This winter has been long...clouds, cold,now rain. With all the snow melted all i can see is mess, trash, obsene graffitti, kids running around the neighborhood like orphans, homeless people walkin in a constant state of drunkenness. Not much community is going on because its just too cold to walk around and get out, and the walls in my house were closing in.

And to be honest my flesh goes back to 100th street. Cause even on glummy days there was still beauty, and it was my choice if I wanted to enter into the brokeneness of the world around me or retreat, most days I would retreat and enjoy being on the fence of thinking what it would be like living among the most needy in our city, but not actually being there.

God showed me this weekend that the battle within me b/f moving here was the Spirit battling the flesh, God calling us to enter in and our flesh holding on to our comfort. The past month it has been the opposite, the flesh calling us to retreat back into comfort and the Spirit saying "my plan for your family now is here...on the Westside". I can feel the diffence, because when it was the Spirit calling us from Byron, I was restless, now there is bit of a fight but in my Spirit there is a peace that I cant explain, It's a peace that my whole family has.

And so God, being loving and gracious gave me a perfect day... It started out waking up to sunshine and 70 degrees... And then going to church and Ryan preaching in Acts.. the story of Simon the Sorcerer...What God spoke clearly to me through this story was we live in a culture and Church age in the West where we as Christian yearn for "the expereince of God" the mountian top expereinces, the great worship, seeing God do wonders and miracles, and we have over spiritualized everything. And we go from one place to another to look for the mountian top...and this is bad theology. I dont think Jesus felt these mountian top experiences all the time, I dont think the early church was always on the mountain top feeling wowed by God, I dont thing the the persucuted church feels the mountian top most of the time. So why should we...

The mark of the Gospel is obediance period.

And so this weekend remembering the call..."why are we here?" because God called us here, because where we come from the harvest is plentiful, and there is work to be done, but the workers are plentiful too. Here the work is plentiful, but the workers are few, there is great need for the Kingdom of God to break in, that is why we are here.

And whether God chooses to use us to plant seeds, grow seeds, He is the harvester. And He loves mess, to redeem and restore.

Over the past 8 months we have learned so much, and I can summarize it with "WE NEED JESUS" he's IT. Silver and gold have I none, but what we do have is the HOPE and LOVE and GRACE of our SAVIOR JESUS. We need Jesus to fill us with HIS SPIRIT to give us HIS POWER and HIS LOVE. we desperately do. And I dont care where people live, behind gates, suburbs, inner city or in the slums.

JESUS - the world needs HIM, and why we think that comfort, or things, or relationships or safety can take HIS place, that is a lie from the devil.

And so yesterday, with the sun shining and glimpse to know that the earth is ready to awaken with the buds and new growth, so did our neighborhood, hanging out with the Phil and Allsion and having their little kids playing with my kids, to see my kids over at the Boiler Room helping rake, chelsea and dm, taking a bike ride, the boys playing roller hockey with jordan, brad and michele walking hand in hand visiting with people, Kevin taking our dog for a walk to the fish ladder, seeing Julie and Paula jogging, knowing that three house churches were meeting, seeing young families at the park, seeing Brooke sitting on her front porch enjoying the weather and knowing she was probably praying over her precious daughter that she will be giving birth too in a few weeks, for the tebos coming over and taking interest in our lives down here, dreaming with everyone with how to minster together down here this summer and hearing my kids get excited about it. And ending the night with a campfire with the Tebos's, Max, Chelsea and James....

Yes, God showed me that He is awakening this neighborhood, and it is for our joy that He has called us into this.

I know most days will not be a mountiantop expereince, but we will continue on even when it isnt... Because God is always present, whether he shows HImself like He did today today, through HIS Word, through HIS bride and through the beauty of nature, or whether it is unspeakable peace in the midst of a storm, He here, watching, working, guiding and filling in HIS GRACE with our mistakes so we applaud, and we are filled with JOY, knowing that serving the KING of KINGS.

One day, our HOPE and YEARNING is that we will live on the mountian top with Jesus Christ forever and ever, but we not there yet and there's work to do... Just like Jesus told his disiples on the Mount of TRansfiguation... when Peter asked if they could just stay there...Jesus said no... you must go down and enter into the broken world again (paraphrase).

So here we go...its not pretty but thank God - he hasnt given up on me, praying and believing that there will be a great Harvest...and we get to be part of it and so do you.

I AM

making all things new... these are the words that I have heard my Abba Father whisper over me the past few months. I stand in anticipation and excitment to see how God is making all things new. He is purifiying His bride to become more like Christ - because God is doing a new thing. I pray into this...

Jesus continue to create in me and my family a new heart, hearts so in love with you, making our flesh feel dull toward the things of this world.. a fierce love in us to love the things you love.

Jesus, re-new our minds daily by your Living Word, give us new understanding and insight into your will and your heart.

Jesus, give Kevin new opportunity to be the bread winner and know that is all comes from Jehovah Jirah.

Jesus, renew this broken neighbor you have placed us in, renew it with your beauty. "Do not remember the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold I will do a new thing, Now it shall spring forth; Shall you not know it? I will make a road in the wilderness and rivers in the desert." Isaiah 43:19
God is making all things new... God's doing it, one person at a time...

And so when on Feburary 1st, our 20th anniversary, we found out that God had a gift to reveal to us, I smile... because He knew that we needed to have a daily reminder that He is the Creator or all, the Redeemer of all, and the Father to all.

I want to introduce to you baby Smith #5. This precious life that God is knitting together in my womb, it is a grand picture of what he is doing in the world. He delights in His creation and he is a God of detail and perfection.

It's a picture of God working behind the scenes, where no human eye can look, He's creating and restoring. He is writing a story, He is the Author and Finisher of all things. As I type I am again overwhelmed with gratidude, of HIS ways, HIS thoughts, they are so much better than ours.

"I praise you for I am fearfully and wonderfully made"
God reminded me through a teaching at Love Feast this week that the first word formed by a baby is "Abba". God knows whether we are still in the womb or about to enter the grave and every day in between, we have desperated need for our Abba Father.

And so I smile as I think of God whispering over me that He is making all things new, and He is making new creation. And we are gifted again to raise another one of His kids. We do this humbly, and doing this at the age of 40, (I laugh) I dont know, we've grown up some... we know that it is all God, it is, and we need Jesus more that ever.

And so as we go about our daily calling of bringing light into darkness, letting the Holy Spirit that lives in us be the river that runs through the desert, when we get discouraged because we dont see fruit in our actions, or when we parent and we really mess up, or when work is scarce and we dont know where the next job will come from, we are reminded by this life that is growing in my womb, that God is working in the hidden places, He has too, and He is a covenant God, who is always faithful to His promises, we are nothing without Him he is writing our story, to bring glory to his name.
Its a love story of the greatest LOVE and REDEMPTION and we are part of it.

I dont know what God has in store for this little one, but we know that it will be a life filled with HOPE and a FUTURE. And that this new one is LOVED. And we are BLESSED.

Great is Thy Faithfulness

Today the sun is out (PTL), the snow is melting and I am in the role of homemaker (my very favorite role) because I'm not working and I am in my home, making it a secure, orderly haven for my family Thank you Jesus for this role.

And today I feel so the need to press into Jesus.

Last night we went to our hour prayer time in this season of 24/7 prayer we are having in our neighborhood. This season is called AWAKE, and we got to pray with some dear new friends who even though we have only known for months feels like we've known each other for a lifetime. (That's Jesus - building his family) We sought the face of God, pleading for an awaking in our own soul, and our families, for more of Christ. Oh how good it was to sit in HIS presence

I met with a very dear sister in Christ this morning for prayer (you know who you are). She one of those people we just share deep real things, I ask her "Doesnt your heart ever grow cold"

I feel mine growing cold, and I hate it, I really do. I've been asking God why is my heart growing cold. He has revealed to me that..

I long to see results... I long to see Dave to come and know Jesus and live a life of restoration...but time and time again he shows up sober and wanting and then the next time high and refusing.

I long to see Joe remain sober and living his life in victory because of Jesus, but again and I again I see him, staggering around just surviving, holding his homeless sign up at the highway exits.

i long to see popeye take hold of the truth that Jesus loves Him so much and that all the loss, pain and suffering that he has lived through, Jesus wants to make whole, and turn them into good, but no, this morning I see popeye, in the dumpsters looking for popcans so that he can survive another day on the streets, medicating his hurt with alcohol.

I long to see my refugee boys find their sonship in Christ Jesus, and to know that they are dearly loved, and they are no longer orphans but adopted by the most loving Heavenly Father. And to know that all the horrific things they have expereinced, Jesus was with them, and every tear cried, Jesus cries too. And that God is a just God.

When I share to people about Dave, or others - people ask me...so how are you doing that, or you are a better person than me - I cant put up with people who choose this life style.

I get angry when people say these things out loud to me but if I am honest, they are speaking what I am sometimes feeling.

I want results, I want to see that it is worth it, yes I want it for them, because we love these beautiful people and we want them to be FOUND by Christ,and most the time it does break our heart, but I would love to testify all the fruit that we are bearing in Christ, Jesus is teaching me that it is obediance, that's my part, being faithful day after day, moment by moment...the fruit - that is His business. What he is teaching me is more profound through this calling of steadfastness than He could probalby teach me through any quick miracle is this... its me that needs to learn to perserve, its me that need to take on the love and promises of Christ daily and live them out in this crazy world.

But this world says no, it likes to say that it has been and will always be this way. There are the "haves" and the "have nots". Its survial of the fittest. And that is the lie that to some extent we all believe.

But God says " It is not by power or by might...but by my Spirit."

People are hurting everywhere, another earthquake and tsunami in Japan - hundred dead...

The earth is groaning for the return of Christ...are we? The more we experience the hurt and brokeness in this world the more we groan, the more we are put through trial the more we are made like Jesus and the more we groan, the more we enter into other peoples hurts and needs and God opens us up to the hurt, the more we groan...the more loss the more groaning.

because it is in all these things that we find Jesus and we are reminded that this is not our home, we have a far better place waiting for us. I see Jesus in our homeless friends, He is with them whether they believe it or not, I see it with my refugee boys, Oh...God' heart is so for the orphan. I see Jesus in my single mom friend who is raising her beautiul boy by herself, and who is tired. I see Jesus in the families who have taken in the orphan, and even though it is hard at times, He is so seen, I see Jesus in my brother as he lives with a heart condition, and has finally had surgery, trusting God to be the Healer. I see Jesus in my parents as they live their lives to bring the HOPE and LOVE of Jesus to everyone they know and dont know.

I see Jesus in our own trials, I not only see Him I meet with him, because even when our circumstance in the world's eyes seems pretty bad, Jesus is there saying trust and peace I give you, and I am refining you through this stripping to be more radiant for me.

And so as I am praying and pressing into Jesus today, I am asking Him to reveal things that are good but are getting in the way of Him. Even good things can be enemies of God.

One thing that I am praying through is sports in our family. We love sports. I grew up in a family of sports, Kevin loves sports, and I have many sweet memories, our kids are very gifted in sports, and we have been blessed to watch them play and really see the glory of God in them as they play. They learn a lot from sports and we know it is of God. And it has been a great way to get into people's lives but...

Sports in our family take up a lot of time, and we dont even do the "travel teams"

We are praying about asking our kids to pick two sports instead of three. I know to some of you reading you say "well that is a no brainer" but to us it is a big deal.

I listen to voices saying "they are only young once" "no regrets, looking back wishing they had" "they are going to let the team down" " its good to keep them busy"...really?!! so busy that even if our intentions are good we are still conveying the message that you need to give your best in the sports you are in...you need to get good grades, you need to work.. be involved here..be involved over there.. perform perform perform, how do we teach our kids to rest, to be in God's Word..to develop their own relationship with Jesus. How can they be used for the Kingdom in their schools if they are not getting filled with TRUTH they cant I dont care how good of kids they are. "Its by my Spirit" says the LORD

Why is it we dont take the training of our children up in the way of the LORD as serious as we take training them in sports or whatever. We can talk about the game, spend hours training for the game, play the game, think about the game...do we do the same for training them to be disciples, warriors, contenders for the Gospel, exposing them to the heart of God.

Paul says that there is some worth in training for the games but not even close to the worth of training for the race of life and the Kingdom run which is eternal.

In Exodus God commands His people to "teach your children, when you are walking, talking when you lie down, speak about thses things...put them on your doorpost tie them around your neck"

I dont know about you...but running after the good things leaves very little time to run after the best. We can say this, agree with this but are we living this.

God is not saying go live your life in a cave, and just read my word and pray and Im not considering that but I am asking the questions, how off balance are we. How much have we conformed to this world and have justified everything.

How often in God's word does he say, pray continueously, meet together, spur each other, edify each other, serve each other, give to the needy, be about the poor, and the orphan. We only have so much time in one day.

Our Father in Heaven is serious about us, he is pursuing us, and He has work for us, he wants to bring the lonely into families, He wants to be the Restorer of our own souls,We are meant to live this life to the full, but we need time to get charged up by the Spirit.

Our God never changes, He is the same yesterday, today and tommorrow, but times are changing, I know I cant get by anymore with just bare minimum of Him and a lot of the world because I feel my heart growing cold, I need Jesus to whisper that He loves me and He loves the lost world and to find HIM I must be going where He is at.

Strength for today
Bright hope for tommorrow
Blessings are mine with ten thousand beside

Great is thy Faithfulness
Great is thy Faithfulness
Morning by morning new mercies I see
All that I have needed thy hand has provided
Great is thy Faithfulness unto me

Today

I feel incredibly blessed, not because of anything grand, but the Spirit of thanksgiving is in my heart today, believe me not everyday is like this, but God is teaching me a lot and giving me His eyes, and today I choose to see through HIM.

Thankful that the sun is shining, and Spring is making its way slowly but surely.

Thankful for my job, today working with some courageous and Jesus loving people, all with different skin color. I love being part of the family of Christ. I love my brothers and sisters who are from All Nations.

Thankful for my family, God has given us a sweet season of growing together and putting a mission on our hearts. To see all of us growing in Christ - really there is nothing better. To see my kids interacting with three new boys from africa that we had over this weekend. so sweet...

Thankful for Kevin, for the way he lives his love for Christ by being the biggest servant to others, to watch him work so hard and never complain, to see him love our kids and take the role of fathering as the calling on his life. For not ever wondering if I'm the most important person to him..because he reminds me all the time that I am.

Thankful to take my dog mya for a walk today down to Jenn's house on 2nd street and have a great conversation of thankfulness,family and grace.

Thankful to see DanMike riding his new motorcycle around the neighborhood.. just another sign of spring.

Thankful to hear from Dave, our homeless friend, that is still sober and he's taking care of some health issues so that he can go to Mission Bible, just calling to say he is doing well, and he is...

Thankful to hear kids laughing and playing on the playground acoss the street.

Thankful for my home.

Thankful that I get to go and watch my kids use their talents whether on the atheltic fields or singing in a concert or whatever else and seeing them having the time of their life.

Thankful to hear from dear friends in Zambia today through email.

Mostly thankful for Jesus... that he hasnt given up on me, and he is showing me that he is constantly making all things new... He is you know... its up to us to take time and see. He's making all things new, He's working in our struggles, He's working in our weakness.

Even though there are only glimpses of Spring and winter seems like it will hold on forever, God is working, the earth is preparing for the budding of flowers, the trees are preparing to bud and leaf and turn green, the cold and snow wont be here forever.

We need to hold on, He's doing the same for us, Oh how much more does He love us over the sparrow or the lillies of the field. He's making a new creation.

PRAISE HIM!!

Grateful...

Yesterday was a low key day. Our family hasnt had that in a long time and it was welcomed. I had the chance to be in prayer for Sawyer, who was at a Youth Retreat...praying God would move in his life.. just being home was a gift.. I love our home. (FYI... God moved at the YOuth Retreat:)

But I had a chance to read through all my journals over the past 19 years and couldnt believe all the answered prayer... so many answered prayer and prayers that I have been praying for 19 years and still praying for believing that God is ABLE... And writing down the journey God has been traveling with me and my family and how through my entries I could testify that God has molded me and made me more like him through the struggles and through expereince not through the comfortable.

I heard a pastor preach that God is writing our story, just like the people of the Bible, what is so great about the greats in the Bible. They all have one thing in common, they failed miserably and yet they were obediant to the call God put on their lives they just knew that they knew even when it looked crazy or stupid to the watching world and God worked through that.

Reading in my journal from 2006 on about how God started speaking over us, that he impressed that he would be uprooting us, people speaking into our lives that knew nothing about us, Africa being introduced to us, the Boiler Room becoming near to us.

I dont know, it was so confirming to know that we are following God's lead. And it also confirms that writing things down and remembering things is God's way. Looking back has been amazing.

Our brain is just to small to remember the journey. So as we continue to walk in this broken world, we trust Jesus... We trust him with our time downtown, knowing he has called us to this place for this season, and he is faithful, we are learning so much. And we are trusting God with the passion and dreams for a faraway land and people. After reading through my journal I have a new committment to pray more for the people and land we love, to trust God with the passion and dreams I know are from Him. In His way and in His time, its surrender. I trust him with our kids, praying that they would be messangers for HIM. I trust Him to be Jehovah Jirah - God is our Provider.

A friend prayed the other night "God help us not to settle for the good, when You have the BEST."

Pondering what things in our lives have we settled for the good not letting God give us HIS best.

So I'm recommitting to journaling again. To remember and testify to where God will take us in the next 20 years. When my life story is read I want it to say.

"And this one walked with the LORD".

FAITH IS

the assurance of things hoped for, the convictions of things unseen. Heb 11:1 ESV

As I looked out my kitchen window just this morning, I see 5 of our homeless friends walking around intoxicated in the cold like lost puppies,

I see the landlords of the house right by us throwing out the possesions of our neighbors who just got evicted this week after her husband has been deported.

We were told that Dave has "fallen off" again after a courageous run of being sober for 2+ weeks. Havent seen him in a couple days and our family misses his company.

I have the priveledge to work at Bethany Christian Services and seeing the needs of the orphan, here and around the world, and despite the great things happening and the families that are opening their heart and home to the orphan, sooo much more needs to be done.

Without Jesus, I would look no different then our homeless friends roaming through life with no direction or purpose.

So as we are beginning 2011, it is my prayer that my FAITH would grow (it is weak a lot of the time), that I would have more faith and trust in our Loving Father in Heaven and the struggles we have we know that God is able to sustain us and lead us, that our HOPE would be seen in our lives... And somehow in God's mysterious way.. he would use us as a place of refuge for other.

We live in a saturated place of "spiritual luxury" in Grand Rapids it is a unique and special place to live. God for some reason has blessed this area. We have strong families, we have many many churches that are committed to being true to the WORD, we have many Christian Colleges and Schools, we even have a Christian Publishing Company where books are being published and sent all over the world for people to read and glean from, we have wealth. We are so blessed here - but God's heart for blessing people is to be a blessing. To be willinging to leave our church pews, Christian friends and family, be open to leave the safe communites and to go. It is easier said than done. And even when it is done it is laborous, inconvenient, frusterating it also is life giving, humbling, life changing... as believers we have the FAITH of things HOPED for and the convictions of things unseen if we dont invest who will?

Let's be a people that God can use to bring heaven to earth. Let's be a people that loves mercy and justice and are walking humbly with our great GOD, lets be a people that are not buying into the rat race of life where we are to busy achieving and investing into things that will not last. Lets be a people that is committed to relationship with Jesus, our families and to the world. Jesus is the same yesterday, today and tommorrow. And HIS Kingdom is coming there is no greater calling than to go and make diciples. It's happening here and all over the world.

Jesus is our HOPE, he's the worlds HOPE. We have the HOPE lets share it.

PS Please pray for Dave, he's become part of this community and part of our heart. Dave needs Jesus, he can go and be sober for weeks at at time, but until he fills his need for alcohol/drugs with his need for Jesus - there really is no HOPE. Dave needs to surrender pray that he does.