Laurie on Lifestyle

2012 - On A Blog Break

2012-01-01T19:34:00.000-08:00

I'm working on my dissertation and so I am taking a break from blogging for this season. I hope you will check out the blogs in my blog archive and leave a comment or two. Stop back in a couple weeks when blogs will begin again!

Thanks for visiting. - Laurie

Photo: Cairo, Egypt

Hope in the Darkness

2011-11-18T09:00:00.000-08:00

YWAM Team - Victor is in the back row on the right

With a big smile and a warm heart Victor is the kind of guy everyone instantly warms up to. Passing through the west coast after living in Canada and Korea, we met him this spring when his YWAM group stayed in Seattle during the month of May. Recently I spotted him in the background of a video taken in Mexico City that my friend in California posted. It was kind of like "Where in the World is Victor Chun?" This week Victor shared this amazing story about his trip to Mexico City.

The most amazing time in Mexico City was our time at the Well, which is a halfway house for children who had been sold in the sex-trafficking industry. Benny and Janice Yu are the founders of this ministry and we were able to meet the girls on (of all days) the Day of the Dead. Benny was telling us some of the background stories of some of these girls went through. It was so horrifying what these girls (who were middle and high school age) went through that I didn't know whether to be enraged or start sobbing. I was reminded of what Jesus said,

"If anyone causes one of these little ones—those who believe in me—to stumble, it would be better for them to have a large millstone hung around their neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea." Matthew 18:6

Jesus will have retribution on those who hurt these girls, but I was still overwhelmed at the what it meant for the volunteers to walk with these girls through all the terrible things that had been done to them. When I finally met these girls, I realized that God saw these girls as so precious. As they were taking pictures of themselves in these kimono costumes that they had made and just being giggly girls, they looked so beautiful and I realized that God could completely restore them because of the love that Jesus had for them to give His own life for them to be fully restored. It was a beautiful picture of what the cross paid for...

Link to The Well website: LINK

Avoiding Ruin: Being People of Peace

2011-11-06T13:37:00.000-08:00

Photo: Ruins of Capernaum

Share meals with each other often and bless someone in your faith community each day; as simply as offering a word of encouragement, an act of service or an invitation. --This is some of the advice given for creating a vibrant community, following Jesus and being a person of peace.

I've been thinking about People of Peace from a different perspective. Clearly, based on what Jesus told seventy-two of his followers when he sent them out to share the Kingdom message of God’s love (Luke 10:1-16) people who welcome you in, want to serve you and listen to what you have to share, are the people of peace with whom you should stay and invest. For us it is great to know this, that in our lives, God is preparing people for relationship with us. He does the work. The people of peace Jesus is talking about are not just nice, kind and tolerant, they open their homes and lives. They hang out at the meal table, sharing what they have and who they are.

Jesus also said that if you are not welcomed and there are no people of peace, shake the dust off your sandals and move on. I think of it like a kid who innocuously twists his ankle in a baseball game and the coach says, “Shake it off.” Really meaning move along and don’t stand around whining. This permission and even freedom to move along when we are not welcomed is something I talked to some friends about just this week who are frustrated in friendships they've been pursuing.

However, Jesus says more as this passage of scripture continues. His comments should give us all pause to examine whether we are indeed people of peace. He said if there are no people of peace in a place, the town will be worse off than Sodom, a city destroyed by fire. Jesus warned the cities of Korazin, Capernaum and Bethsaida that in not being welcoming people of peace their cities would be destroyed. Jesus knew what he was talking about. Centuries ago these cities were destroyed, and even to this day guess what? They still lie in ruins; piles of dead lifeless rocks.

You can check out some of the ruins of Capernaum here (I was just there two weeks ago) and of Bathsaida here.

So what does this warning about people of peace mean to us or even a faith community or church? These were great cities, sometimes known as the orthodox triangle, cities where lots of devoutly religious people lived who had plenty of knowledge of God and adhered to the rules. Jesus did many miracles in these cities, and yet the people still refused to acknowledge and welcome him. They heard him speak and saw healings, and maybe they were even amazed, but they were still unchanged. They didn’t follow him in radically loving, serving and pursuing justice for one another. Upon hearing Jesus’ news of who he was they did nothing. Imagine that according to Jesus their plight was to be worse than the cities where the blatantly sinful people lived.

There is a lot being written right now about consumerism in the church and how people often have more difficulty switching toothpaste brands than churches because church has often become about what meets needs. I talked to a friend this morning who after a while being frustrated trying to find a church that perfectly fits their family’s wants is realizing that it is really about the people of a church somewhere needing them. They are seeing themselves shifting from being consumers, to being producers, an opportunity to be more like Jesus.

No question it is difficult with all we manage and juggle in life, but when we are contributing and blessing others through sharing our lives, we can see God at work in us and through us. This is when we are people of peace and our relationships, communities and churches will not be buried as lifeless piles of useless ruins and rubble.

"Faith that doesn’t show itself by good deeds is no faith at all- it is dead and useless." James 2:17

CHECK IT OUT: LUKE 10:1-16

What is Church?

2011-10-26T09:45:00.000-07:00

The Search for Linen Pants

2011-09-30T08:52:00.000-07:00

Getting ready for my trip to the Middle East, trying to keep up on my reading and writing assignments for my course and juggling everything else we have going on has been challenging. I also tend to be fashion challenged, so packing for this trip has been part of my dilemma, especially since I can only bring about 4 outfits. The pressure is on because I'd better love them.

In my struggle to find the perfect linen pants, I googled baggy linen pants and POOF this is what was suggested. Can you imagine?! Want to hear something funnier - at $145 they are out of stock. You'll have to keep your eyes open for someone wearing them, they will be easy to spot because they will be walking oddly with their knees close together...or maybe this is the latest thing and I just continue to be fashion challenged...

Image: Nupants

Happy Marriage: Seek and Find How to Serve

2011-09-29T13:12:00.000-07:00

Albert Schweitzer once said, “I don’t know what your destiny will be, but one thing I know: the only ones among you who will be really happy are those who have sought and found how to serve.”

This caught my attention as my 22nd anniversary is coming up. I think both of us and those around us would definitely say we are happily married. In reflecting on this I considered the link between happiness and serving.

What would we tell people who are newly married or working on their marriage? There are the tips like we always kiss each other goodbye if we are leaving even if it is just to run to the store or drop a kid off here or there, and we try to talk even if just for a couple minutes during the day. Sure we don’t always get what we want. Life gets overwhelming and we can’t get everything done or spend enough time together, yet we treat each other with respect and honor using patience and kind words. We’ve struggled through some tough things, like enormous job demands, infertility and the loss of six of our children before they were born. Yet overall, I agree with Schweitzer, the willingness to serve each other has brought happiness.

It is heart breaking and awful when marriages fall short of dreams for varied reasons. Yet, I’ve also heard of so many marriages lately where one or both people have decided they are not “happy.” Unfortunately, some of these people think if they are no longer married to the person they are with they will "magically" have freedom and find happiness. However, consider Galatians 5:13, “For you have been called to live in freedom- not freedom to satisfy your sinful nature, but freedom to serve one another in love.”

Gary Smalley in his book I Promise: How 5 Commitments Determine the Destiny of Your Marriage confesses to learning late that he had spent his life trying to seek pleasure for himself regardless of the feelings or needs of others around him. When he started to shift his thinking on this, like how he could serve his wife instead of what he could get or his right to have things his way, his marriage changed dramatically.

Jesus is a model of serving, but it also takes knowing what our spouse’s needs truly are so we can be of helpful service, instead of missing the mark. Dr. Smalley suggests “promise your mate that you will make it your project to know his or her needs and dreams, and that you will dedicate yourself to meeting those needs and making those dreams come true.” Understanding that there are limits in relationships that involve abuse or control, he contends that in most marriages serving in this way will make you happier than you have been before.

What are the other four commitments or promises he suggests? Conform your beliefs to God’s truths, stay connected to God as the one who provides for your needs (not looking to your spouse to meet all your needs), find God’s best in every trial, and listen and communicate in love. Which to me sounds once again like things come back to the wisdom Jesus shared that we should be all about loving God and loving others. What do you think?

Artwork: Jaycee -thanks for the inspiration for this artwork during Peace Seeker's Pictionary this morning.
:)

Missio Lux: Discerning the Next Steps

2011-09-26T11:57:00.000-07:00

Last night the larger community of Missio Lux located near Seattle gathered to figure out our next steps in moving forward. Most of this discussion and discernment would have been necessary at this point in our development, but the timing of it seems urgent as our Lead Visionary Pastor is moving to California. While she still plans to be involved in Missio Lux's dispersed communities in various locations, her day to day involvement in the operational issues locally and for our core will be significantly reduced. In addition, with shifts in how others feel led and available to continue to participate in ongoing administrative and implementation issues (including me) there are some big gaps appearing that need to be addressed.

Therefore, we gathered last night. First with a meal, of course, this is Missio Lux. Then people described the components of Missio Lux and there are a lot! However, our structure is still much like a fragile spider web that catches the dew at dawn, the network of relationships holding together the parts. Many components are impressive in their own right.

I'm hoping that eventually this web will become stronger like a fisherman's net that catches all who are lost in its path. I think it is Alan Hirsch that wrote about the idea that people who come in contact with nets of strong healthy relationships can't help but be caught in the net of friendship, life giving purpose and transformation. After all, when Jesus said he would make fishers of men, he wasn't talking about fishing with a nylon thread and a tiny hook, he was talking about huge nets. The fishermen spent a lot of time and focus maintaining, mending and ensuring their nets were strong before they even started fishing.

This is a critical time for our thin, delicate web stretched out over several continents and locations. Yet we are confident that God has some big plans and is at work. We are working on out nets. While some of the holes in the net seem pretty large right now, no doubt He will provide what is needed and necessary to move forward with His purposes, whatever they may be. Don't miss the journey.

Amazing Pancakes!

2011-09-21T20:04:00.000-07:00

We have an annual Swedish Pancake breakfast and my husband makes pancakes most Saturday mornings. Some of our friends' kids know us as the pancake people. However, we have nothin' on this guy. He is a dad who makes pancakes for his daughter - amazing pancakes!!! Check this out: http://www.jimspancakes.com/gallery/

What is the most amazing pancake creation you've made?

My Mom: A Missional Community Catalyst

2011-09-20T11:40:00.000-07:00

My mom, Marilyn, is almost eighty years old. Whether she knows it or not, she is starting a Missional Community. This is how they often start, with an idea, a helpful thought or suggestion.

My mom has enjoyed borrowing books from a shelf at the Country Inn Hotels. They let you borrow a book and then return it to one of their other locations. The Higher Ground coffee shop they frequent in Northern Minnesota does the same thing. If you have a book you want to leave for others, you add it to the collection. No one worries about whether it ever comes back.

The library I used as a kid at her church in St. Paul stopped functioning a while ago because it became too much work to track books, due dates and repeat offenders. However, people are missing the library and a couple bookshelves in a main area of the church sit empty.

My mom had the idea that to fill the gap this same type of book exchange she’s enjoying would be a great idea for her church. She went to her pastor to share her suggestion. Surprisingly, her pastor had already had a similar thought. The church was recently the site of a wedding and she thought the bookshelves with only a couple dormant books looked quite pitiful. With a weed through her books at home, she had already hauled a batch into the church.

My mom’s idea has resulted in enough happening that it took a twenty-minute phone explanation to describe. In just a few days, the effort has grown to include kids' books and cookbooks. My dad's book of clean jokes has also been bequeathed to the cause. Since the church often hosts activities for their neighborhood, people in the community will also have access to the collection.

Labels are being made, people are excited about helping, systems of donations and screening are being established, baskets set up, announcements being written, and a "committee" forming. I prefer to think of it as the emerging of a missional community; people working together around a common purpose or passion. My mom is the catalyst.

Someone had the idea that the book sharing could build community if each book had a bookmark. If you read a book you sign your name on the bookmark. You might find the other people that borrowed the same book at a coffee hour or church service and talk to them about it. We wondered if people would sign the bookmarks in books written for crisis in your marriage, forgiveness of sins or weight loss. My daughter thought it would be fun to go through and sign all the bookmarks at one time, just so people would wonder.

You go Mom! I’m excited for the first kids that get to haul home books again.

What idea do you have that could start a missional community or a movement? Could you be a Catalyst?

Do You Hear God Speaking Your Love Language?

2011-09-17T11:40:00.000-07:00

I told a friend I thought I should write a book about how God speaks to us in our own Love Language. I noticed that based on Gary Chapman’s five love languages that identify how we most experience love and how we are most likely to show love to others, God seemed to be touching people in their own preferred love language. The five languages are touch, words of affirmation, time, gifts and service.

For example, a friend who has the love language of words of affirmation feels God speaks to her very directly and often she senses He is sharing of his love and acceptance for her. Another friend who has touch as a love language experienced what felt like God’s spirit physically laying a hand on his shoulder. Others with the language of service have had people serve them in ways that they felt God’s love. Unfortunately, I learned recently that Gary Chapman beat me to writing the book and he does have a book out called God Speaks Your Love Language.

My love language is gifts; giving and getting presents basically. I'm recognizing these gifts often. I have a hard time accepting that God is giving me gifts because I know the desperate situation in Somalia as thousands and thousands of children are starving and others around the world are held in slavery, and yet I’m not quite sure what to make of these happenings, except to know that I am very blessed and have a responsibility to be a good steward with what I have been given. I’m wondering what you think.

This is not a new thing for me, experiencing God’s love through gifts. I have lots of stories, but this is what has happened to me in the last couple weeks. First, I received a very unexpected scholarship for some of my mounting graduate school expenses that were concerning me.

Then, on a much smaller scale, I was with my kids at Starbucks for breakfast. We ordered a bunch of stuff and I decided to splurge a little and order a breakfast sandwich for myself. I thought twice about spending the money, but asked for it anyway. When the food was coming up I glanced at my receipt and realized I wasn’t charged for the sandwich so I told him and offered to pay. He made it very clear that it was their mistake and they wouldn’t let me pay.

From there we went to Pottery Barn Kids where my daughters were buying some little ice pack deals for their school lunches. We had three. However, when we paid the clerk only charged me for two. So I told her I needed to pay for the third one. She absolutely refused to let me pay for it. By then I was looking around to see if there were hidden MSN cameras around doing a story on honesty – but the story continued.

I needed some items for my upcoming trip to the Middle East. I had a running list in my head – money belt, black scarf head covering, travel hair drier, walking shoes… I didn’t know if I wanted an over the neck wallet or one that goes around my waist; couldn’t decide. A friend is moving to London. As I sat in her living room she started offering me things – A money belt – two, yes the over the neck kind and the around the waist type. She gave me a beautiful black scarf from her travels, so much nicer than anything I would buy. And yes, you guessed it, a travel hair drier. I found a great pair of brand new Merrell walking shoes in just my size at the Thrift Store on Mercer Island for a few dollars.

Yesterday I was buying something for my daughter. We had four items and one of them rang up as $O.00. I pointed it out to the clerk. He said, “I put the code in correctly again and it still says zero, so that is what it is going to cost you.”

A good friend announced a couple weeks ago she is moving out of the area. The day she told me I felt such loss, especially as I drove to the airport to pick up a graduate student from Norway who was going to stay with us for a couple days while she got settled here. Two days has quickly become almost three weeks and many hours each day driving her and helping her figure out what needs to be done to set up to live here. We’ve spent a lot of time together. Not just good company at a difficult time, even though she is only twenty-three, amazingly she has traveled to the countries I’m preparing to go to next month and she has been a wealth of guidance and information as I prepare. We realize that she is not just a student passing through but a new member of our family; truly a gift from God.

Have you recognized God speaking your love language?

OC MegaChurch Asks: Are We Just A Consumer Oriented Production?

2011-09-16T07:50:00.000-07:00

The Orange County Weekly is the free newspaper I'd pick up at In-and-Out Burger or Rubios Fish Tacos when I lived in Southern California. This week they featured an article about David Gibbons, pastor of NewSong, a church in Irvine. I've been there several times and it was always exciting and growing. The kids' ministry was bursting at the seams.

Dave had a revelation as he sat waiting to preach at a huge Easter Service his megachurch was holding at Anaheim Stadium. He asked the question have we become a consumer driven production? Is this really how God wants us to celebrate His resurrection? The article is worth a read - I am reading and hearing more and more how people are discovering, as Dave is quoted in this article, that when it comes to learning and growing in faith, small is the new big.

LINK to the Article here.

Our next door neighber of ten years in Orange is now an Associate Pastor at New Song and it is connected to the same denomination as Missio Lux. Recently there have been physical healings during the worship times at New Song. It will be exciting to follow what is happening at New Song in the months to come.

Bill and Tamara's Kitchen

2011-09-14T11:34:00.000-07:00

Tamara and I have shared time together every Tuesday for almost four years now, usually in her kitchen. Many weeks I’ve spent more hours in this kitchen than my own, what with potlucks, family missio community gatherings, meetings and huddles. Often kids are running underfoot, hiding under the table during the seeking pursuit of their peers. Astoundingly, most of the children don’t fit under the table anymore like they did at the first gatherings.

The toy collection in the family room hasn’t improved much over the years, a few Duplos, Lincoln Logs, the marble track and a truck. However, you can’t beat the Wii in the Bonus Room upstairs. The kids seemingly disappeared from the planet when the Wii showed up.

I can find just about anything in this kitchen. There’s the Advil gel caps on the top far left that I’ve needed more than a few times, but more often from this cabinet my friend with concern is pushing Air-Borne or Industrial Strength Vitamins too enormous to swallow. The big bowls are underneath. I’m especially fond of the light blue one.

Plastic bags and foil in the drawers on the sides of the sink, with the dish clothes in the second one down. The silverware is kept in the drawer farthest away from the dishwasher. Who does that? You need to know this though because there are no locatable tongs in this house. If you bring a salad you need to find a large fork and spoon in the silverware drawer.

The tea has moved around and I still can’t get used finding it in the fancy wooden tea box in the butler’s pantry. I know where she keeps her personal stash of green tea from CostCo in a drawer. The red canister on the counter holds the decaf.

The controls on the double oven are still a mystery to me, but the AirBake cookie sheet in the cupboard above them was invented by her high school boyfriend. Imagine, she passed up a cookie sheet fortune for true love.

The olive oil across from the stove has served as anointing oil in a pinch more than once when blessing someone for a new endeavor or asking the Lord for healing. The refrigerator next to it is plenty full for someone who is usually “just juicing” or fasting. The contents crowded and scary at times, but it also holds one of the largest collections of condiments on the eastside. Not to be outdone by the monster sized bottles of salad dressing, ketchup and relish in the garage refrigerator, arriving there in a box or bag after a service in the park or a meal served downtown. I’ve learned it is a good idea to check the dates.

She says her plants are her friends. They’ve grown taller, crowding against the kitchen ceiling. A section of one of them is in my own dining room now, languishing due to lack of a regular watering schedule and conversation.

This kitchen is the place of pre-gathering prayer, hand holding, tears and laughter, book exchanging, children trying to be first in line for dinner, sweet homemade wine, birthday celebrations and Christmas tradition, rice dinners on the floor, technology crises (many!) and tables packed together for a Seder meal. I’ve left here usually elated, inspired and filled. On occasion I’ve wandered out frustrated, mad, and, yes, nasty. I’ve even slammed the front door and then been thankful to know that I would be welcome to come back and push it open; having to push hard because it sticks. Fortunately it is always unlocked.

I am not alone in growing to love this kitchen. It is a destination of welcome and blessing. My parents have been here, as well as my classmates from around the world. I’ve made new friends and spiritual discoveries in this open room. I’m now forced to pack up the memories of the walls painted like bricks, the plants on the sink window ledge, the tiny green square tea coasters by the stove and the microwave that cooks twice as fast as mine at home.

God who gives all good gifts, like kitchens, friends who are like family and rich communitas be praised for all we’ve been granted; times too precious to slip away without recollection for eternity.

Pants Party

2011-09-12T10:05:00.000-07:00

On Saturday my daughters and the graduate student from Norway who is staying with us headed over to Eastside Baby Corner for a Pants Party. Their goal: Collect 1000 pairs of pants.

My daughter carried about a dozen pairs of jeans and cords recently extracted from the piles in her closet. When we walked up to the collection bin the sign said they had collected over 980 pairs of pants. After they counted up ours, two younger kids came and were excited to throw in the pants that put them over the goal of 1,000.

As huge as the pile of pants was, we learned that this is really only two days worth of the pants they need. They provide clothing, toys, bedding, car seats, diapers and other items for over 500 kids each week in East King County. 140 local agencies count on them when kids, pregnant women and new parents are in need. This allows social workers, Head Start teachers, pastors and others to spend their time how they should, rather than seeking donations and tracking down needed items at the store. The best part is it is provided for free.

What started as a small vision has grown into a much needed support. With 5 paid staff and over 1000 volunteer hours each month, it is an impressive operation. Some of the things we learned:

Pants are their most needed item
They are always short on bibs and crib sheets (Want to come over and sew some bibs?)
They need bigger kids warm hats and have plenty of baby hats
They need bedding for kids because homeless shelters don't provide it - When they put the bedding packs together they roll a large stuffed animal inside for the kids.
They also provide maternity clothes and need donations
Adult volunteers are especially needed

I hope you'll consider joining me and some of the Peace Seekers at their fundraising lunch in November. LINK

Reflections on School Starting

2011-08-31T22:18:00.000-07:00

I don't remember every new year of school and yet my mom has pictures of those first days. When I took the bus to kindergarten she snapped a picture of my little sister crying with the school bus driving away in the background. This year, I forgot to take a picture of my kids on the first day of school and they are not too thrilled about my proposal to host a reenactment.

I remember my first day of High School. My dad dropped me off and I walked up the long sidewalk to the building. As I opened the door I remember having the thought that I was opening the door to a new adventure - thrilling and terrifying at the same time. Yesterday I walked back to my car after delivering my kids, four checks, and a pile of forms, to the school office, lamenting the fact that this was my daughter's last first day of middle school. We are on to high school next year.

Three years ago was my first day of seminary, a night class. I was meeting with my friend at her house and left from there to drive to my first class. She packed me a lunch (dinner), gave me some pencils and sent me out the door with a tiny kiss like one of her little hens. She made sure I'd call her after class to tell her how it went. I've always been so grateful someone recognized what a big deal it was to go to school after being away from a classroom for twenty years. Of course, I called her before I left the parking lot to head home.

Today a new neighbor started school. She looked relieved when my kids greeted her as she headed down the driveway to the bus. My daughter told me at dinner she met her at every class to help her find her next room.

Last night I picked up a young woman from Norway at the airport. She is starting graduate school here, sight unseen. A friend of a friend, she is staying with us until she finds roommates and transportation. I took her to get a cell phone which seemed simple enough for our first task, but we quickly learned you can't get a cell phone until you have a state ID, you can't get an ID until you have a residence with a garbage bill or something of the like to prove it. As we sat at the DMV most of the afternoon, the challenges of starting any kind of new school year floated through my head.

Who can you encourage that is headed to school? Who can you support who is sending someone off?

Heart Transplant

2011-08-26T20:21:00.000-07:00

A friend’s facebook post has stuck with me since I read it yesterday:
• "As of today, I am the father of an *11* year old middle schooler... happy birthday Clara, my bonnie wee lassie... you have the blood of the Scots in you and the heart of the Lord. What a blessed dad I am!"

First of all, it goes without saying that Clara is a fortunate girl to have a dad who values most that she has the heart of the Lord. I was imagining what a girl Clara must be. Having the heart of Jesus doesn’t mean just being sweet like Jesus in the pictures we’ve seen of him with children sitting on his knee. It involves compassion for the less fortunate, valuing people who are outcasts, speaking out for justice, taking risks to challenge established ways that are evil, self-sacrifice, loving God and loving others.

Just like Clara, truly what Jesus wants is for us to have a heart transplant. Ezekiel 36:26 says, “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.”

A heart of flesh has new passions and new affections for good. A heart of stone is just that, hard hearted. Like the Grinch before he meets Cindy Lu Who or Scrooge before his exciting night of ghostly visits, there is a lack of love and compassion, and only selfish ambition.

At Missio Lux we say that where the three circles of our values overlap, knowing God, loving others and serving the world, is where God’s heart beats in us.

I don’t know about you, but sometimes I feel like I’m still waiting for the complete transplant. The heart of flesh and the heart of stone can’t work together, and yet there are times when my heart is inflexible, the chambers aren’t filled up or my valves are stuck, my aorta has too much plaque, and the blood, or love, doesn’t flow with the intensity and force that it should. Desiring the complete transplant, this conversion to heart of flesh seems sometimes like a slow and painful process.

This is how Eugene Peterson describes it (from Ezekiel 36) in The Message paraphrase of the Bible:
“I'll give you a new heart, put a new spirit in you. I'll remove the stone heart from your body and replace it with a heart that's God-willed, not self-willed. I'll put my Spirit in you and make it possible for you to do what I tell you and live by my commands. You'll once again live in the land I gave your ancestors. You'll be my people! I'll be your God!”

Happy Birthday Clara, a girl with a successful heart transplant!

Party with the Angels

2011-08-22T07:54:00.000-07:00

Kim Walker's Song: Open Up Heaven

The Importance of Walking In Your True Identity

2011-08-06T10:32:00.000-07:00

Our city newspaper reported that police took a 14-year old boy into custody when he shoplifted a case of soda pop in his backpack. In checking his backpack, they found a cashew can full of marijuana. In the custody of the police, he admitted he had the drugs in his bag, but said they belonged to a friend. The teen then made things worse for himself by giving the police the wrong name. He gave in when he realized his father couldn't pick him up without the right name.

At Missio Lux we've been talking a lot about the importance of walking in our true identity as God's loved children. What a great reminder this story is about how we'd better get our identity, including our name, straight if we ever want to get free and go home.

Story by C.Gracey at the Issaquah Reporter August 5, 2011.

Good Samaritans of the CostCo Parking Lot

2011-08-05T21:09:00.000-07:00

My friend is dealing with some recent health news that wasn't fun to hear. Stressed to a near breaking point, she made a stop at CostCo with her young kids. As she began to load up her car, not feeling all that great physically or emotionally, a man came up and offered to take her cart. He even waited a while as she put the remaining items into her trunk.

When she climbed in the car she broke out in tears. Her kids asked why she was crying. So touched by the kindness of a stranger, she told them that you never know how the smallest thing you do for others will be such a tremendous blessing to them and change the course of their day.

Be kind. "Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by this some have entertained angels without knowing it." Hebrews 13:2

The Disciples Didn’t Wear Deodorant

2011-08-03T10:25:00.000-07:00

When I was driving home yesterday I had a random, yes odd, thought: When Jesus was hanging out with his disciples antiperspirant wasn’t what it is today. No Right Guard, Old Spice or Degree. Imagine the stench of thirteen guys living in the heat…I know…Yuck! They were malodorous (isn't that a great word?!).

As I drove up to our neighborhood, I looked out at the beautiful Cascade Mountain range, the sun reflecting off the peaks and the pine forests laid out in front of them like a lush carpet in the clean and crisp air. I was struck by how glorious, mighty, majestic and perfect God is who created this beautiful universe. Yet, to show us who he is, he came as a man, Jesus, who was willing to hang out and with stinky people. (Hebrews 1:3) Really stinky people – people who reek inside and out.

The way God does things in humility is so upside down, backward and unexpected. His is definitely an upside down Kingdom, and as we were created to partner with him in bringing his kingdom to earth, we have Jesus’ example that hanging out with smelly people, difficult people, people who make us feel uncomfortable is what God’s love looks like. So thankful he likes to hang out with malodorous people like me - with or without deodorant to cover the stench.

Being a Friend: Treasured Letter

2011-07-27T19:42:00.000-07:00

My youngest daughter just finished sixth grade. Her friend wrote her this amazing letter --inspiration to be a great friend.

"There are so many reasons why I like you and you are my friend. We are so much alike. You wait for me so we can go to Ms. D's classroom together. You are so creative (like me). Whenever you have a secret to tell someone, you tell me. I can trust you to keep all my secrets safe. You have a good since of humor. You were always right by my side in track. You forgive me of everything that I did that was bad. You are not too energetic, not too boring, but just right. You laugh at my jokes (even if they are really bad). You make sacrifices just for me (like not having chocolate cake on your birthday). We think of the same ideas (great minds think alike). You are AWESOME! You understand me more than any other friend I have ever had. You are the nicest person ever. So I would like to say thank you for being such a good friend!"

Work at Playing? Playing at Work?

2011-07-22T09:39:00.000-07:00

I think we often get too serious about things, and yet I am usually the one most careful or worried about people doing something juvenile or goofy, especially in a work setting. My husband told me about a recognition event at work that was to be held by the lake, but it was rained out. This is sad for July in Seattle. As the party for about 50 people moved to a large meeting room, one of the employees planning it came up with a quick and interesting idea. She brought her daughter's Nerf guns, Nerf tennis balls, remote controlled race cars and other toys to the event. It didn't take long for a row of chairs lined up with stuffed animals on them to provide for competitive shooting practice. Tennis rackets were used for hitting balls against the wall. Others had fun racing the remote cars while managers wore goofy sombreros.

This reminded me of a book I read recently about how we tend to think of play and work as opposites. "Overtime, our instinctual play is replaced by institutional processes and boundaries, such as classes, taking tests and structured activities, like sports and music that we practice rather than indulge in," writes Kevin Carroll, the author of Red Rubber Ball: Elevating Your Game Through the Hidden Power of Play. The cool thing about this book (I checked out of the library when working on a paper) is the mini red rubber playground ball sticking out of the cover. His premise is that you can want to work, just as you want to play. Jobs can feel more like fun and less like drudgery, helping companies with retention and satisfaction.

People who study play in children recognize that it is serious and important. There is playful play (doing something just for the the joy of it, like skipping rocks a pond) and productive play (where there is a goal in mind, like building the hugest neighborhood blanket fort). Playing teaches, socializes and motivates. Looking back on how we liked to play can provide clues about how to recreate a work life reminiscent of the days when it was ok to play. The author notes, however in order to play at work, you must work at play.

There are many applications for this in our lives as families, communities and church. Do we have time to just play? Can we identify ways to use play productively to connect people and accomplish things? Is there a need for more playful play just for the joy of it? How can we grow, learn and develop through having more fun and not always having to be so structured and serious? Do you have any Nerf bullets left that haven't been lost under a couch or in a bush? Because I could use some.

Stop, Wait or Go

2011-07-20T19:41:00.000-07:00

I stopped by the Missio Lux Healing Prayer Service this week. As I looked around the room and saw several eyes filled with tears, I knew I'd missed a meaningful opening worship time.   Rosemary's short message was about Jesus healing the boy from an impure spirit. (Found in Mark Chapter 9.) In the story as the boy's father confesses his struggle with belief and asks Jesus to help him in his unbelief, this is when Jesus heals the boy. Rosemary noted that even when we doubt, Jesus is the healer, and we need to ask him for what we want. Even in this story Jesus said, "everything is possible for one who believes."

But what about when God doesn't seem to give us what we are asking for? I have been reminded of this simple message lately that just like a traffic light, God gives us one of three answers when we pray- yes, wait and no. He always hears our prayers, and he always answers. However, sometimes his answers may not be what we think they should be.  We may not be getting "yes" or anything close to our own comfort and convenience.   Yet in his sovereignty, he is working all things for his purposes whether we understand them or not. I think sometimes it takes the most faith to trust him when the answer is no or wait. What do you think?

A speaker I heard last week noted that the church needs to learn to praise God and thank him even when his answer to our petitions isn't yes -Thanking him for loving us and also knowing what is best. For me this reminds me most of our prayers over many years for children while experiencing infertility and many loses. God's answer was the yellow light - wait - so frustrating and disheartening. As much as I wished the light would turn green right away, his plan for us to have the most perfect children for us was at work all along. READ OUR STORY HERE

Fortunately there were many green lights to celebrate last night at the prayer service. God answered many prayers with yes! Luke told of his experience listening to God and the resulting healing of his wife's foot. LINK TO STORY   Ali, my neighbor, a young mom who spent seven months in hospitals this past year with a debilitating disease that left her unable to move, shared about walking recently with her walker while her neurologist cried with her. He told her that none of the neurologists on the team thought she would ever walk again.   She gives God full credit for her healing and continuing healing.

A friend Ali brought with her shared how he also had been in the hospital for many months. He was also not expected to walk, but many surgeries on his knees have him up and out of his wheelchair. "I'm a miracle!" he exclaimed when given a chance to share his story. Another women told of being healed of long time severe pain in her feet after seeking the Lord's healing.

The green lights give us hope to know that God in the end keeps his promises, even when we are waiting at those darn yellow and red lights. Even though we may never understand on this side of life, may we recognize that God is indeed listening, present and in control of our future when we invite him to be.

Identity Theft

2011-07-19T21:34:00.000-07:00

"The men who buy s_x are your neighbors and colleagues" reads the subtitle of the Newsweek article that came in the mail today. (I've deleted the "e" so my friends' Internet filters and Blogger won't block my blog as inappropriate content.) The whole issue of the S_x industry and related trafficking in general makes my stomach turn and I'd rather think about something else.

However, it is time for all of us to wake up and do something. I'm glad Newsweek came out with what to me at least seems like a call to action and new ways of looking at and combating these issues in our communities. Yes, it is an issue in our community and just about every community.

There is a lot to be said about this topic. This happening to one child is horrific. Thinking of all the children involved, 100,000 to 300,000 trafficked each year even in the US, is completely shocking and enough to tear your heart out. Pure evil, it is also affecting on a wide scale people's ability to have healthy relationships. Girls and women (and also boys and men) who are involved are sickly denigrated to being viewed as commodities or property. They are stripped of identity as real people, human beings.

Our pastor, Tamara Buchan, is writing the final chapters of her book about Identity. I can't wait to read it. I know it will be filled with many valuable biblical insights about how much God loves us and adopts us as his children.

I hope the book will not only help people realize how much they are loved and accepted by God, but that having a greater understanding of who God created each person to be, their identity, will serve as a strong call to action to do something about the injustices so prevalent in today's world. Oh how God's heart must ache for his beloved children, those who are abused, those who are lost, and those who are desperately confused.

Link to Newsweek Article: LINK
Link to International Justice Mission: LINK

Why Sucessful People Leave Work Early

2011-06-10T08:06:00.000-07:00

Aimee Groth of Business Insider wrote an article with this same title reporting on a study that shows that most successful people work hard for short bursts of time and then take time for a break. ARTICLE HERE Chart above from the article. Practicing or working for endless hours does nothing to improve performance and can even impede it. (Original Article in Psychological Review)

This is further proof that abiding is important to be fruitful - Just as John 15 tells. What are you doing to maintain a rhythm of rest and work?

Toms: Talk about Vision!

2011-06-08T09:20:00.000-07:00

It Sounded Good At The Time, But Never Again

2011-06-02T14:06:00.000-07:00

It Sounded Good At The Time, But Never Again - is a title someone plans to use for a book about 27 years in youth ministry. Whether we are pastors, parents, or just live our lives around kids, this can unfortunately apply sometimes.

In California, my friend's daughter visited a church for a youth group scavenger hunt. She writes, "One of the things on the list was to have each girl in the group give themselves a Mohawk. They went into CVS (drugstore) to use hair gel to do this. Note I said, USE hair gel, not purchase it..."

Her daughter when told to use the hair gel point blank said, "Isn't that stealing if we don't pay for it?" The pastor said, "It's okay, just take a little bit of it."

Hmmmm. This is at the least one of those sounded good at the time but never again moments. I hope this pastor recognizes that. It would have been much better to recognize it as not sounding good in the first place.

I loved it last week when we were at the movies. The person in the ticket booth offered to sell my husband a cheaper 11 year old ticket for our 12 year old. He refused, and I'm sure my kids noticed.

When do you have those moments? Can you change it sounded good at the moment to it didn't sound good in the first place?

.

God Makes Beautiful Things - Even When No One Shows Up

2011-05-26T07:45:00.000-07:00

It was the final hour. I picked up one kid, dropped her off, went back to get the other at robotics club, stopped at home, then got there just in the nick of time. The Hoops fundraiser, to support orphans from Sudan in boarding school, was about to begin.

Last year streams of people rolled in with their basket balls in hand, ready to shoot free throws for a great cause. This year the weather was sunny, and it was the first day that felt like summer may actually happen. Online sign ups were minimal and most of my friends were on a girl scout camping trip.

The event was incredibly well organized. Lots of volunteer helpers. Great prizes and half-time show line up with an NBA Star and a sixth grade basketball player growing in national fame. A Sammamish Review reporter was there and wrote another great article about the event and its important cause: HERE

However, as I sat there helping at the registration table, it was a little disconcerting that people weren't coming. Like having a big party and no one shows up. For a few minutes I honestly wanted to run away; spend my Friday night doing something else.

I was reminded of another party I threw about three years ago. My good friend was visiting from Minnesota in the summer. Not having lived in Seattle long, I wanted her to meet my new friends. It was sort of late notice, but I sent out an Evite to more people than I care to admit. I had a few "Maybe" and a couple of "Yes" responses - lots of people didn't respond. Not knowing, I bought and prepared food and beverages for your basic mid-size wedding celebration.

When it was time for the party to start, no one came. Finally, one of my aquaintances came to my door to join the "party that wasn't a party" with a big smile on her face and a most gracious attitude. It was more than slightly awkward, but we chatted and laughed, she ate all of two crackers and a piece of cheese, and it was the start of our friendship. It was this friendship that a couple months later blossomed into our wonderful Peace Seekers community.

As painful and as awkward as it can feel (like you want to run away) this is how God works. Something (a seed) drops to the ground, it must die before new life begins. When God grows it what comes out of the ground is something we didn't expect, something different, something better. (I Corinthians 15:36 says, "What a foolish question! When you put a seed into the ground, it doesn't grow into a plant unless it dies first.")

The families of kids playing soccer in the school's field came over and bought up our BBQ hamburgers and chips. Our half-time show talent was incredibly generous in attitude and support. They made us all feel like it was just as important as if we had thousands of people there. They shot baskets with little kids. They honored Arok from Sudan and his efforts to send kids from his village to school so they can rebuild and restore his community - pointing to him as the real hero. Expressions of support to help Hoops efforts in the future were greatly appreciated and an encouragement to the team of kids and adults from the community that worked so hard. They'll use this as a stepping stone to the next event.

I'm thankful, and looking forward to what will spring up out of the ground next.

Love this song from Gungor - Have a listen.

A Day Without Water

2011-05-20T08:20:00.000-07:00

A family we've known for years is what most people would consider "well off." They are also really busy. Their lives keep them on the run and sometimes chaos ensues.

The other day their teenage daughter was ready to jump in the shower. (We learned this via the simultaneous texts she sent to our daughter.) She turned the knob and there was no water. After trying to figure out what was going on, they realized that the water bill was lost- MIA- Shoved in a pile somewhere and never paid.

Hence, a day without water.

I started thinking, maybe we all need a day without water? Like I need one more thing to do, but it seems like it has potential - if not for a great movement, at least a cool url like: www.DayWithoutH2O.org

Yesterday Arok from Sudan told our Peace Seekers community about how the girls and women in his village walk 45 minutes for water. This is not like the stories our parents told us about walking sixty miles to school in the snow uphill both ways. These are real girls in a real place walking really far for really dirty water.

It is not just Arok's village. One in eight people in the world don't have access to clean drinking water. Now that our planet has 7 billion people, that is A LOT of people with no H2O. Yet for those of us that get water out of the shower when we turn it on, we don't even think about it. In fact, I spent a month being frustrated that our ice machine didn't work and I'd miss my dish washer even for a day.

Do you know how to turn off the water at your house? What would happen if we turned off the water for just one day? I know we would stink and yes certain rooms in our house would stink even more, the dishes would pile up, but really? Maybe it would make us all think. Maybe we'd be more thankful and more careful. Perhaps we'd waste less and be even more generous. Once inspired, maybe our kids will design and invent new ways of providing and cleaning water.

Now where did that water bill go?

What's With Them?

2011-05-12T07:26:00.000-07:00

The other day a guy was upset that my friend turned in front of him in the CostCo parking lot even though she had the right away. He wouldn't let his hand gesture be enough. He followed her to another grocery store parking lot, and stayed on her tail until she drove to a police car.

Yesterday I was having lunch in a trendy deli with Lillian, who is 93. I was trying to deal with the jumble of oxygen tank, cannula tubes, walker and bags. As she tried to stand up from the funky 60s style chair, she fell backwards; fortunately kurplunking down on the side of her chair instead of the floor. I looked around for some help and the three business men at the table right behind her didn't pay any attention to what was happening. As we struggled a moment longer, finally one of them stood up to help us. The others continued their conversation.

Check out this video - 'Can't describe it: but maybe the man in the CostCo parking lot just lost his wife, and maybe those men had to settle some big deal or their house was going to repossessed? or at least their Lexus? What do you think?

An Answer

2011-05-11T08:24:00.000-07:00

A lot of times I'll have conversations with God not expecting an answer. Like the other day when I was feeling like there was just too much going on with finishing up two classes, caring for my family, picking up undone pieces of Missio Lux projects, cleaning the house, and on and on...Basically, what has amounted to a periodic conversation about what should I stop doing. Occasionally blogging enters into that, and this week I didn't post, so my questions were something like should I shut down my blog? Should I keep blogging?

Even though I see the stats that show me people in China, Iraq and various countries in Africa read my blog, it still feels rather small and invisible. After all, I started writing it for the Peace Seekers and only a handful of them actually read it, although they like to smile and act like they do. So is there enough impact that it is worth continuing?

Yesterday I had a message on my answering machine, along with several other messages needing my attention. The message was from an acquaintance I haven't seen in over a year. She said, "This is kind of random, but if you have a chance would you call me back?"

So even though my sister and my mom were also waiting for call backs, I called her late last night past my normal "not rude to call" hours. She was so excited to hear from me and told me, "I just had to tell you that two years ago I read your blog and saw the post about Ralphie . Ever since then I've felt like God wants me to go to Korea and teach. She kept reading my blog and started following Kelly's blog that mine links to."

This is a big step for her, a BIG step. Leaving an established life. She's hoping to maybe go this fall. A surprise for me, but also a triple surprise for her when I told her about all that is happening with Missio Lux communities in South Korea, and that the company she's contacted for her teaching placement is run by people from Missio Lux.

Yup, God works in mysterious ways. Yes, the kingdom of God is invisible (like yeast- Matthew 13:33) and starts out small (like a mustard seed - Matthew 13:31). I guess I'll keep blogging... for now.

If Jesus Had Twitter

2011-05-06T21:00:00.001-07:00

Christa Wells: How Emptiness Sings

2011-04-30T10:03:00.000-07:00

Christa Wells, who has a sound very much like my favorite artist Sara Groves, just released an album called How Emptiness Sings. Sara Groves says she doesn't listen to the songs Christa writes, because one by one she absorbs them. You can listen to them here: CLICK HERE

Blessings

2011-04-28T20:03:00.000-07:00

This is a powerful song especially for those of us who wonder why our prayers are not always answered the way we would like.

The Bill Problem

2011-04-27T09:06:00.000-07:00

Last week I had lunch with my husband and his friend who just retired. Judi is in her seventies and knows how to have fun. She told me that once she was with her two good friends who are single like her, one in her 80s and one in her 90s. When they entered a restaurant the hostess thought their husbands were parking the car, but finally she asked them if they were alone. Judi told her that they tried to pick up some men in the parking lot, but 'darn it' they were unsuccessful.

Flash forward to another restaurant visit when these same three women entered and the hostess said, "Are you alone?" Judi, who didn't want to miss the opportunity to relish in their inside joke said, "We tried to pick up some men, but they wouldn't come with us." So the waitress, very much on purpose, seated them next to a table of three men in their forties or fifties. She told them what they said about picking up some men and they all laughed.

When the women were done eating, the manger came out to their table and in a serious tone told them that there was a big problem with their bill. They looked at him in wonder. Then he said, "You see you can't pay it." And they said, "We can't?" And they couldn't because the three men sitting next to them had picked up their tab before leaving the restaurant. They were even more delighted when the waitress told them the men left her a big tip.

I loved thinking about how this small gesture in the scheme of things for these men has caused these women so much delight and joy, giving them a great story to tell. My first thought was to challenge myself, and you a blog reader, to think of something equivalent to do.

However, as I'm typing this, this story is striking me as much more meaningful, especially as we turn the corner from Good Friday and Easter. I'm reminded that Jesus truly did pay our debt, our bill, our guest check, on the cross. No matter how badly we want to try and pay it ourselves, through good deeds or perfection, we can't. There is a big problem with our bill. The bill has already been paid! Now it is up to us to relish in the joy and delight of having our bill so generously taken care of. We've been given a great story to tell.

Exhausted: Unlikely Agent Of Love

2011-04-25T08:22:00.000-07:00

There are so many stories to share after just a few hours in Occidental Square. When I saw this video today of young Brendan singing "I'm tired, weak and worn," I was reminded of a man I talked to yesterday, on Easter, when we served in the park downtown.

Drawn to our communion table by the beautiful lilies in the center, he touched them to see if they were real. He had dark brown eyes and memorable long curly eyelashes. His name is Latin, Donado, and he has been homeless, living on the street in Seattle for a while now. He told me he is just exhausted, that he is a man of faith, but if he can't find work when he returns home to Massachusetts in a couple weeks, he just wants to give up. He gave me the run down on his mental health status, and it wasn't a pretty picture.

Of course in my effort to encourage him, I told him God had a plan for him, even if he didn't find a job right away. There was certainly a purpose for him even being there talking to me. He made sure I knew that there was no one in his life that loved him, and sadder yet, he had no one to love.

As we talked, he commented again about the beautiful flowers. He said he wished he had a camera so he could take a picture of them. I pulled a stem of lilies out of the vase and an idea popped into my head - it sounds silly but perhaps it was divinely inspired?

"Donado," I said, "You do have a purpose today, and you have someone to love." I told him to give that beautiful lily to someone downtown who looks like they need some love and encouragement. He told me he was going to walk down to Starbucks next, so I suggested he give it to the barista who is likely working hard. Then I pulled a bunch of tulips out of the vase, "In fact, why don't you share all kinds of love today. Give out all these flowers and remind some people that God loves them."

Seeming to catch the vision, he actually got a little excited about that. We asked God to bless him and walk with him in his mission and new found purpose for the day. He left, toward Starbucks, carrying his bundle of flowers.

No White Patent Leather Shoes But Compassion Grows

2011-04-24T19:31:00.000-07:00

I was just looking at photos my friends posted on facebook of their kids dressed in beautiful Easter outfits today; spring dresses and white patent leather shoes. For a moment I was a little sad. Not yet teens, my kids haven't had Easter Sunday outfits since they were pretty little. For the last three years we've spent our Easter Sundays wearing jeans and sweatshirts in downtown Seattle having a banquet with the poor and others who join Missio Lux in celebrating Jesus' Resurrection in a concrete park. (Photo above: This year/ Side photo: Last year)

The truth be told, it really is not all about sacrificing our Easter Sunday. It is about the incredible blessings that come from serving and being with those who are less fortunate.

My daughter may not have had an Easter bonnet today, but when I realized how cold and rainy it might be in the park and lamented that she didn't have a ski hat to keep her warm, she said, "Mom, these people are out in the cold and rain all the time, the least I can do is be cold for a couple of hours."

What I am observing, over the years of investing in serving as a family, is that compassion is growing in our kids' hearts. This was their fifth time serving in this park. Even though the heart of the city is quite different than the suburb where we live, when we got there today, they didn't need any coaxing from me before jumping right into serving, passing out candy or cake and talking with people - and I will admit, some of the people there are a little scary to talk to.

Today, one women stood up to confess that she had smoked crack for many years bringing ruin to her life. This was her third day of being sober as she hoped for a better future for herself and the baby she's been carrying for six months. Some people gathered around her to pray. I noticed my daughter quietly laid hands on her back. Later she told me she was just asking God over and over to make the baby healthy and to undo anything that had affected the unborn child.

Our kids notice things I don't notice. They care when I'm preoccupied, or worse judgemental. They may not have white patent leather shoes or Easter hats, but God is filling them with His heart of compassion and mercy. Jesus is risen indeed!

Consider

2011-04-23T05:00:00.000-07:00

Dr. S. M. Lockridge

Good Friday & Psalm 22

2011-04-22T08:06:00.000-07:00

I like Dr. Kevin Leman's facebook post today. He writes: "I love Easter.....On this Good Friday...Read Psalm 22.....You will see the THOUGHTS of Jesus on the Cross.....Think about that...These words were penned 1,000 years BEFORE Christ's birth....Amazing.....as John Denver once said in the 1970 classic movie OH GOD...to George Burns..."You are God" ......Yes He is , now and forever!"

Psalm 22 - A Psalm of David

1 My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
Why are you so far from saving me,
so far from my cries of anguish?
2 My God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer,
by night, but I find no rest.

3 Yet you are enthroned as the Holy One;
you are the one Israel praises.
4 In you our ancestors put their trust;
they trusted and you delivered them.
5 To you they cried out and were saved;
in you they trusted and were not put to shame.

6 But I am a worm and not a man,
scorned by everyone, despised by the people.
7 All who see me mock me;
they hurl insults, shaking their heads.
8 “He trusts in the LORD,” they say,
“let the LORD rescue him.
Let him deliver him,
since he delights in him.”

9 Yet you brought me out of the womb;
you made me trust in you, even at my mother’s breast.
10 From birth I was cast on you;
from my mother’s womb you have been my God.

11 Do not be far from me,
for trouble is near
and there is no one to help.

12 Many bulls surround me;
strong bulls of Bashan encircle me.
13 Roaring lions that tear their prey
open their mouths wide against me.
14 I am poured out like water,
and all my bones are out of joint.
My heart has turned to wax;
it has melted within me.
15 My mouth[d] is dried up like a potsherd,
and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth;
you lay me in the dust of death.

16 Dogs surround me,
a pack of villains encircles me;
they pierce[e] my hands and my feet.
17 All my bones are on display;
people stare and gloat over me.
18 They divide my clothes among them
and cast lots for my garment.

19 But you, LORD, do not be far from me.
You are my strength; come quickly to help me.
20 Deliver me from the sword,
my precious life from the power of the dogs.
21 Rescue me from the mouth of the lions;
save me from the horns of the wild oxen.

22 I will declare your name to my people;
in the assembly I will praise you.
23 You who fear the LORD, praise him!
All you descendants of Jacob, honor him!
Revere him, all you descendants of Israel!
24 For he has not despised or scorned
the suffering of the afflicted one;
he has not hidden his face from him
but has listened to his cry for help.

25 From you comes the theme of my praise in the great assembly;
before those who fear you[f] I will fulfill my vows.
26 The poor will eat and be satisfied;
those who seek the LORD will praise him—
may your hearts live forever!

27 All the ends of the earth
will remember and turn to the LORD,
and all the families of the nations
will bow down before him,
28 for dominion belongs to the LORD
and he rules over the nations.

29 All the rich of the earth will feast and worship;
all who go down to the dust will kneel before him—
those who cannot keep themselves alive.
30 Posterity will serve him;
future generations will be told about the Lord.
31 They will proclaim his righteousness,
declaring to a people yet unborn:
He has done it!

Arise!

2011-04-21T00:40:00.000-07:00

I couldn't decide between New Song and Accapella so both versions are here for you. Take a moment to consider...

Weird Stuff

2011-04-20T09:49:00.000-07:00

EASTER INVITATION FROM EASTLAKE CHURCH

It seems like Eastlake Church in Bothell read my blog CLICK HERE questioning the marketing of "no weird stuff" in churches' tag lines. My thought was if we are really living as Jesus lived, loving God and others, we would be evidencing not only a counter cultural (aka weird) lifestyle, but the supernatural work of God in our lives and relationships through the power of the Holy Spirit (aka weird).

With six Easter services scheduled, EastLake Church is starting a sermon series on "Supernatural powers, the afterlife, miracles, mediums and spiritual guidance, angels, and near death experiences." Their invitation notes, "No matter where you've been or what you've done, you're invited as we launch the new series PARAnormal."

Last year at Easter, I questioned what seemed like a competition to be the church with the most Easter eggs in the marketing of a few churches, with no mention of Jesus or the Resurrection in their communications CLICK HERE Eastlake's mailer has a cartoon of Jesus with Alf, Michael Jackson and other outlandish characters(above), but no mention of Easter Eggs. Yes, weird.

However, it notes: "EastLake Church is all about, all because of, and all for, Jesus. It's not about the buildings with baristas, bowling alleys or bookstores. We want to embody the church Jesus had in mind and he never saw church as a place to go, but as a people striving to encounter God...not a religious institution, but a movement of love and hope. We believe the Church is at its best when it serves, sacrifices, and loves...caring about the things God cares about. Like Jesus, we will stand for those who cannot stand for themselves...We were created to live for something larger than ourselves, and God invites everyone everywhere into this way of life. We believe it is the best possible way to live."

Bravo EastLake! I'm so glad you are weird!

How to Invite a Friend to Celebrate Easter?

2011-04-18T09:01:00.000-07:00

Are you inviting any friends to celebrate the Easter Holiday with you? How will you invite them? Here is an interesting Easter Invitation from my friend's church in California - Mariners Church.

You are invited to celebrate Easter with me at Occidental Square in Seattle between 1pm and 3pm. You may even get a Peep. Sign up at www.MissioLux.org under Events.

Stuck In A Rut?

2011-04-15T15:21:00.000-07:00

Alan Hirsch - Are You Stuck In A Rut? from Verge Network on Vimeo.

Here's an opportunity to take a chance. Step out of your comfort zone. Sign up to Banquet with Missio Lux and the poor and disenfranchised of Seattle on Easter.HERE

Jo on Missional Communities

2011-04-14T15:02:00.000-07:00

You've gotta love Jo Saxton's smile and accent, a friend we've made through 3DM. She shares her insights on Missional Communities.

Jo Saxton interview from Verge Network on Vimeo.

Don't Give In

2011-04-01T01:04:00.000-07:00

My friend's son decided to sit with some kids that he knows in the lunchroom, but not his usual lunch crowd. When he approached them to sit at their table the boys told him he had to do something to be able to join them. It involved saying something mean to a girl. It was even a girl who hadn't treated him well in the past. Instead of taking the bait, and risk hurting someone else, he remarkably made the choice to sit all by himself at another table. His mom, although sad for him, was proud of his decision.

"One does not have to give into the evil in the world, even when she or he stands [or sits] alone in the dark places of life." (bracket added by me.) -Interestingly, this is what my professor wrote this week introducing an assignment about the book of Ruth in the Bible.

Ruth lived during the period of Judges in the Old Testament. Everyone around her seemed focused on doing evil, but she followed the covenant God established to be in relationship with the Israelites, even though she was from a foreign land. A courageous and creative woman, she was faithful and she was written into God's story as she married Boaz, gave birth to Obed, and hence was an ancestor of David.

Where do you stand or sit alone in a place of darkness? Recognize God's pleasure with you and His desire to write you into His story.

Hearing God

2011-03-27T09:14:00.000-07:00

"We live in a time when it is simply difficult to hear the voice of God," begins Jeff Kuess's blog about listening for God in the crisis times. Jeff is one of my favorite seminary professors at Fuller; a wise man in tune with our culture.

With regard to the trouble of hearing or discerning God's voice, he notes, "One tenet that is deep in the Wesleyan tradition is the importance of letting our experience speak and become a tuning fork that picks up the resonance of God’s voice. However, this gets troubling for some. When human experience is correlated with (for lack of a better phrase) “the knowledge of God”, the question arises of “who is leading whom” – how do we know if we are hearing the voice of God or merely our own damaged longings or the din and clang of culture?"

Later in the blog he shares: "This past week I was witness to a church in such a season of crisis. Many folks clamoring for a return to ‘the ways things have been’ and using terms like ‘in the decades past’ recalling some romantic yesteryear in some nostalgic golden time that was predictable, did not require new ways of being, did not cost a change in the way of things. What people wanted was certainty, that everything was going to be ‘as it had always been’, and not one mention was made as to how this return to a romantic past was brought forward in a spirit of prayer, fasting and supplication. Sometimes what we want is not the (re)new thing… sometimes we want what makes us comfortable through a conformation to a human way of understanding. The funny thing is is that God rarely offers comfort through conformities…"

He concludes his discussion, "So are we listening...this Lenten season? Are we attending to the divinely appointed crisis of this Lenten season and considering anew what we have accepted as normative in our faith practices and now willing to submit to the possibility of transformation and renewal that will ultimately cost us our certainty and offer us faith in exchange?"

Jeff leaves us with this amazing little video - a call to worship and a benediction -Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Tom Waits' song “Come On Up To The House”

This is a severe reduction of Jeff's discussion and message - READ HIS FULL BLOG HERE

Happy Birthday Blog!

2011-03-26T12:23:00.000-07:00

If you've ever thought about starting a blog I encourage you to do it. I started two years ago today. Over 375 blog posts later, I encourage you to do the same.

It is so fun to run into friends and have them mentioned some way my blog touched them or made them think. I appreciate that friends from high school, college, neighborhood, family and random googlers (or bingers) are taking the time to read about what I'm thinking and doing. Some of my blogs have converged with writing for my projects at Fuller and now at Bakke Graduate University. Others have stored memories I may have forgotten.

If you are reading this, THANK YOU. I appreciate you and all my blog readers - Have a piece of cake!

(And no - It isn't a real cake)

Tough Old Question: Why?

2011-03-25T10:45:00.000-07:00

Yesterday at Peace Seekers one of my friends told us about her kids’ music teacher, a family friend in his twenties, who philosophizes with her kids about a wide range of topics. He started asking the kids what they knew about Japan and commented that he didn’t understand how God could let this happen, or any other terrible things. Of course this left my friend with what seemed like an overwhelming mom explanation job. So during our discussion we talked about the mystery of this tension between the fallen world and a God who is sovereign, caring and loving, and promises to one day make all things right.

These are not new questions. In fact, Job, one of the oldest books in the Old Testament of the Bible, demonstrates God’s sovereignty and addresses this question of why do the righteous suffer? Or why do bad things happen even to good people? If you haven’t read the story of Job, I encourage you to pick it up. Job is a moral, wealthy man who loves God. However, God allows Satan to destroy everything he owns, his flocks, his children and his health.

The book of Job incorporates the literary genres of narrative (story telling) and disputation (arguments of both Job and his friends). Job complains, offers hymns and an avowal of his innocence. His friends have grown up in Israel’s tradition that God is morally reliable, and they understood this to mean that faithfulness brings prosperity and disobedience yields adversity.

Therefore, they mistakenly think Job surely did something wrong to deserve what has happened to him. There are three cycles of these speeches alternating between Job’s three friends (who are examples of the older, settled, traditional faith), and Job. The last cycle is left incomplete. As Walter Brueggemann describes it, there is an “unbearable interface between obedience and suffering…the wisdom of both Job and his friends- cannot penetrate the mystery of creation that only God knows.”

“On the one hand, it is God’s world because he made it. On the other hand, it is also a fallen world because we [mankind] spoiled it. So it is a world that needs saving,” notes Christopher Wright. The story of Job and others point us to God as the only hope of that salvation and indirectly to the story of God’s redeeming acts in which the world’s salvation is to be found.

Gordon Fee indicates that the wisdom books like Job, recognize that making Godly choices in life is important, but wisdom is a matter of orientation to God and His purposes. The world poses some very hard questions, and yet some of these books in the Bible don't avoid them or suggest there are easy to understand clear answers. For example, texts like Job challenge naïve and misguided views that there are direct lines between faith and material rewards, or between sin and sickness.

By the end of the story, Job surrenders to God with renewed trust. “The book’s lesson is that the ultimate root of some (not all) human suffering lies in the mysterious, hidden purposes of God for his people,” notes William Klein in his book Biblical Interpretation. He also suggests that, “Job encourages believers to trust God for similar, ultimate vindication from unjust suffering, whether it comes in this life or the next.”

“Can you fathom the mysteries of God? Can you probe the limits of the Almighty? They are higher than the heavens- what can you do? They are deeper than the depths of the grave- what can you know? Their measure is longer than the earth and wider than the sea.” Job 11:7-9

Take a Chill Pill

2011-03-24T16:32:00.000-07:00

Take a few minutes to enjoy this. A friend of a friend, Cherlyn Johnson improvises some beautiful music with well known artist Phil Keaggy. Let your imagination take you to a pleasant place. Enjoy!

World's Dumbest Sinners

2011-03-21T14:02:00.000-07:00

Have you seen the TV show World’s Dumbest Criminals? We’ve laughed a lot watching that show. Like at the guy who was pulled over for suspected drunk driving and when the Police told him they were going to give him a sobriety test, he reached in his car and grabbed his beer, telling them, “I always do better on tests when I’ve had a drink.”

Reader’s Digest also had some tales of clueless outlaws. Like the mom who had her kids help her shoplift at the Dollar store. One of the items of booty was the book 101 Ways to Be a Great Mom. One guy deposited his cocaine in the bank ATM with his cash and deposit receipt. Another robbed a bank by writing his demands on both sides of a personal check. It didn’t take the police too long to find him.

Isn’t it crazy how we do this kind of stuff with God too. Like God isn’t going to know what we've been thinking or doing. Kind of like being the “world’s dumbest sinner.” We avoid confession and asking for forgiveness. I think sometimes God must just shake his head, “Did they think I wouldn’t find out?”

Sin is serious. Yet, God’s grace is so big. At Missio Lux we try to remember: "You can’t out sin God’s grace." Jesus already paid the cost on the cross, so accept the free gift of forgiveness. There are always consequences to sin, but with God's help you can be free from the snares that entrap you and be healed. Walk away from guilt and shame, and the bad fruit they bring into your life and relationships.

Grab a hold of God’s grace. Then extend it to some other "dumbest sinner" who needs it.

Peace Seekers Visit Acres of Diamonds

2011-03-18T07:33:00.000-07:00

Yesterday five of us from Peace Seekers took a field trip to Acres of Diamonds. It is a transitional living program for women and their kids who have been homeless. Jackie the Executive Director spent a generous amount of time with us telling us the Acres of Diamonds Story and giving us a tour of the house. They also have apartments for the second phase of the program. (CLICK HERE FOR THEIR WEBSITE)

Before we left we committed to provide Easter Baskets for the kids this year, but I could see the wheels turning in the minds of the creative women I was with regarding other ideas about how we might be able to help this amazing program that really does transform people's lives and the generations that follow them.

What I love is that when you give to Acres of Diamonds, or come to encourage the residents, you are contributing to people who have set goals, who are working hard to make a better life for themselves and their children, and who want to give back to the world. You can be confident it is not a ministry that just provides hand outs or serves people who are taking advantage of the "system."

We were struck by the way Acres of Diamonds was started. Maybe it was because we were five women, but it was five women who started Acres of Diamonds. They all contributed to the down payment for the house in a huge leap of faith and with a gigantic vision for what God would do. As I've seen the women I know serve in so many places, I'm excited to see how God will continue to use them and grow them, especially as they get in tune with their passions, walk in faith and live into all that they have to contribute to the world.

For more of my blogs about Acres of Diamonds use the blog search bar on the right.

Living in Japan

2011-03-15T11:36:00.000-07:00

My friend Andrea Johnson is living with her family in Tokyo. Her blog is a fascinating story of what it has been like living in Japan. Even though they are far from the most affected areas, they are experiencing much disruption to normal life and the challenge of processing all that is happening in their country. Andrea notes, that "Stripping away the trappings of our lives shows what’s real."

From her blog:
"Today at the store there was very little on the shelves. In the long lines I saw several exhausted moms with little ones on their backs or in strollers anxiously looking for scarce items including formula and diapers. A few people view it as unnecessary panic to stock up on items. Most view it as being responsible in order to not cause trouble to others…in addition to being smart. Twice in the last half hour warnings for a strong earthquake centered in Nagano (a completely different fault line running at roughly a 90 degree angle to the ones which caused the 9.0 earthquake) have flashed on the screen. In both cases, the subsequent quakes were moderate. I’d like to think that will relieve the pressure and things will calm down, but there are other ways to look at it."

"Human interest stories are beginning to show up on the news: survival after being swept away by a tsunami, generosity in the midst of loss, unexpected tales of loss and being found. A few children’s TV programs have returned, but the basic channels are all devoted to events unfolding. The absence of ads on TV is refreshing. In their place are carefully crafted reminders to encourage people to show kindness, patience, thoughtfulness, and forgiveness to one another."

Read more at Andrea's Blog - Look for more Earthquake Updates in the Right Margin:
LINK

Worth the Risk of Feeling Weird

2011-03-13T22:17:00.000-07:00

This is going to probably sound a little weird – ok I will admit it, maybe a lot weird - but it was one of the most meaningful conversations I’ve had in while.

My daughter and I stopped for a quick bite between shopping and a basketball awards night. At three o’clock, the burger place was pretty empty. I felt a ‘nudge’ to start up a conversation with a distinguished looking man in his late 50s who was working grilling burgers, making fries and clearing tables. After all, I had just read something in Alan Hirsch's new book Right Here Right Now encouraging us to not see people as part of the wallpaper or background but really see them.

So I started asking him questions. Did he own the restaurant? Not only did he own it, he is President and CEO of the food corporation that has this restaurant and other locations, as well as franchises. In the past, this business he started included another restaurant chain you would remember that has gone under.

He moved here from Korea and was a very successful business man. In fact, he used to speak to businesses about his achievements. His success came crashing down though three years ago with the changes in the economy. He told me how people are eating at home, how the value of the properties he owned plummeted, and how franchises have closed. Like many small business people in this economy, the banks won’t give him loans. The result has cost him well over a million dollars of lifetime earnings.

Now mayonnaise for the chain’s special sauce costs twice what it used to, and buying oil for frying is three times the previous outlay. Yet, people complain if the price of a hamburger goes up ten cents. He is more than feeling the pinch, he has humbled himself to work in his restaurant, especially because there was no income coming in for his family.

While we were sitting there, the lesson from our Arbors family gathering last Sunday came back to me. It was the story of Jesus and the feeding of the 5,000 (John 6). The disciples only saw two options when faced with the crisis of not having enough: One, send the people away, or two, buy food with the huge amount of money it would cost to feed them all. However, with God there are often more options, as Jesus showed them. He blessed the little bit they had, gave thanks and looked to His father God, and the crisis was resolved. During the lesson both the kids and adults were asked, “Who needs to hear this story?” And we even closed in prayer, "Lord show us who needs to hear this story."

Plainly, floating in my head was, “He needs to hear the story,” And “You need to tell him the story.” But not wanting to do anything “weird,” we said goodbye and got in our car. Ready to start the engine, there was just no way I could leave. My daughter thought I was a little nuts, but I told her I had to go back in because he was someone who needs to hear the story.

So I told him how broken hearted I was to hear about his situation. He shared that he had to stop supporting his kids who were in college and graduate school, and how difficult not only his business but his life has been. He was without hope. As we talked, I told him about the feeding of the 5,000. He had heard of the story. During the conversation his eyes filled with puddles. I suggested that, just like in this story of Jesus, he might want to consider inviting God to provide another option, just to see. I briefly asked God to bless his restaurant, business and family. He gave me his business card and made sure I promised to come back again soon.

I am so thankful God gave me the chance to take the risk of feeling weird.

And if you are going out to eat, I can tell you where to spend your money!

Friendship: The Myth of Mile Wide Mile Deep

2011-03-12T10:01:00.000-08:00

Can you relate? My sister doesn’t have her present yet, a week after her birthday. There is not enough time in my day to call people I care about who need my support and encouragement. I feel like some weeks no one really knows what is going on in my life, or my heart, or my head, and yet facebook tells me I have over 500 friends.

I’m processing a question out loud here more than developing any kind of answer. I’m just wondering. Does this ring true in your own life?

It seems like I’ve been hearing it more and more, and I know my husband and I have been experiencing it since our move to Seattle five years ago. People have a longing to have deep meaningful relationships – relationships that truly involve “doing life” together. We’ve felt like we’ve had many of these friendships in our lives. I hope you have too.

Some of the friendships we’ve had have been with people in a small group setting. We didn’t just see them once a week at a gathering, we’d run into them at church on Sunday, meet up for play-dates with the kids, go to each others’ Birthday parties and help each other in crisis; big ones or as small as rides to the airport. My sister has this kind of relationship with her husband’s family; he is the youngest of five kids that still gather with spouses and children at his parent’s house every week. Some of us feel this way about our college roommates or work colleagues.

When you see these friends, even if separated for years, you can move to the deepest places of conversation and connection lightening fast. When starting a new relationship it usually takes large blocks of time, energy and commitment to get to the point that you can easily move beyond shallow conversations to meaningful ways to pour into each other’s lives.

For us, we meet lots and lots of people that we love. People we would truly desire to hang out with; “do life with.” In fact, we have groups, communities and huddles that are established to help us develop these relationships. In addition, my husband leads a basketball night. My kids are in a small group at their youth group. I'm have fellow cohorts at school. All these places involve lots and lots of different wonderful people. We are learning and growing from many of these interactions.

However, when it is said and done are we really able to “do life,” “be known,” “serve and be cared for,” and feel fulfilled in so many different places with so many different people and the limited time we spend with each other?

My husband noted last night that, when it comes to relationships in your life, you can’t be a mile wide and a mile deep. If our associations with people have us spread out so broadly, our relationships can only go an inch or two deep. We may plant seeds, spread joy, and other good stuff, but at some point we need some ‘focus’ on a manageable number of intentional relationships that develop with a significant amount of interaction.

Jesus had this figured out if you consider the 3 disciples he was closest to, and the 12 total that he lived life with for three years. There were still the other followers who gathered around him, and even the crowds, but there seems to be something really important to learn from what he modeled in these deeper committed friendships.

I’ve been doing some reading and thinking about this and what it would look like in our lives practically. But this is enough to chew on today. Let me know your thoughts and I will weigh in on this again soon.

Breakdown Before Breakthrough

2011-03-10T20:01:00.001-08:00

A pre-teen's suicide, a five year old dying unexpectedly, childhood diseases, friends with Cancer; today at Peace Seekers we had some pretty heavy and overwhelming life challenges to talk about. The kind of things you can't make sense of. There are no explanations and no pat answers. Times when we must trust God's character and his promises because we can't understand the 'whys.' They seem to be all around us, in our community, our own families and friends' lives.

Coping with these types of tragedies, and sometimes just the normal demands of life, can become completely overwhelming. Add to that when we really mess up in a relationship or a bad decision. Sometimes it seems like we hit a wall, we breakdown and maybe even crash at full speed.

One of the women there made a statement that is now going to be one of our Peace Seeker -'isms.' She said, "After Breakdown there is Breakthrough." ...Breakdown before breakthrough... Breakthrough after breakdown... BBB. Yup, I've seen it over and over. There are endless examples of it in scripture and in our lives.

When we are on our way, or right in the midst of breaking down, we must look ahead to the breakthrough. We can anticipate that it is coming. Even in the pain, there is hope.

"Let your eyes look straight ahead, fix your gaze directly before you." Proverbs 4:25

"Trust the Lord completely: don't ever trust yourself." Proverbs 3:5

"Strengthen the feeble hands, steady the knees that give way: say to those with fearful hearts, 'Be strong, do not fear." Isaiah 33: 3,4

Jealous?

2011-03-09T10:01:00.000-08:00

Jealousy- Covetousness- Being Green with Envy

It started with Eve. There was something so attractive and appealing about that fruit on the tree she became covetous-jealous. She had to have it. This jealousy is enough of a danger that the tenth commandment addresses it: “You shall not covet.” (Exodus 20:17) Jesus warned, “Be on your guard against all kinds of greed.” (Luke 12:15) Paul in dealing with the church in Corinth told them they were immature believers because they had jealousy and quarreling between them. Being controlled by their own desires, rather than God’s, stunted their growth. (I Corinthians 3:1-3)

For my middle school kids jealously relates to: the new style of Uggs, an iPhone, a desired seat on the bus, and the attention a friend is getting. But have you pondered what jealously looks like in your grown up life? Like me, for you it likely goes much deeper than what someone picked up at the Nordstrom Semi-Annual Sale. Does it hinder you in relationships? Does it result in fear? Fear that is the opposite of faith.

When James wrote about genuine wisdom, he also cautioned against jealousy. His is a pretty serious warning: jealousy is not only unspiritual but demonic.

"Who is wise and understanding among you? Let them show it by their good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. Such “wisdom” does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice.
But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness." (James 3:13-18)

Do you have jealousy you need to relinquish? What bad fruit is their in your life as a result that you need to confess and get rid of? Be encouraged that God is faithful and just to forgive and free us.

In the Storm

2011-03-07T20:20:00.000-08:00

I have a number of friends who are right in the middle of some great big storms: Losing loved ones, health issues, raising teenagers in crisis, marital trouble, and the list goes on and on.

Psalm 91 tells us about God's protection in the midst of danger. God doesn't promise a world free from trouble, but he does promise his help when we face danger. The end of the Psalm notes: "Because he loves me," says the Lord, "I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name. He will call upon me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him. With long life will I satisfy him and show him my salvation."

Here is a great song from Casting Crowns:

Smart Girls

2011-03-03T15:58:00.000-08:00

Here is a link to a very interesting article about smart girls and grown women, and the lies they tell themselves that must be overcome to be successful. The author asks, "What makes smart girls more vulnerable and less confident when they should be the most confident kids in the room?" Check it out: LINK HERE

Surprise!

2011-02-28T16:21:00.000-08:00

I just had fun finding this little gift on my front step from a special friend. She wanted me to share it with Peace Seekers - but I will share it with all of you! Have a good day.

Do You Need A Manslater?

2011-02-26T10:31:00.000-08:00

Sometimes we just don't understand each other. This is a fun video.

Complaint About Complaints Choirs

2011-02-22T15:57:00.000-08:00

Complaint Choirs are forming around the world and the collection of videos on YouTube prove it. Have you heard of them? People submit complaints, and then the choir sings them.

At the risk of sounding like Andy Rooney, today I want to complain about complaint choirs. I admit I'm a little bit of a Pollyanna, but really, singing about all the stuff that bugs you? Whatever happened to positive thinking, brown paper packages tied up in strings, going with the flow, and "Don't sweat the small stuff"?

There is probably something to be said for "venting." Perhaps these choirs shorten the lines of people waiting to comment at City Council meetings. On a larger scale, our common complaints may be uniting the world. After all, frustration is the mother of creativity.

They certainly provide entertaining material without having to pay someone ridiculous royalties for their stuff. What do you think? If you started a Complaint Choir what would you sing about? Or better yet, how about starting a movement of "Complement Choruses"!

Birmingham Complaints Choir

Hamburg Complaints Choir

Tokyo Complaints Choir - Including: Don't send me
an email on Friday evening

This Choir in Canada is pretty funny - But I can't embed their video: Link Here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BeO-K_qI2w8

You can add your own complaints at WorldStage HERE: http://www.harbourfrontcentre.com/worldstage1011/complaintschoir.cfm

Your.One.Life

2011-02-21T18:05:00.001-08:00

I can't wait to crack open Scot McKnight's latest book One.Life. What are you doing with YOUR one life? What is YOUR Kingdom Dream? Check out this video promo:

Save the Date

2011-02-13T14:27:00.001-08:00

Hoops of Hope is coming up again on May 2oth! The money raised at this great "Hoop-a-thon" will provide for the 35 orphans currently sponsored by Seeds of Hope. Hopefully, enough money will be raised that some of the other 30 or more kids from this village waiting to go to school and have a place to live can also join the crowd (above).

The kids are all from a village in Sudan that was destroyed by war. $1,200 is all it takes to provide everything one of these kids needs for an entire year - clothes, food, school, health care and supervised housing during school breaks. You can search my blog (search bar to the right) for more on Seeds of Hope and Hoops of Hope. Plan to join us at Pine Lake Middle School on May 20th!

Here is a video created by a seventh grader about last year's event.

Hoops of Hope for Seeds of Hope Event 2010 from Derek on Vimeo.

Tossing and Turning

2011-02-10T20:17:00.000-08:00

I am usually a sound sleeper and I can fall asleep quickly just about anywhere at anytime of day. However, the last couple nights I've been solving all the world's problems, big and small, while developing all kinds of amazing solutions and ideas in my head. In the morning I'm not so sure what I've been working on all night. So I love this quote I read today:

"It often happens that I wake up at night and begin to think about a serious problem and decide I must tell the Pope about it. Then I wake up completely and remember that I am the Pope." -Pope John XXIII

What big problems can you help to solve today?

Paradigm Shift: Housing of Trash

2011-02-08T10:06:00.001-08:00

Relish plates, wine bottle corks and discarded frame corners: Amazing story of a new paradigm for housing, trash and peoples' ability to own homes.

New You By Friday?!

2011-02-06T10:52:00.000-08:00

I've known best selling author Dr. Kevin Leman since I was 19 years old. His daughters were campers in my cabin at camp when I was a counselor, and we spent many weeks 'hanging out' with their family when Dr. Leman was a camp speaker or they enjoyed family camp. The cajoling of Cub (what we called him) and his wonderful wife Sandi played a big part in my husband and I becoming a "couple." In fact, he took great joy in analyzing our Birth Orders, a couple of times this was on stage in front of lots of people. He noted all the ways we were a match made in heaven. After twenty-one years of marital bliss, I think he knew what he was talking about.

We have some fun memories of being with their family in New York State, visits in Chicago and Minnesota, and staying at their home in Arizona. His latest series of books are focused on quick behavioral changes: Have a New Kid by Friday, Have a New Husband by Friday, and now Have a New You by Friday. What do you think? Could you be a new you by Friday?

Here he is on Fox News this week describing his book in three minutes: (Sorry about the ad - Let me know if there is some way to get rid of it)

No More Vegging Tales

2011-02-05T15:48:00.000-08:00

The night we visited Echo Glen, Washington's Juvenile Detention Center, a man named Grant was there as a volunteer. I loved what Grant told me about why he was there. He said he was on Susan's list of volunteers. When he saw the email that more help was needed for that night he thought to himself, "I could go home from work and flip on the TV, or I could do something with more eternal value."

So he drove forty five minutes to participate, recognizing that for the girls there it was important to see a kind man doing something good to serve others. In fact, one can only guess what many of the men in these juvenile offenders lives have been like. Who knows what the impact of Grant's presence there has on some of the girls?

Just what would happen if more of us thought like Grant? What can we do to make the world a better place rather than vegging at the tube?

Feeding and Loving the Poor

2011-02-05T13:09:00.000-08:00

This is a most amazing video of self-sacrifice and living a life focused on giving. The ability to embed has been turned off. You can link to the three minute video HERE.

Now consider John 13 about when Jesus washed the disciples' feet.

1-2 Just before the Passover Feast, Jesus knew that the time had come to leave this world to go to the Father. Having loved his dear companions, he continued to love them right to the end. It was suppertime. The Devil by now had Judas, son of Simon the Iscariot, firmly in his grip, all set for the betrayal.
3-6Jesus knew that the Father had put him in complete charge of everything, that he came from God and was on his way back to God. So he got up from the supper table, set aside his robe, and put on an apron. Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the feet of the disciples, drying them with his apron. When he got to Simon Peter, Peter said, "Master, you wash my feet?"

7Jesus answered, "You don't understand now what I'm doing, but it will be clear enough to you later."

8Peter persisted, "You're not going to wash my feet—ever!"

Jesus said, "If I don't wash you, you can't be part of what I'm doing."

9"Master!" said Peter. "Not only my feet, then. Wash my hands! Wash my head!"

10-12Jesus said, "If you've had a bath in the morning, you only need your feet washed now and you're clean from head to toe. My concern, you understand, is holiness, not hygiene. So now you're clean. But not every one of you." (He knew who was betraying him. That's why he said, "Not every one of you.") After he had finished washing their feet, he took his robe, put it back on, and went back to his place at the table.

12-17Then he said, "Do you understand what I have done to you? You address me as 'Teacher' and 'Master,' and rightly so. That is what I am. So if I, the Master and Teacher, washed your feet, you must now wash each other's feet. I've laid down a pattern for you. What I've done, you do. I'm only pointing out the obvious. A servant is not ranked above his master; an employee doesn't give orders to the employer. If you understand what I'm telling you, act like it—and live a blessed life. (The Message)

A Light Heart

2011-02-04T15:36:00.000-08:00

"O Holy Spirit, descend plentifully into my heart. Enlighten the dark corners of this neglected dwelling and scatter there Thy cheerful beams." -Saint Augustine

What do Suburban Moms, Teens in Juvenile Detention and Kids in Africa Have in Common?

2011-02-02T19:19:00.000-08:00

What do suburban moms, teens in juvenile detention, and kids in Africa have in common? It doesn't have anything to do with knock knock jokes or chickens crossing the road, but is all about the Children of the Nations Food Packaging Event last night at Echo Glen Children's Home (Washington's juvenile detention center) sponsored by the Missio Lux Peace Seekers.

Now that Missio Lux has been involved in packaging over 84,000 meals, it has been my dream that people who need a chance to know they can help others would be able to experience a food packaging event. I've envisioned that homeless people in downtown Seattle could take pride in doing this for orphans across the sea. However, seeing twenty girls that are held in a juvenile detention center enjoy this was even better!

The Peace Seekers Missio Community provided the funds - $500 for 2,000 meals. Susan, who coordinates an ongoing program for volunteers to serve at Echo Glen, made all the arrangements, found some additional adult volunteers and brought cookies for the snack. Fraser and his interns from Children of the Nations arrived at Echo Glen with all the food, packing materials and a DVD about the kids served in the most impoverished areas of the world.

When the girls arrived in the multipurpose room from their cottage (basically cells), I was surprised at how young and sweet they seemed, like our family friends or kids who live on my street. They weren't too sure about the hairnets and aprons that they needed to put on. However, with giggles they cooperated and later looked like a bunch of school lunch ladies sitting on the floor listening to Fraser. He told a story about his recent trip to Malawi and a four year old girl who grabbed his neck and wouldn't let go until she eventually fell asleep. The girls, who have been convicted of a variety of offenses, were touched by his story and oowed and awed when cute toddlers appeared in the video.

They scooped and sealed the bags of dried food, working hard to do everything right. I was impressed with the efforts of one young teen to make perfect seals. She was a beautiful girl with petite features and perfectly polished fingernails. We started to give Fraser a hard time that the music he was playing was putting us to sleep. She told me about her brother's band and how he was a drug dealer like her, but he turned his life around. She hopes to do the same thing because her dream is to be a Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader. I asked her if she watches the TV show about them and she proudly admitted, "All the time!"

After we took a group picture with the boxes holding the 2000 meals, the girls made cards for the kids that would receive the food. Sweet drawings of flowers, hearts, and smiley faces enhanced the messages they created like: "You are loved." "Never Give Up." "You are so special."

When we were cleaning up, one of the ninth graders worked hard helping me untangle the long orange extension cords that were a knotted mess. We joked about her new exercise invention and potential infomercial as she rolled the heavy cords over her biceps. Having already been at Echo Glen for a year and half, she told me her release date is in October. It was with mixed emotions that I considered where she would be in October.

For many of these kids I wonder if they really had a choice, any other options than what got them in trouble with the law. I contemplated what their lives will be like when they go back to the environments they came from. It is with hope that I am looking forward to visiting these special people again. Have you been there? Want to come with next time?

Power is Expandable

2011-01-31T08:22:00.001-08:00

"Power" is an area of study for my degree in Transformational Leadership. It is interesting that power, and what we do with it, is not only about leadership, but every aspect of how we live out our lives and relationships. Sometimes we hold onto it so tightly, forgetting that power is actually expandable.

In the leadership context, power can look like a lot of different things, including: authority, wealth, information, favor, relationships, or capability. People's orientation toward power affects their behavior. For example, it can make them competitive or generous. They can have different ways of holding on to it or giving it away.

Most theorists would make a case that different approaches to power are most effective in various settings or situations. It seems that trusting that there is abundance rather than scarcity is part of the ability to give away power. That means having faith that God will provide what is really needed in any situation. So remarkably, power is expandable. The more power we share or give away, the more there is.

Consider what Jesus modeled related to power. What power do you have? Give some away and see if it expands.

Some books on this topic: Servant Leadership (Greenleaf), The Handbook of Conflict Resolution (Deutsch, et al).

You Changed The World

2011-01-31T06:56:00.000-08:00

Scott Krippayne, song writer of many songs you would know, sang a great one last night at the most amazing Sammamish Young Life Banquet. He wrote this song about his Young Life Leader and the impact he had on his life. Well worth a listen: CLICK HERE

Pancakes for Pants

2011-01-29T16:05:00.000-08:00

Last weekend we held our annual Family Swedish Pancake Breakfast Open House. My family greeted about sixty guests into our home. We traded pancakes for pants, and shirts, and shoes, and jackets people were kind enough to bring for kids in need served by the Eastside Baby Corner. It wasn't No Shirts, No Shoes, No Service though. If someone didn't make a donation, we still shared rolled Swedish pancakes with lingonberries, bacon, sausage, hard boiled eggs and a hash brown dish.

The kids had fun coloring dala horses on paper, creating with legos and exploring my daughter's expansive collection of My Little Ponies. The adults? Well drinking coffee and chatting seemed to go over well.

The friendship of a wonderful collection of friends warmed our home and the collection of donated items filled the back of my van. Ha det så bra!

Memory Thrashed?

2011-01-28T09:19:00.000-08:00

More and more, my friends are having some memory challenges. The other day one of them found she left the carton of cream with the kids shoes in the hallway. Another friend threw her iPhone in the wash and one was so angry and upset last week she broke down and cried but now she can't remember why. I'm not any better, my kids cringe every time I can't find my keys. It seems to be a regular problem that daily Sudoku and graduate studies are not curing. Enjoy this video spoof by Pam Peterson.

Got Vulnerability?

2011-01-27T18:05:00.000-08:00

Today at Peace Seekers I told about a struggle I've had this week. Well, a struggle I've had for a while and when I think I am no longer having the same "issue" it seems to resurface when I am not expecting it bringing about hurt, frustration and basically messing with my mind, heart and identity. It is not always so easy for me to be vulnerable, especially in a group setting. In fact, sometimes I fight it tooth and nail.

The reaction my story received was interesting. Everyone was very understanding and a number of women expressed often feeling the same way; having the same challenges. Many shared other things they were struggling with and were able to receive encouragement and perspective. It was worth the risk to be vulnerable.

Interestingly, I read a blog tonight that does a nice job talking about vulnerability: LINK TO IT HERE.

What is 3DM?

2011-01-25T08:02:00.000-08:00

Over the last two years I've been fortunate to be part of a team from Missio Lux that has traveled to South Carolina to be a part of a 3DM Learning Community with about a dozen other churches from around the country. The churches are a variety of sizes, types and contexts, that all want to do things better and be more effective at bringing light and hope to people.

Today Missio Lux and a Lutheran Church in our community are hosting about sixty people for a "Taster" of 3DM. What is a "Taster"? A chance to taste and see what a learning community looks like and feels like.

Kids: Setting the Bar Too Low?

2011-01-24T07:55:00.000-08:00

My daughter pulled her hair back a new unusual way last week. When I dropped her off at middle school, I realized that every third girl with long hair was wearing the same do. No doubt peer influences are strong and have a huge impact; good, bad or neutral.

Recently, I've had more than a couple conversations with well meaning parents who say things like: "Everyone gets in trouble when they are a teen." "All kids are going to do it or try it out." "We all did stuff." I'm realizing that when it comes to making wise decisions and having moral standards, as a culture we have set the bar way too low for our kids.

I'm not advocating coercive parenting or expecting perfection from our kids, but I am challenging expectations. We must question the thinking that youth can't be modest and abstinent, or that they can't choose not to get drunk or high if their peers present an opportunity. We need to do more to encourage them about their worth, their capabilities and that, with God's help, they can stand firm in the battle.

And a battle it is! My "skin crawled" when I learned of MTV's new highly promoted Monday night show called Skins. The MTV Website describes it as: "Skins is a wild ride through the lives of a group of high school friends stumbling through the mine field of adolescence... and stepping on most of the mines as they go. Be it sex, drugs, the breadth of friendships or the depth of heartbreaks, Skins is an emotional mosh-pit that slams through the insanity of teenage years. They'll crush hearts and burn brain cells, while fearlessly confronting every obstacle head on...or slightly off."

Is this really the bar we have set for the youth in our country and around the world? What kind of expectations are you using to encourage the kids in your life and neighborhood?

Mike Breen: What is a Missional Community?

2011-01-20T07:45:00.000-08:00

Looks like it was a little chilly in South Carolina that day Mike shot this video. He shares his story about how Missional Communities started and what they can look like.

Climbing Out Of Marital Valleys

2011-01-14T12:23:00.000-08:00

For people finding divorce is the only reasonable option because of the terrible things that can happen in a marriage, this is an over simplification. However, for others, for whom small frustrations are piling up and seeming like an insurmountable mountain, the message is hang on to hope and perspective. Mountains have moved before!

I read in the book Five Conversations You Must Have with Your Daughter that a national sample research study found that 86 percent of people who were unhappily married in the late 1980s yet opted to stay in the marriage, indicated when interviewed five years later that they were happier. In fact, three-fifths (over half) of the formerly unhappily married couples rated their marriages as either "very happy" or "quite happy."

The author highlights that every marriage will come with ups and downs and difficulties, so seek to serve more than be served. She also notes that, in our culture, we don't often consider that research studies (like those published in Journal of Marriage and Family and the American Journal of Sociology) "have found that married people, both men and women are considered better off than all categories of unmarried people in terms of happiness, satisfaction, physical health, longevity, and most aspects of emotional health."

Someone mentioned to me yesterday that her divorced friends have all the "bad stuff" of their marriages still especially as they deal with co-parenting, but none of the "good stuff" their marriage brought.

If you are struggling, having a hard time, you need help or even a new perspective, reach out and ask for it. We've seen plenty of seemingly unrepairable marriages healed up. In fact, some of the people in these relationships are the most happily married people we know. Consider reading Psalm 121 for hope.

Expressions of Up, In and Out

2011-01-10T08:42:00.000-08:00

It seems many people are writing about the importance of a balanced life and a healthy church. It is showing up in lots of places. Sometimes illustrated as a triangle, other times as three circles, expressed in various orders with different words. Here are some I've seen recently. Recognize the Up, In and Out in each one?

3DMinistries Triangle Lifeshape:
Up:connecting and seeking God
In: being a part of a supportive community
Out: reaching out to the world

Rolling Hills Covenant Young Adults tagline:
Connection: Meet other young adults
Transformation: Live more like Christ
Kingdom: Serve like Christ in our community

Overlake Christian Church
Love God
Love People
Serve the World

Timberlake Christian Fellowship
Connect
Grow
Serve

First Covenant Seattle
Proclaim Christ
Nurture Believers
Serve the World

Vineyard Community Church Shoreline
We seek to be a community
of followers of Jesus
who are known for our kindness, generousity and service to others.

Missio Lux Values:
Know God
Love One Another
Serve the World

Can you also see it in what Jesus shared in the Great Commandment (Love the Lord God -UP), the second greatest commandment (Love Others as Yourself - IN) and the Great Commission (Go And Make Disciples - OUT)?

Neil Cole, author of Church3.0, calls it what the DNA of the church body should look like: Divine Truth (UP), Nurturing Relationships (IN) and Apostolic/Sent Mission (OUT). CHECK OUT what he had to say at a conference in South Africa. Video Below:

Eight Billion Dollars

2011-01-08T22:45:00.000-08:00

I like this beautiful little church building in the town where we used to live. I also like a blog I've been following that I stumbled upon in some random search that is written by Ed Bahler, President of the Aspen Group, a church architecture and construction management company. They design and build churches, but interestingly their mission seems to go far beyond that.

They discovered that church facilities consume 40% of a typical church budget, yet little is known about how facilities impact ministry or help connect ministry with the rapidly shifting culture. Furthermore, they note spending on church facilities in the US rose from $3.5 billion to over $8 billion in the past 15 years, while in spite of this, church attendance has actually decreased by 2% or more in the same time period.

They've concluded that for churches it is no longer about building bigger buildings and trusting people will come. It’s about: Planting new, organic faith communities that are Christ centered, life transformational, and about growth, but not about big.

In Ed's blog he wrote, "In fact, the brightest students coming out of seminary are no longer interested in being mentored by the biggest and fastest growing churches. The talented ones are passionate about planting their own fresh expression of church in movie theaters, school cafeterias, coffee shops, pubs, warehouses and store fronts in strip malls. It’s about becoming missionaries in our own communities and going to them versus expecting them to come to us. And that’s why church construction now includes retrofitting old warehouses, storefronts, and old outdated or abandoned church facilities."

I am so impressed that their firm, in an effort to partner in this church planting movement, is launching a "Church Planting Incubator." They are making their conference and meeting rooms available to these budding faith communities. They've invited church planters in their area that need space to contact them so they can support their efforts.

Imagine: What would happen if more and more businesses were willing to share their space with churches and the community services they provide? What if off-hours medical office waiting rooms, dance studios, or extra warehouse space could be used by churches? What would happen if even a small percentage of that 8 BILLION dollars a year spent on church facilities could be freed up to make a difference in people's lives? How many people could be fed or provided with water? How much human trafficking could be combated? What services could be provided locally and globally?

Read about Freeing Up the Money on my Fuller Blog HERE.
Ed Bahler's Blog
Picture from my friend MBHughes Facebook Post

Secret to Love and Belonging

2011-01-07T13:44:00.000-08:00

University of Houston empathy and shame researcher Brene Brown found, through extensive research, that in comparing people who have a strong sense of love and belonging with those that struggle and don't, the key variable separating the groups was that those with a strong sense of love and belonging believe that they are worthy of love and belonging.

She was intrigued by this, and conducted hundreds of additional interviews with people who had a strong sense of love and belonging to try and figure out what they had in common. They all had a sense of courage. She notes that courage has a Latin root and an original meaning of "telling the story of who you are with the whole heart." They also had compassion, first treating themselves with kindness and then others. The third was connection that resulted from authenticity. They also embraced vulnerability, seeing the things that made them vulnerable as the things that made them beautiful. They were willing to invest in relationships and affections that had no guarantees.

This sense of being worthy of love and belonging is difficult in a culture that is critical, and generates fear of not fitting in or measuring up. Knowing and living into the understanding that you are worthy of love and belonging, not because you are so great but because God chose you to be His own just as you are, is the secret to love and belonging. The research proves it!

(http://www.brenebrown.com/)

Thinking Outside the Box

2010-12-29T19:20:00.001-08:00

A young woman named Sarah was sitting a couple rows in front of me on my flight to Minnesota. I couldn't help but notice she was reading Reimagining Church by Frank Viola. I really like this book so as she was standing in the aisle next to me on a trip to the back of the plane I asked her what she thought of it. She likes to think outside the box. We found we've read the same books.

She loves the people at her church, but has become increasingly frustrated by the limitations of what they are currently doing, feeling there must be more. It was as if she was a blinking neon sign saying "Perfect Person to Explore Starting a Missio Community." Her thinking outside the box began when she read Blue Like Jazz.

I have to wonder how many of us that have purchased books like Reimagining Church, Deep Church, Organic Church, The Present Future and The Shaping of Things to Come, first found our thinking, if not our hearts, stirred by Miller's Blue Like Jazz. Even if you have no desire to read the other books I read or write about, you may like Blue Like Jazz. You just never know, you may be thinking outside the box more often.

A Marine and an iTunes Card

2010-12-27T08:18:00.000-08:00

A young Marine was sitting across the aisle from me on my last flight. He was fiddling around with his iPod. It reminded me of the iTunes gift card I had shoved in my purse even though I wasn't sure whose present it was. So I took the gift card out and told him it was a Christmas present because I appreciate what he is doing to serve our country including my family (sitting in the row in front of me). This started quite a conversation.

He is only eighteen and started with the Marines in July. It was fun to listen to his stories about growing up in Minnesota. In fact, he couldn't wait to get home because his friends were coming over to spend the night and he wanted to build a snow fort around the fire pit in his parent's backyard, hoping to get a fire to burn in the freezing temperatures.

He told me all about girls who toilet papered his house and his band trips in high school; marching through the streets of Venice, Italy and down Main Street at Disneyland. His older brother is a Marine who will probably not re-up because he "loves his girlfriend." I'm sure I was hearing some stories stored up because there was no one at basic training that would listen to them.

I told him about my Peace sign friend, a soldier I've been praying for. (Read story here) He shared with me that his faith has really grown since becoming a Marine. He said he now feels bad he didn't have any kind of relationship with God before, but now the best part of being in the Marines is going to church on Sunday. As a self described "non-athletic band geek," boot camp at Camp Pendleton was a challenge, although he recognizes his ability to march helped him out.

During one long challenge he was completely exhausted. Feeling he couldn't go any further, he looked ahead and realized he was only half way done. At that point he said he asked God to help him and it was as if the weight of the entire exercise was lifted off of him. He continued to the finish, reciting in his head, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." Since then he has recognized that God is with him.

I noticed a gash on his forehead. By then I could tease him a little, so I asked him, "How did you do that to your forehead? Did you hit your head on your bunk?" With a rather embarrassed laugh, he admitted that yes he had been leaning over tying his boot when he lifted up his head it bashed into his bunk. It was quite humbling for him to rush to the sink with blood streaming when everyone was shaving in the bathroom. I told him he'd better come up with a better story to share with his friends at home. He assured me his Marine friends had already come up with quite a few.

As we debarked the plane his very proud and excited parents, brothers and (of course) his brother's girlfriend, were waiting for him at the gate.

The Bell Ringer

2010-12-22T08:10:00.000-08:00

I've had some pretty amazing conversations on flights. It is always a nice surprise when you meet interesting people whether or not they have anything in common with you. My recent trip was no exception and worthy of at least two or three blogs.

On the first leg of our flight, I met a really nice couple returning to Dallas from an anniversary trip to Hawaii. They recognized the favor they had in being upgraded on a previous flight, seeing two male humpback whales breaching and an unmatched meteor shower amidst rare snow for Hawaii. We found we had much in common as she taught Biology and was returning to school at fifty to pursue a new health career.

She got excited as she talked about the bags for the homeless they recently made for thier local police department: ziplocks with water, snacks and other items. Also a great idea were the empty copier paper boxes her college students filled with items for Meals on Wheels to bring to the low income meal recipients filled with four rolls of toilet paper, stamps, pens, paper and other items for the holidays.

Her next story touched my heart. One year the temperature dropped in Dallas and it was really cold. A Salvation Army bell ringer was outside. She noted that normally we look past the people collecting the change and forget that many of them are people with needs that the organization has reached out to, providing them with a job or an opportunity. This time though she noticed this bell ringer and that his hands were bare and looked cold. So she went into the store and bought him some gloves and a hat. He was deeply touched and beyond appreciative. He hugged her and thanked her. She was forever changed by the experience. I'm sure he still remembers it too!

You Are Adopted!

2010-12-19T22:35:00.000-08:00

Romans 8:14-15 "For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are children of God. For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons and daughters by which we cry out, "Abba! Father!"

The Vinyl Cling That Says It All: Love God. Love Others.

2010-12-15T11:42:00.000-08:00

I found it on Etsy: The Missio Lux Lifestyle on a vinyl cling, all summed up in four words and two periods. Really it is the primary message of the Bible's grand narrative: Relationship and Responsibility, the Great Commandment and the Great Commission, and Covenant and Kingdom. Ordered one for my kitchen for 10 bucks. Thanks Etsy!

On Leading

2010-12-13T16:46:00.000-08:00

"Sound leadership in a movement is not coming up with the vision and then casting it to others, but instead helping others find a vision for themselves and releasing it to the ends of the earth." - Neil Cole (From Church3.0:Upgrades for the Future of the Church)

Taking Me Back to the Father's House CD

2010-12-11T18:33:00.000-08:00

"So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, “Abba, Father.” For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children." Romans 8:15-16

We've been talking a lot about Romans 8:15-16 lately, and seeing how recognizing that we are God's children, having a spirit of adoption, transforms lives. It is taking me back to an old favorite album from... well a long time ago. (I remember my neice singing all the songs from this CD word for word when she was three or four and this week she turns 19, so that should tell you something.) Brian Doerksen's Father's House. Here is a couple of the many songs on the CD related to being God's beloved children.

Are You A Time Hero?

2010-12-10T08:13:00.000-08:00

We all get the same amount. It doesn't matter how much money we have, or how smart we are, each day we get an equal allotment of time.

1440 minutes each day and a good chunk of that we should spend sleeping. There are 8760 hours in a year, but only 168 hours in a week. What amazes me is that we so often become time heroes; thinking we can do far more than is possible in a given amount of time. I see it all around me, and, yes, I see it in myself. OK, alright, I could probably wear a time hero cape, but maybe you should have one too?

We have great intentions. We commit to do things we are passionate about, and sometimes things we could care less about. On the "flip side," we flip on the TV even when nothing is on worth watching, or find some other way to "waste" time doing something we don't even enjoy. Multi-tasking often results in not doing anything well or completely. Lack of planning leads to squandering time.

Decisions about how we use time are generally made without intentionality. Sometimes if we added up all the hours we've committed to this and that, throw in relationships with those we care about, there is no possible way we can fit it in our 168 hour week - especially if we hope to eat, sleep and take showers. Living life with no margin, and no abiding, is a huge burden to carry.

When our bank account is low on funds, we stop spending money, but we rarely give a thought to our balance sheet of time - our seconds, minutes and hours. Benjamin Franklin said,"Do not squander time, for that is the stuff life is made of." Each minute is a gift from God. How will you spend yours in 2011?

Just Like the Hams

2010-12-08T20:45:00.000-08:00

I'm still processing some of the things I learned through the recent food packaging event where we packaged 40,000 meals for the Children of the Nations and also collected donations for the local food banks. When you take on a God sized challenge (and believe me a small volunteer team coming up with over $10,000 and getting over 200 people on board in less than a month was a God sized problem) it is a great chance to see God show up and do His thing. In fact, we've had quite a few opportunities like this with Missio Lux. Again, this time, I keep thinking "it is just like the Easter hams."

You see, when we were going to host our first Easter banquet with the poor and homeless in Occidental Square of downtown Seattle, we only had two past experiences to go on. The first time we were there we planned to serve about 250 meals off our BBQs, but the line of hungry people kept getting longer. We ended up running back to various stores for more and more food until we had provided 1,000 meals!

So needless to say, when we didn't know what to expect for the first Easter, a couple of us (namely Rosemary and I) were a little concerned that we made sure we had enough food. I will never forget the night in Pastor Tamara's living room when Rosemary was asking, "How many hams do we need?" I was doing the math in my head: if a ham serves 20 people then for 1,000 people we would need about 50 hams. The questions started: "Do we buy them?" "How many hams will each person actually bring?" "Will we have enough?" But I remember Tamara was getting more and more frustrated with the level of detail the conversation was taking and she put an end to it when she said very frankly, "God will provide the ham" and moved on to the next topic.

At the time I thought she was more than just being a little irresponsible, I thought she was a little bit nuts. I must admit I fretted over the ham. I made sure I bought two to bring and someone else dropped one off at my house. However, the morning of the event my family was busy packing up balloons, tables, signs, and other items, but no one even thought about the ham. Guess what? We had SO MUCH ham! It was as if the ham was multiplying right in the warmers. At the end people were going home with extra ham and food was taken to the local shelters. When I got home, opened our refrigerator and saw those three big fat hams it was as if God was saying, "Do you trust me now to provide what is needed?"

Well at our food packaging event it was clear that God provided. First the money needed rolled right in ahead of schedule as people's hearts were stirred and many missio communities committed their funds as well as individuals making generous donations. As the day approached it became very apparent that we had no control over two things in particular, the weather and the number of people who would come to package meals.

For days before the event the weather was forecasting snow on our big day, then lots and lots of snow. In Seattle when it snows a few flakes the whole city shuts down. We were nervous the morning of the event when it was snowing. Tamara and I prayed (as I'm sure lots of other people did too)and it stopped. Later it started again, and we prayed, the sun came out. Then just a couple hours before we were supposed to start it really came down in big fluffy flakes. So we prayed again and low and behold it stopped. We were so thankful the snow storm didn't start until the next day! I would not have believed it if I didn't see it myself.

The best part was that even with the threat of snow, many people were faithful to come and volunteer and also invite friends and neighbors. In fact, we had EXACTLY the number of people we needed to pack those meals. A few more would have been too many extra people. A few less and we would have had a hard time finishing the job in the allotted time. The participants were amazingly enthusiastic and it was an amazing time!

What God sized challenge are you faced with? Are you trusting that there will be enough ham?

Photo: cretafarms

iMazing! iPads + iPhones = Christmas Music

2010-12-08T08:13:00.000-08:00

North Point Community Church iWow!! This is what Missio Lux needs: An iBand!

North Point's iBand from North Point Web on Vimeo.

Sacred and Profane

2010-12-06T12:21:00.000-08:00

Isn't it amazing when you read something, and then you read it somewhere else, and then somewhere else? When that happens, I've learned to pay attention as I did this week - and then wouldn't you know I saw it lived out before my very eyes.

Three of the books I read for school this week really don't have much to do with each other, yet the same wording came up in all about the sacred and the profane. In The Shaping of Things to Come, Frost and Hirsch talk about how the Church that developed during the Christendom era is dualistic. It separates the sacred from the profane, the holy from the unholy, the in from the out. This has made it difficult for many Christians to relate their "internal faith to external practice." There becomes a gap between belief and everyday life.

Jesus lived in a way that brought teaching, caring and understanding of God into the streets, the market, the very places where life is lived. Jeff Kuess, in Freedom of the Self, notes that the world and the people who populate it are worth caring about and notes that this is a call to no long separate "sacred and profane."

Jenkins in The Next Christendom reflects on how the assumption was derived from the Enlightenment that, unlike the practices of Jesus or the early church, religion should be segregated into a separate sphere, distinct from everyday reality. He notes that Americans, unlike some other people in the world, treat the sacred and profane, as separate, like oil and water.

Last night we attended a beautiful Swedish Christmas worship service at an old church in downtown Seattle. The organ music and hymns brought back memories of worshipping at the church I grew up in in Minnesota. The short sermon, based on scripture, was formal yet meaningful, even sacred. After we had our fill of Swedish cookies and cardamon bread, we left there to stop by our Missio Lux dinner celebration at our Pastor's home.

It was a special night because our friend was being baptized. He shared his very meaningful testimony, including how he is now taking his faith with him as he goes to work and lives life with his family, as all of us shivered a little standing next to the hot tub in our Pastor's neighbor's backyard. This to me seemed like a perfect combining of the sacred and the profane. It is indeed lifestyle, blessing people to bring light, hope and joy into the world, whether they go to work, the mall, a place of service or their child's school.

Are you separating the sacred and the profane, or are you living an integrated lifestyle? I hope you enjoy this Song By Minnesota folk artist Peter Mayer.

YOU Could Totally Do This!

2010-12-03T07:54:00.001-08:00

"Anxiety weighs down the heart, but a kind word cheers it up." - Proverbs 12:25

Brave girls club spreading random words of kindness.

Worth watching enough to see the experiment! Do you think you could do this? For one person? Lots of people?

And then they tried it in Idaho

Nativity Sets: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

2010-12-02T08:26:00.000-08:00

Yes I like Nativity Sets. My daughter picked this one (above) out with my husband a couple years ago. I will admit that we also have the Vegie Tales Nativity Set and one from PlayMobil. But I really enjoyed this blog post by Mark Oestreicher. Check out these wild Nativity Sets: HERE. What do you think of the Rubber Duckies? What is your favorite worst Nativity?

Meal Packaging Event Video

2010-12-01T21:04:00.000-08:00

Here it is - the video of our recent Missio Lux food packaging event for Children of the Nations! 40,000 meals! Thanks Everyone!

Impact of 40,000 Meals in Sierra Leone

2010-12-01T15:37:00.000-08:00

It has been over a week since we packaged 40,000 meals for Children of the Nations. It was pretty exciting as the gym filled with people and twenty tables of eight people each pumped out bag after bag of lentils, rice, protein powder, spices and dried vegetables. The many sealers closed the bags that hold six meals with thermal devices and the packers put 36 bags and two t-shirts in each box before the tapers closed them up and moved them to the growing pile of boxes - 185 of them to be exact.

One of the things that amazes me is that we were able to quickly come up with the $10,000 we needed to pay for the meals and the shipping, a total of 25 cents per meal. This is due in large part to the structure of Missio Lux and the fact that we aren't paying for a church building, lights, and so on. But what is more remarkable is what $10,000 looks like in a country like Sierra Leone where our meals are going.

I have a friend in Nigeria, Pastor Dot. Some days I get the pleasant surprise of a Facebook chat popping up in the morning and we have a conversation. The other day he posted that ‎in Nigeria #18,000 minimum wage ($120 a month in US Dollars per month) was approved by the national council of state. There were more hurdles to scale: GEJ to send bill to the charlatans in the NASS; GEJ signing it into law; implementation by the Employers and then the release of funds by Ministry of Finance. There is still a long way to go for it to hit worker's bank accounts. This would be a significant increase for many workers in Nigeria who make far less than $120 for over 160 hours of work each month.

So I started thinking about Sierra Leone where 70% of the people live below the the international poverty line. According to the World Bank GNI per capita in Sierra Leone is $340 per year (in US$). The United States' GNI is about $47,240 per year.

Now, just imagine what $10,000 worth of food looks like in Sierra Leone to a bunch of orphans. Hardly a sacrifice to us, equivalent to about $50 for each person packing food at our food assembly. However, in Sierra Leone it would take around 30 people working full time for a year to come up with $10,000. This seems crazy, but the equivalent to this $10,000 (comparing our GNIs), if it had been sent to the US, would be $1,417,200!!! Yes, almost a million and a half dollars!

These 40,000 meals will feed about 110 kids for a year. That is food that will be life sustaining for them because many are literally found in dumpsters digging for their next meal.

This just seems like a wake up call to me. A chance for the church and all of us to think about how we spend our money; time to take a global perspective and also to be thankful for the privileges we have. Thank you to the many people who gave so generously of their finances and time to make the food assembly possible!

Info Links - (Just in case you don't believe me!) http://data.worldbank.org/country/sierra-leone
and http://data.worldbank.org/country/united-states

Prayer: Like A Gumball Machine?

2010-11-30T04:57:00.000-08:00

Often it seems easy to approach prayer like a giant gumball machine. We ask God for what we want, just like putting in some pennies and turning the crank, then the right gumball is supposed to roll out. I've been thinking about this because a new book by Karen Spears Zacharias takes on questioning the "Prosperity Gospel." She questions some popular pastors she feels have a name it claim it approach as well as the best seller The Secret. The title of her book is Will Jesus Buy Me a Double-Wide? ’cause I need more room for my plasma TV.

It gets confusing doesn't it? There are those passages that tell us whatever we ask in Jesus name will be given to us. (Just to list a few: John 15:7, John 14:14, John 16:24; and I John 5:14.) What really is the difference between a theology that is "bad Prosperity Gospel" and "trusting that God gives good gifts and answers our prayers"? Karen explains a little bit about her book in the video below. I appreciate the overall message of her witty book: the answers we get may not make sense to us, but Christ comes and sits with us in every moment of our lives.

The on-going confusion about the asking and getting reminded me of an interesting point in another book How to Hear God's Voice (Virkler). When we come to God in prayer we are to lay down our own desires and must be willing to submit to His will. The Virklers propose that examining Ezekiel 14:1-5 indicates that when people focus their heart on the thing they are praying about, rather than on God, what they are asking for has become an idol.

Ezekiel 14:1-5 The Message
"Some of the leaders of Israel approached me and sat down with me. God's Message came to me: "Son of Man, these people have installed idols in their hearts. They have embraced the wickedness that will ruin them. Why should I even bother with their prayers? Therefore tell them, 'The Message of God, the Master: All in Israel who install idols in their hearts and embrace the wickedness that will ruin them and still have the gall to come to a prophet, be on notice: I, God, will step in and personally answer them as they come dragging along their mob of idols. I am ready to go to work on the hearts of the house of Israel, all of whom have left me for their idols.' "

Their prayers may even be answered, but it may be to their own destruction. For example, Balaam, who when he prayed was first told not to curse the Israelites, but in longing for riches he prayed until he got the answer consistent with the idol in his heart, but God was not happy and sent an angel with a sword to block his path. (Numbers 22:15-35) Similarly, Israelites, tired of God's provision of manna, whined for meat. God gave it to them, but with it a wasting disease. (Psalm 106:14-15)

When people pray with a pure heart focused on God and His desires more than what they long for, God may provide different direction, caution or waiting. A lesson Balaam and the Israelites learned the hard way. It is evident in the way Jesus taught us to pray (the Lord's Prayer) that God desires relationship with us and our participation with Him in bringing His Kingdom to earth. The size of our trailer or the make of our car? Um, not so important.

Is your prayer life focused on a relationship, a friendship (John 15:15) with God, or is it focused on the things you are asking for? Consider asking the Holy Spirit to remind you when you are praying with idols (aka gumballs) in your heart.

This Year's Advent Conspiracy...

2010-11-27T08:47:00.001-08:00

Small to Big: Amazing Scale of the Universe

2010-11-21T09:30:00.000-08:00

Consider Psalm 8 and this Science Scale of the Universe Tool - Check it out here.

LORD, our Lord,
how majestic is your name in all the earth!
You have set your glory
in the heavens.
Through the praise of children and infants
you have established a stronghold against your enemies,
to silence the foe and the avenger.
When I consider your heavens,
the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars,
which you have set in place,
what is mankind that you are mindful of them,
human beings that you care for them?

You have made them a little lower than the angels
and crowned them with glory and honor.
You made them rulers over the works of your hands;
you put everything under their feet:
all flocks and herds,
and the animals of the wild,
the birds in the sky,
and the fish in the sea,
all that swim the paths of the seas.

LORD, our Lord,
how majestic is your name in all the earth! Psalm 8

CHRISTmas Shopping?

2010-11-20T09:07:00.001-08:00

Imagine if every holiday shopping trip was like this one?

Random Acts of Culture is to thank for this - Diana gets the finders fee.