Bent Low

Please read a BEAUTIFUL and humbling post from an amazing woman of the Lord. Follow her story here:

http://www.kissesfromkatie.blogspot.com/ and if you know her story already, well read this again anyways because the words of God flow from her mouth.  An example of what faith and obedience brings.

As I read He is calling me. Calling me to live bent low. Serving. Loving. In all I do. He is calling me to live extrodinarily in the ordinary. Maybe He is calling YOU too? He nevers puts something on our hearts for nothing,a nd I've already been confirmed in that for many years. So please. Read this post and pray that God will open your heart to love Him more, and love others in response. But first- watch this little video about her story.

"Around here, we live bent low.

Tuesday morning ladies from Masese stream through my front door. We have moved our weekly meeting from the slum of Masese to my living room because I have been up all night with new foster baby and can’t imagine getting all 14 of these little people out of the house. Excited about a change of pace and my sweet friends in my home, I enlist the help of darling Tamara and 13 eager little girls to give these ladies pedicures. We wash and we rub and we paint. I rub lotion into old scarred feet and think of the journeys they have traveled. I whisper thanks for the ways they have blessed me and the things they have taught me, and here in a puddle on the hard tile floor, Joy overflows.

It is on this same cold, smooth tile that I kneel hours later, face inches away from the burn on Makerere’s calf. The stench doesn’t even bother me anymore. And while it looks horrific to outside eyes, I remember what it looked like months ago and ever so slowly, I can see the healing. I can see the healing in the blood red life that spills out as I bandage and in the smiling eyes that tell me stories as I work. Laying on my belly with a surgical blade I scrape out the dead and do my best to preserve the new pink tissue that is starting to form around the edges. He laughs and says, “I have told you now all the stories I have! It must be your turn.” And I tell him a story of a Heavenly King born as a pauper and of a Body broken for me and for him and for each one of us. And I don’t even realize but there are tears on the tile and I sit astonished that messy, inadequate, ungraceful me would get to share such a story.

We sit in the dirt, not worried about the red stains and serve 400 plates of food to sponsored children on Saturday. I look into these faces and remember them nearly 4 years ago, destitute and hopeless and starving. Afraid of my funny white skin. We feed them lunch and we feed them God’s Word and we watch them transform. We feel like family now, no one noticing these skin differences. The suns rays beat down the glory of God and covered in mud and chicken broth I know that this is contentment.

Our family sits on the street corner down town sharing ice cream and laughter. My daughter bends low to offer a homeless man her popsicle and as he cries that no one cares about him she looks straight into his face. “We will be your family,” she asserts, and she means it. We kneel on the pavement and we pray and people stop to look but we hardly notice because we were made for this.

We bend.

I bend to sweep crumbs and I bend to wipe vomit and I bend to pick up little ones and wipe away tears. I bend over a big pot of stew and I bend to fold endless laundry and I bend over math books and spelling sentences and history quiz corrections. And at the end of these days I bend next to the bed and I ask only that I could bend more, bend lower.

Because I serve a Savior who came to be a servant. He lived bent low. And bent down here is where I see His face.

He lived, only to die.

Could I?

Die to self and just break open for love.

This Savior, His one purpose to spend Himself on behalf of messy us. Will I spend myself on behalf of those in front of me?

And people say, “Don’t you get tired?” and yes, I do. But I’m face to face with Jesus in the dirt, and the more I bend the harder and better and fuller this life gets. And sure, we are tired, but oh we are happy. Because bent down low is where we find fullness of Joy.

Praying for you as you bend today for whoever is in front of you. He will meet you there."

Am I a Northwesterner?

After talking with my mom for a few minutes the other day, I've decided to needed to share a few things that I have learned/had to do (that I never thought I'd ever do)/or got to do since coming to the NW. 

1. Fetch eggs from the family chickens
2. scare a deer out of the yard so I could get in my car
3. buy an ice scraper
1. use ice scraper on all windows or frozen car
4. watch my neighbor practice his flame ball moves
5. buy and wear manly rain/snow/utility boots in public
6. wear driving gloves (not for the actual purpose of driving, but because the steering wheel in my car is so cold it hurts to hold it while driving)
7. Consider moving to Texas for no other reason but the warmth
8. make a fire everyday (I am a PRO... well with a lighter at least)
9. take Zoey to a 50 acre open dog park
1. pet 6 great danes! they were beautiful!
2. consider owning a great dane
10. consider buying and wearing one of those burglar snow masks to walk Zoey
11. Knit a scarf to actually wear
12. Think it was "warm" at 49 degrees outside
13. Wipe 50 noses in two weeks (oh wait... that has nothing to do with the NW)
14. Make fresh salsa every two weeks because I am desperate for El Torasco 
15. Have multiple dreams about two things
1. InNOut burger
2. Tanning my feet (so random but makes sense- my feet are always cold! They need to make shoes with ugg material inside but not actual uggs b/c I look crazy wearing uggs all the time)

Choose L.O.V.E.

After many articles on Christmas and the "reason for the season" I am really working on rethinking the entire point of Christmas. Kevin and I may have some opposing views about it, after talking about a recent article from the wonderful Jen Hatmaker. It is worth the read. And painfully, many people won't read it because they are :too busy, not interested, or not willing to take an honest look at themselves and the holidays and make changes that they are convicted about. There are many panful things she writes about, child slavery (which is STILL happening all over the world), sex trafficking (which STILL happens everywhere including America- particularly in the OC), corruption, greed, lackluster love for God, unappreciation for the miraculous birth of Jesus Christ, materialism, and much more. I feel it is a reflection of our culture, and what it has done to our families. 

I frequently  sometimes find myself picturing the little family I want to have, no tv, no video games, just family fun. Kids who we pour ourselves into with TIME and ATTENTION instead of pacifying them so that I can "do more important things" like watch tv or look at blogs or a bunch of other useless things I can't think of that we have come to value. What is more important than raising your children to know and love and honor and revere the Lord!? ( Yes, I know I do not have kids, yes I'm sure that maybe I am coming off strong, yes I know that "If you had kids you'd fill-in-the-blank- with whatever things I am against" but I pray with all my might that we will be different. That the love of God would be our desire, and our focus. That we would be a family (even as we are only a family of 2.5 [kevin would be mad if I didn't include our dog Zoey as some numerical value so she gets 0.5] right now) who seeks God above material wealth, looks for ways to continually serve our community/friends/family, who doesn't live in excess, but freely gives that excess to important things like : water wells in communities that need them (i.e. a large majority of Africa), food to local shelters or programs like this Watts Powerhouse Food where my dad serves the local community with food, clothing, and educational services all from donors, or for programs like The International Justice Mission who do AMAZING work all over the world. 

There are hundreds more but I think you get the point, and you will especially get the point if you read Jen's link: GIVE THE GIFT OF CLEAN WATER, FOOD, OR FREEDOM INSTEAD OF WASTING HUNDREDS OR THOUSANDS ON SWEATERS AND CD'S AND GADGETS THAT ARE MOMENTARY PLEASURES. What is YOUR hard earned money worth? Honestly, decide. Choose to love those in need. Real need, not like "I neeeeeed Justin Bieber's new single". Think about what your money is worth.

"I worked really hard, made sacrifices, missed special events, got up early, worked through the night, on and on to buy my brother, sister, mom, dad, aunt, husband, son, daughter _____________________ (fill in the blank). That they use for a while and then forget/get bored/want the next best thing. When I could've helped to change the overall health and life expectancy of an entire village by raising money and donating to their water initiative (check this one out owned by Matt Damon), or feeding 150 kids for Christmas break who would otherwise starve all week, literally. Or choosing to fight for the freedom and basic human rights we ALL deserve by supporting companies who fight for the abused, abandoned, and alone. Did I use my money for good? To serve others, or did I waste it on material things? "

 I dare you to ask yourself these questions. And I am certain there are other ministries or areas of service/people groups YOU feel convicted to help, these are just a few of mine, but I want to encourage you to DO SOMETHING about it!

You money, your time, your efforts are worth so much more than what Target tells you (granted I like Target and all, but honestly). IM BEING SERIOUS! You may be laughing and calling me a freak by now, which I am okay with. But seriously.  Does buying a Snuggie, Family Guy cup set, and Season 4 of House really change your life or anyone who gets it!? NO. So please, I beg you (and myself) to make a change and decide that you can do better. You can be a part of change and progress in our world during a season of selfishness and financial waste. 

NOW: Do I think that giving gifts is wrong? NO. Do I think celebrating Christmas with loved ones is wrong? NO. Is Santa the devil? NO, but the devil certainly sneaks his way into our hearts and makes us care about ALL the wrong things for all the wrong reasons about many holidays or celebrated events. My point is this- we can do better. We can choose to celebrate by doing great things for others. We can celebrate by making thoughtful gifts, spending TIME instead of mass amounts of money with those we love, and not time side by side watching "A Christmas Story" which is funny but pointless, but invested time, meaningful time. We can celebrate by choosing to spend in a smarter way. Avoiding that dollar section (of which I am guilty) at Target or Old Navy or wherever to buy cute/equally useless gifts for people and put that money towards water, food, and freedom. Be intentional about it. All of it. Limit yourself- or create boundaries for how you will spend so that you are set up for success of both thinking about those you love, and those you want to help. For every hundred you spend on gifts, donate that same amount and so on. 

Make it about LOVE. The love of God to send His son Jesus Christ to earth (and while many will say- the point of Christmas historically was not about Jesus' birth, he wasn't actually born on Christmas and so on- this is what our country for many many years chooses to celebrate His glorious birth- so this is when we will celebrate it!). Focus on the love you have for your friends and family and find better ways to show them besides an itunes gift card. (i.e. make them a cd of all the songs that mean something to you both, or a set of songs meant to inspire them while they train for a marathon, study for finals, or are going through a hard time- be intentional and thoughtful.) 

AM I MAKING SENSE HERE!?

Lastly, choose to love those you don't know. Those who you will never meet. Choose to love those in need out of the goodness of your heart. Choose LOVE over gifts and gadgets. By choosing to love those we'll never meet or see or get a thank you from, we are choosing to love others as we love ourselves. Which is the greatest commandment of all. 

Matthew 22: 36-40

³⁶ “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”

 ³⁷ Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’^[c] 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. ³⁹ And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’^[d] 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”