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.
Friday, January 7, 2011
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
I LOVE HERE
and here is home. That is what Logan said a few weeks back and it makes me smile cause that is what God does, it doesnt matter where you are - when you are walking in obediance it's home because God is present and that is what we as a family has expereince over these past few months.
Living here has exposed us again our despereate need for Jesus. It is ugly and beautiful all at the same time.
Looking out my window right now, there is trash, cigarette buds, dumpy looking houses all in my view. Quite different from living on 100th Street with huge perfectly manicured lawn bigger than a football field, fields and wild life, quiet and peaceful, carefree and no people to see or for that matter to hear. My quiet time with Jesus was singing at the top of my lungs in my home way off the road and engaging in His Word in total quietness, other times it would be taking walks in the woods and laying in the meadow, blown away by God's majestic creation.
I told Jesus this weekend, I miss those times with you, where can I go to find you.
i felt Him speak to my heart "You found me, I'm here with the broken and the poor. I am a huge God and you will find me in the beauty of my Creation Marcy, but you will also find me in the mess so keep loving and looking, I'm here.
And JESUS is here. He was here last night as we went caroling through out the neighborhood, declaring Christ the Savior is born and seeing Delores (a cocaine addict) come out and smile and shouting Merry Christmas, singing to Doc and Pam ( a homeless couple) who heard us singing and tracked us down. Seeing little kids peaking from behind their mom's legs to hear the songs with big smiles on their face. These are just a few snapshots.
He was in the midst of this family he is growing down here, laughing and sharing and eating. From the oldest to the youngest, everyone finding their place and knowing that we are on a mission together here, to love God with all our hearts and to love our neighbor and make the name of JESUS famous.
Jesus was here at 10:00 pm when Sawyer, Sam and Brayden wanted to go outside with a venison burger for Dave and sat and talked with him for an hour.
Following Jesus is not boring, we tell our kids all the time, He is a blast to follow. That doesnt mean that we have to be doing something big - just the opposite Jesus works in the small. Ally said b/f going to bed last night, "I cant believe this is my life, I love it" God is faithful.
This is rich living, is it always easy? not even close, many days it can be hard, and there are days where our hearts go back to the carefree, surrounded by beauty life we had on 100th St... but like Jenn says, there will be pastures and fields and beauty waiting in our forever home, and our greatest day here on earth will only be a bad afternoon in heaven.
He is here - Jesus is bringing peace to chaos, He's doing it in our life and in the lives of our new friends, even if for a moment.
We may not be surrounded by beauty in the landscape, although our friends are bringing beauty into the neighborhood with gardens and flowers and coats of fresh paint, but we are surrounded by beautiful people and it is our prayer that the work God has been doing, He will bring it to completion and that the Westside will radiate the Glory of Jesus, one household at a time.
Now to HIM who is able to do abudantly more than we can ask for be glorifed forever and ever.
Living here has exposed us again our despereate need for Jesus. It is ugly and beautiful all at the same time.
Looking out my window right now, there is trash, cigarette buds, dumpy looking houses all in my view. Quite different from living on 100th Street with huge perfectly manicured lawn bigger than a football field, fields and wild life, quiet and peaceful, carefree and no people to see or for that matter to hear. My quiet time with Jesus was singing at the top of my lungs in my home way off the road and engaging in His Word in total quietness, other times it would be taking walks in the woods and laying in the meadow, blown away by God's majestic creation.
I told Jesus this weekend, I miss those times with you, where can I go to find you.
i felt Him speak to my heart "You found me, I'm here with the broken and the poor. I am a huge God and you will find me in the beauty of my Creation Marcy, but you will also find me in the mess so keep loving and looking, I'm here.
And JESUS is here. He was here last night as we went caroling through out the neighborhood, declaring Christ the Savior is born and seeing Delores (a cocaine addict) come out and smile and shouting Merry Christmas, singing to Doc and Pam ( a homeless couple) who heard us singing and tracked us down. Seeing little kids peaking from behind their mom's legs to hear the songs with big smiles on their face. These are just a few snapshots.
He was in the midst of this family he is growing down here, laughing and sharing and eating. From the oldest to the youngest, everyone finding their place and knowing that we are on a mission together here, to love God with all our hearts and to love our neighbor and make the name of JESUS famous.
Jesus was here at 10:00 pm when Sawyer, Sam and Brayden wanted to go outside with a venison burger for Dave and sat and talked with him for an hour.
Following Jesus is not boring, we tell our kids all the time, He is a blast to follow. That doesnt mean that we have to be doing something big - just the opposite Jesus works in the small. Ally said b/f going to bed last night, "I cant believe this is my life, I love it" God is faithful.
This is rich living, is it always easy? not even close, many days it can be hard, and there are days where our hearts go back to the carefree, surrounded by beauty life we had on 100th St... but like Jenn says, there will be pastures and fields and beauty waiting in our forever home, and our greatest day here on earth will only be a bad afternoon in heaven.
He is here - Jesus is bringing peace to chaos, He's doing it in our life and in the lives of our new friends, even if for a moment.
We may not be surrounded by beauty in the landscape, although our friends are bringing beauty into the neighborhood with gardens and flowers and coats of fresh paint, but we are surrounded by beautiful people and it is our prayer that the work God has been doing, He will bring it to completion and that the Westside will radiate the Glory of Jesus, one household at a time.
Now to HIM who is able to do abudantly more than we can ask for be glorifed forever and ever.
Friday, September 24, 2010
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Catching My Breath
So much to give God glory for over the past month
- We've moved... our address is 717 Davis Ave NW
- Sawyer got his drivers license
- I got a job working at Bethany Christian Services with Refugees. I love it!!
-Kids are back in school.
- Kevin is being so blessed with good work
-Have healthy kids that are very involved with their school's sports teams.
- Have a renewed passion for the orphan in Africa
- Feeling like we as a family are entering into 'new things" and learning so much from the old
-Expereince God as our Rock in a the hardest season of our lives and seeing the end of the tunnel and being amazed that God really does work out all thing for the good.
- So many people in our lives that we love and adore and learn so much from, who have welcomed us in the neighborhood, family that has celebrated and supported us. And new people that we have met and others who we anticipating meeting.
So much praise and that is just a short list...
OHHHH YAY - one more praise - we got a puppy!!! Mya is her name, Bermese Mountain dog and we love her!!!
How is it living downtown?....
What can I say, it feels like home. It felt like home the first night we moved in. And no I'm not romantizing it all... But when you are walking into obediance with God and have this peace that only comes from HIM then your home... and that is what we expereinced.
Our first night here, we got to feed D a homeless man a meal, and when we came home he was passed out on our front porch. He slept there and in the morning we had a cup of coffee with him and listen to his story. Thankful that we could offer shelter to D - he is a son of someone, a brother and dad to someone and most importantly - he is loved by our Heavenly Father.
And so no.... we arent opening our porch up every night to the drunk homeless men - but if they or anyone else needs a place of peace in this chaotic world, we pray that is what our home will be, a place that shouts JESUS.
We are just meeting our neighbors, the kids are meeting kids in the neighborhood, each Sunday Jordan - an intern at the Boiler Room - has set aside time to play roller hockey with the kids, we get to be part of that too.
Love Feast on Wednesday is something we like to be part of too, a great way to meet our neighbors.
We are learning already so much about God's Kingdom breaking in down here by watching Tony and Jenn, Brad and Michelle, Phil and Allison, Brooke and Tim, and the Boiler Room crew - so much more to learn but we're seeing... God created family... and His Body is family... and when we love each other well, have fun together, share our burdens, celebrate in our joys... that's attractive to the watching world... and they want to be part of God's family... we cant do it in our strength but through the love and grace of God we pray our family on the Westside grows, that new brothers and sisters will come home... That is our hope and we feel so very blessed that God has called us here. May we become less and JESUS become more.
More to come...
- We've moved... our address is 717 Davis Ave NW
- Sawyer got his drivers license
- I got a job working at Bethany Christian Services with Refugees. I love it!!
-Kids are back in school.
- Kevin is being so blessed with good work
-Have healthy kids that are very involved with their school's sports teams.
- Have a renewed passion for the orphan in Africa
- Feeling like we as a family are entering into 'new things" and learning so much from the old
-Expereince God as our Rock in a the hardest season of our lives and seeing the end of the tunnel and being amazed that God really does work out all thing for the good.
- So many people in our lives that we love and adore and learn so much from, who have welcomed us in the neighborhood, family that has celebrated and supported us. And new people that we have met and others who we anticipating meeting.
So much praise and that is just a short list...
OHHHH YAY - one more praise - we got a puppy!!! Mya is her name, Bermese Mountain dog and we love her!!!
How is it living downtown?....
What can I say, it feels like home. It felt like home the first night we moved in. And no I'm not romantizing it all... But when you are walking into obediance with God and have this peace that only comes from HIM then your home... and that is what we expereinced.
Our first night here, we got to feed D a homeless man a meal, and when we came home he was passed out on our front porch. He slept there and in the morning we had a cup of coffee with him and listen to his story. Thankful that we could offer shelter to D - he is a son of someone, a brother and dad to someone and most importantly - he is loved by our Heavenly Father.
And so no.... we arent opening our porch up every night to the drunk homeless men - but if they or anyone else needs a place of peace in this chaotic world, we pray that is what our home will be, a place that shouts JESUS.
We are just meeting our neighbors, the kids are meeting kids in the neighborhood, each Sunday Jordan - an intern at the Boiler Room - has set aside time to play roller hockey with the kids, we get to be part of that too.
Love Feast on Wednesday is something we like to be part of too, a great way to meet our neighbors.
We are learning already so much about God's Kingdom breaking in down here by watching Tony and Jenn, Brad and Michelle, Phil and Allison, Brooke and Tim, and the Boiler Room crew - so much more to learn but we're seeing... God created family... and His Body is family... and when we love each other well, have fun together, share our burdens, celebrate in our joys... that's attractive to the watching world... and they want to be part of God's family... we cant do it in our strength but through the love and grace of God we pray our family on the Westside grows, that new brothers and sisters will come home... That is our hope and we feel so very blessed that God has called us here. May we become less and JESUS become more.
More to come...
Saturday, July 31, 2010
HUMBLED
Havent written here for a long time. A lot has taken place at the smith family to be honest, a lot of "desert" time. I heard someone say that we need to embrace the wilderness and the last few months that is what we have tried to do. Not try and run and find ways out but to seek God here, knowing that he has led us here, to humble us, to draw us to him, to let us expereince HIS peace in the midst of chaos. This season has been HIS GRACE to us.
It has forces us as a family to really seek HIM. It has allowed us to expereince grace from family and friends. It has allowed to wrestle with God and HIS calling on our family. It has brought us to our knees many times in humlity. It has brought us out of our comfort where we are totally dependant on Jesus and then have expereinced miracles. It has made Kevin and I really pray through and talk about what is important it has slowed us down.
There are many giants that we all see and encounter everyday, and sometimes the giants are coming in all directions, but... we serve the KING of KINGS and the giants are only going to get as close to us as God allows them too. And Jesus is sitting in the throne, advocating, praying and defending us.
If the LORD delights in a man's way, he makes his steps firm; though he stumbles, he will not fall for the LORD upholds him with his hand.
and I love the promise in 2Tim where it says "even when we are faithless, Christ will remain faithful" Our God is faithful, abounding in love, full of compassion and slow to anger. And that is what we have expereinced so much over these past few months.
As we look back over these past few month, we have seen the finger prints of God all over. It has astounded us, because even as I type about the desert, there have been many times crying out to God "WHERE ARE YOU" and not hearing him answer back - until going to HIS great book and opening it and finding promise upon promise. I love HIS WORDS, I love how HIS words convict or comfort. We have claimed these promises over and over again they have been our lifeline and HOPE. And God is FAITHFUL - we have experineced HIS faithfulness over and over.
Looking back over the past few years - God has put us on a path, a path we would have never choosen for ourselves, but a path that we feel humbled and so blessed to be called to. It started with being involved with The Boiler Room prayer ministry, then Africa and now...
He has called us to live among the poor in our area and join The Boiler Room Community,and learn from and serve each other and our neighbors in the NAME of JESUS.
Yes, we are moving to Grand Rapids at the end of August. We have no idea what to expect, we just know that God has said "go" and so we walk, trusting HIS WAY.
If you get anything out of this blog I hope it will be this: We are a simple, less than ordinary, uneducated, broken family. We fail often, but only through God's grace and mercy He can take all our junk and make into something beautiful - its only because of JESUS - we are clothed in HIS righteousness. He is calling each to go into the world and make disciples. It doenst matter where it is or how it is done - but lets continue to encourage each other and spurr each other on to love God with everything and love others as we love ourselves. We are pilgrams here, we have to remember this, this is not our home - the harvest is plenty but the workers are few.
When the work is done - then we get to behold JESUS face to face - and oh what a day that will be!!
It has forces us as a family to really seek HIM. It has allowed us to expereince grace from family and friends. It has allowed to wrestle with God and HIS calling on our family. It has brought us to our knees many times in humlity. It has brought us out of our comfort where we are totally dependant on Jesus and then have expereinced miracles. It has made Kevin and I really pray through and talk about what is important it has slowed us down.
There are many giants that we all see and encounter everyday, and sometimes the giants are coming in all directions, but... we serve the KING of KINGS and the giants are only going to get as close to us as God allows them too. And Jesus is sitting in the throne, advocating, praying and defending us.
If the LORD delights in a man's way, he makes his steps firm; though he stumbles, he will not fall for the LORD upholds him with his hand.
and I love the promise in 2Tim where it says "even when we are faithless, Christ will remain faithful" Our God is faithful, abounding in love, full of compassion and slow to anger. And that is what we have expereinced so much over these past few months.
As we look back over these past few month, we have seen the finger prints of God all over. It has astounded us, because even as I type about the desert, there have been many times crying out to God "WHERE ARE YOU" and not hearing him answer back - until going to HIS great book and opening it and finding promise upon promise. I love HIS WORDS, I love how HIS words convict or comfort. We have claimed these promises over and over again they have been our lifeline and HOPE. And God is FAITHFUL - we have experineced HIS faithfulness over and over.
Looking back over the past few years - God has put us on a path, a path we would have never choosen for ourselves, but a path that we feel humbled and so blessed to be called to. It started with being involved with The Boiler Room prayer ministry, then Africa and now...
He has called us to live among the poor in our area and join The Boiler Room Community,and learn from and serve each other and our neighbors in the NAME of JESUS.
Yes, we are moving to Grand Rapids at the end of August. We have no idea what to expect, we just know that God has said "go" and so we walk, trusting HIS WAY.
If you get anything out of this blog I hope it will be this: We are a simple, less than ordinary, uneducated, broken family. We fail often, but only through God's grace and mercy He can take all our junk and make into something beautiful - its only because of JESUS - we are clothed in HIS righteousness. He is calling each to go into the world and make disciples. It doenst matter where it is or how it is done - but lets continue to encourage each other and spurr each other on to love God with everything and love others as we love ourselves. We are pilgrams here, we have to remember this, this is not our home - the harvest is plenty but the workers are few.
When the work is done - then we get to behold JESUS face to face - and oh what a day that will be!!
Friday, May 28, 2010
Monday, April 5, 2010
FIXING MY EYES ON JESUS
"Therefore since we are surrounded by a greaqt cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everyhting that hinders and sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perserverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus the Author and Perfetor of our faith." Hebrews 12:1&2
This has been my verse in this season of life. The more I read the Gospels, the more I study the life of Jesus, the more I get to know my Heavenly Fathers heart, the more I see how upside down I have been living, how much my heart is given to the things of this world and how my mind has been conformed to the patterns here.
It has been my prayer over these past few years that I would have the mind of Christ, that my heart would not be divided and that my eyes can be fixed on Jesus. I am a work in process, but slowly I see transformation taking place and it has been through, stripping me of things that I have come to put my trust and worth in. God has been renewing my mind, and has certainly been breaking my heart for what breaks His.
God sold our house on March 7, and we were moved out by March 26. We have been praying for this for two years and God did it in His perfect timing. Although He does have a sense of humor because Kevin had work out in Lousiana, so he wasnt even part of the move and both sets of parents were out of state for the month. God again showed us that we are part of His family, and we were humbled and blown away by our dear friends and family who spent their time taking care of us and helping us pack and move - everything went down fairly easy.
Kevin and I thought that when God sold our house He would have the very place ready for us to move to - the funny thing is we had no where to move to... the house we were looking at in GR sold, and there was not one single thing to rent in Byron Center... so my brother and sister in law have so graciously opened their home until something comes available.
John Piper asked " Can you bear uncertainty?"
Jesus responds to this question " you must, to be a follower of mine" Luke 9:57-59.
We have been living in a season of uncertainty, Kevin has been working for a commerical company and likes it - but it is new and looks very different than working for yourself.
People are always asking us - whats your plan? whats next... and to be honest we think we know, but we just dont know how and when and exactly where God is going to lead us next.
And God has revealed a lot of pride in my heart and also fear of what people think, I'll say it, we will go wherever God calls us to go. We dont want to live anymore according to what the culture says is right, or even how church tradition says how we do church. We want to live in according to God's will - to put ALL our trust in Him. He is our great Provider and Protector - His heart for His people is perfect love - why do we so easily question Him.
God has taught us so much, and has been so faithful in every step of the way in this journey - we will not turn back to our comfort - we will fix our eyes on Jesus and run the race He has marked out for our family because just as Jesus endured the cross, He knew the joy set before Him, we are trusting that God's plan for us is because His ultimate desire for us is for our joy to be complete. What an awesome God we serve!! He is not a far away God - but an intimate God who wahts us to know Him as Abba Father.
And so now we will wait knowing that God "acts on behalf of those who wait for him" Isaiah 64:4
This has been my verse in this season of life. The more I read the Gospels, the more I study the life of Jesus, the more I get to know my Heavenly Fathers heart, the more I see how upside down I have been living, how much my heart is given to the things of this world and how my mind has been conformed to the patterns here.
It has been my prayer over these past few years that I would have the mind of Christ, that my heart would not be divided and that my eyes can be fixed on Jesus. I am a work in process, but slowly I see transformation taking place and it has been through, stripping me of things that I have come to put my trust and worth in. God has been renewing my mind, and has certainly been breaking my heart for what breaks His.
God sold our house on March 7, and we were moved out by March 26. We have been praying for this for two years and God did it in His perfect timing. Although He does have a sense of humor because Kevin had work out in Lousiana, so he wasnt even part of the move and both sets of parents were out of state for the month. God again showed us that we are part of His family, and we were humbled and blown away by our dear friends and family who spent their time taking care of us and helping us pack and move - everything went down fairly easy.
Kevin and I thought that when God sold our house He would have the very place ready for us to move to - the funny thing is we had no where to move to... the house we were looking at in GR sold, and there was not one single thing to rent in Byron Center... so my brother and sister in law have so graciously opened their home until something comes available.
John Piper asked " Can you bear uncertainty?"
Jesus responds to this question " you must, to be a follower of mine" Luke 9:57-59.
We have been living in a season of uncertainty, Kevin has been working for a commerical company and likes it - but it is new and looks very different than working for yourself.
People are always asking us - whats your plan? whats next... and to be honest we think we know, but we just dont know how and when and exactly where God is going to lead us next.
And God has revealed a lot of pride in my heart and also fear of what people think, I'll say it, we will go wherever God calls us to go. We dont want to live anymore according to what the culture says is right, or even how church tradition says how we do church. We want to live in according to God's will - to put ALL our trust in Him. He is our great Provider and Protector - His heart for His people is perfect love - why do we so easily question Him.
God has taught us so much, and has been so faithful in every step of the way in this journey - we will not turn back to our comfort - we will fix our eyes on Jesus and run the race He has marked out for our family because just as Jesus endured the cross, He knew the joy set before Him, we are trusting that God's plan for us is because His ultimate desire for us is for our joy to be complete. What an awesome God we serve!! He is not a far away God - but an intimate God who wahts us to know Him as Abba Father.
And so now we will wait knowing that God "acts on behalf of those who wait for him" Isaiah 64:4
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