Just one question..Is it my time yet?
Is everyone else alright?
Do they all have what they need?
Do they have someone to listen?
Is there enough good healthy food for them to eat?
Are they safe from those that harm them?
Are they alive or dead today?
Is there enough money to pay for the things that they need to succeed?
Is there someone who understands when their mind isn't right, is there enough people with grace to help them fight?
Are they doing things that make them happy , no matter what the cost?
Are we making sure they have an outlet whenever they feel lost?
Socializing is important and joining groups are vital, this keeps them from depression, from being idle.
Do we understand when they feel tired?
Do we close our mouths and pray?
Do we understated that grace is needed for each of them everyday?
Did you know there is alot to deal with, layers no one sees?
Is there someone in their life who can handle all thier needs?
Make sure that persons strong,
Make sure they understand.
Make sure they handle everything, so the pressure is relieved,
from the one who needs comfort, grace ,support and certainly relief.
Make sure they have a rock-that unshaking strength underneath
to allow them to move forward
succeed
feel important
comforted
and certainly not overwhelmed.
Make sure this rock is quiet, never to complain
make sure they suck it up or leave if ever to show pain.
Make sure this helper never asks for something for themselves
those things can wait , are they really needed? Is it really for the good of their health?
Lets wait and see if there's money
lets wait to see if there is time
lets wait to see what resources are left, we have someone who needs our time.
Perhaps if you aren't strong enough you should really just shut your mouth, go somewhere we don't want to see this
please go put your emotions on a shelf.
You are here to look after the person who needs support, they need someone strong if you cant handle whats going on than please just simply move on....
Whats that you say your burnt out?
Whats that you say your pained?
Whats that your feeling overwhelmed i am sorry what is your name?
It sounds to me like you are weak ,there is no room for this here.
you best just figure it out my friend
the enemy is drawing near.
Keep looking after all those people who need you in your life,
your friends at work,
your family
and for gods sake your his wife.
Theres no room for complaining you selfish selfish girl
Theres people here that need you
how else will they get by in this world?
We need to make sure they're alright
that they have all that they may need,
someone who can listen and provide for them their needs.
Go do the job you were asked to do , no room here for any grace
keep smiling and pushing it down
we know eventually it will erase.
It will go somewhere for God to find it
that pit He freed you from
When no one else can hear you
He knows what needs to be done.
Silence is your friend
His whispers you will hear
His job is to provide for you everything you need,
He is someone to listen
Someone with grace
your rock..........just hang on dear
He will never burn out
He will never leave
His grace is overflowing so you have more than you need........
to go and help that someone, that someone who is lost
to be their strength
find what they need
no matter what the cost.
Wednesday, July 16, 2014
Monday, June 2, 2014
What is CHURCH?
church
[church] Show IPA
noun
1.
a building for public Christian worship.
2.
public worship of God or a religious service in such a building: to attend church regularly.
Question: "What is the church?"
Answer:Many people today understand the church as a building. This is not a biblical understanding of the church. The word “church” comes from the Greek wordekklesiawhich is defined as “an assembly” or “called-out ones.” The root meaning of “church” is not that of a building, but of people. It is ironic that when you ask people what church they attend, they usually identify a building.Romans 16:5says “… greet the church that is in their house.” Paul refers to the church in their house—not a church building, but a body of believers.
From Got questions .org
Answer:Many people today understand the church as a building. This is not a biblical understanding of the church. The word “church” comes from the Greek wordekklesiawhich is defined as “an assembly” or “called-out ones.” The root meaning of “church” is not that of a building, but of people. It is ironic that when you ask people what church they attend, they usually identify a building.Romans 16:5says “… greet the church that is in their house.” Paul refers to the church in their house—not a church building, but a body of believers.
From Got questions .org
There has been an on-going pattern of discussion for us, my husband and myself, in regards to this word "CHURCH". It has really been made clear to me that alot of people seem to think they have some sort of ownership of this word so much so that they can dictate what CHURCH is for everyone. If you look at the basic definition of the word CHURCH above it is pretty clear that it means a building for public worship, but of course as believers or people of faith we know that our definition should come from the truth of God not simply what the world says so I dug some scripture up about that too, although there was definitely more than that to go on I thought I would include a description that had translations of the Greek words also since some of the push back about what CHURCH REALLY is comes from people who are of course much more educated than myself or my husband( neither one of us ever attending seminary or university of any kind) but what is interesting is that the bible often talks about the CHURCH as being in someones house, not a building designated at all for CHURCH but simply a body of believers gathering together to worship. I am pretty simple I know but even in my simplicity this really does scream to me that the CHURCH is anywhere, maybe where a few people are gathered in His name ( Matthew 18:20), where they worship and praise God.
Let me tell you about my CHURCH, there I said it I have been afraid when I am asked this question by others, "Where do you go to CHURCH?" to even say where I go out of fear of the next questions that start to arise.....
1. What denomination is that?
2. Who is the pastor?
3. DO you have a board of elders?
4. DO you take an offering?
5. How many people attend?
6. Is that OKAY? Did you get wise counsel for that?
7. Who overseas you ? (translation: who is making sure your not making grape Koolaid)
I have never before had to explain these many questions when attending a "corporate " CHURCH you know the one who meets in a building that can hold a nursery program and at least 200 people. One that is lead by people who are much smarter than me and therefore must know more of what God wants for me. I never got asked any of these questions because it fit into today's standard of what the CHURCH looks like. The problem was, God was calling us out of there and our spirits were drowning.drowning. Thais what happens when God is telling you to do something and you don't listen.
We attend a CHURCH called RAW (Real Awesome Worship) at Helping Hands Street Mission
I guess the best way to explain my CHURCH is to answer the questions we get asked by our concerned fellow Christians. Here goes:
1. We don't have a denomination we just try to follow scripture,the teachings of Jesus.
2. My husband is the pastor, sometimes I am , sometimes we have "on-paper" pastors and reverends come in and sometimes our friends at the mission are the pastors depending on the topic but we all learn from each other.
3.We do not have a board of Elders I guess we try the old biblical way of keeping each other accountable.
4.We do not take an offering, the fact is most of our "parishioners" don't have any money left after they pay for rent , utilities and food and some of the others don't get a cheque at all but the funny thing is the amount of giving they actually do , for cookies and coffee supplies etc is well worth MORE than the 10 percent we tried to live up to at CHURCH.
5. Well sometimes there is 2, sometimes there is 12 sometimes there is 22 but some of the best times is when we have 2, those are some really great discussions. I love having the freedom to not worry about the butts in the seats.
6. I think what we are doing is OKAY....I read it somewhere in the bible that it was in fact I thought it was a command to go and make disciples. There was actually a big chunk in a place in the book called ACTS that talked about small groups of people gathering with one another to worship God....that's what we do so I think it is okay. The bottom line is I guess I will wait to see what God says about it one day.
7. We have a community of many people who we have built relationship with over the last 10 years in ministry that we keep in contact with, ask questions to . We are also not thinking up our own stuff here , we try to keep it simple and use the book that God asked us to learn from, the Bible. I don't even like Koolaid and we record every sermon that is preached just in case anyone wants to make sure we are not taking on extra wives, stealing peoples money or any cult like things.
The truth is we gather on a Sunday, listen to worship music, listen to the word of God , ask questions, argue with each other, interrupt, drink coffee, fight over donuts, pick our favorite chairs, get up and leave if we feel like it, run in late,dance our faces off, shout out to God and sometimes our neighbor and try to love the Lord as best we can in a world that can sometimes be really crappy.
Tom and I love our mission family and love that God called us to love them right where they are and wanted to spread the Good News to them in a place that they could call their CHURCH in an environment where all of the above things would be safe to do. Where they could wear the same clothes from last week without changing in between and still feel welcome. Where they could repeat the same song over again just because they love it and it was their choice.Where they could ask for prayer out loud for their disease called AIDS, their child who was working the streets, their friend who was addicted, their mother to speak to them again and for forgiveness for the terrible things they did to their own children. For all the things we would NEVER say out loud to the body of believers in corporate CHURCH. Where they can ask questions and be mad at God right there in the middle of the "program". Where they can invite their dealer in for a coffee to tell them about this place that's a CHURCH but not like a regular one. Music to my ears and most of all to my heart.
CHURCH a place to get your FREAK on ....Your JESUS FREAK on. Where you can gather somewhere and worship God wherever God leads you to go, whatever space makes you feel like home, and with never having to explain what it is to anyone else except to say its your place to meet with God and your fellow believers.
I hope everyone reading this has a place like that, big or small , corporate or not, a place to worship the Lord with YOUR community and have it all spill out into the rest of your life.Lets start embracing the unique communities that God is working in to create a space for people to hear the Good News . Lets stop trying to take ownership of CHURCH and give it back to God.
Tuesday, May 13, 2014
Its been four months......
I realize it has been four months since my last blog.
I wish I could say it was because nothing really significant has happened during February March April but quite the opposite.
February was challenging with preparation for our annual Gala fundraiser, hiring an operations manager at the mission and our first employee which became much more of a process than I ever anticipated but thankful that I learned some pretty serious things about processes and people. I also learned that I had to stop and take more time to think things through before allowing the seduction of excitement get the best of me. I know my excitement caused pain for someone else-a bitter lesson to learn. All life lessons that I will carry with me always and certainly NEVER forget. Sometimes you think you are side by side with another JESUS FREAK but sometimes it just turns out that they dropped the JESUS and just kept the FREAK.
March was Gala month which always means crazy times of long days, organizing meetings and praying alot for God to come through with all the unknowns and with the process of hiring over we welcomed a wonderful addition to our team at HHSM who made the crazy process totally worth it. When you are on the other side of the storm or above the clouds I guess its much easier to appreciate the sun. It didn't go anywhere, you just couldn't see it until the storm passed.God had his hand on the process all along and so glad for wisdom and calm of leadership within the board of HHSM. I was more of a FREAK in March than a JESUS FREAK but I guess that's my humanity getting the best of me.
My plan was to get back to blogging in April because there was so much excitement ahead. I have never been more excited about anything else in my life...seriously.....I was about to be a Granny!!!! I was planning to Blog everyone to boredom with my daily writings about her, my beautiful granddaughter, the fresh new hope for our family, our wonderful gift from God. Then April came, full of excitement, full of joy, full of hope...............
Our beautiful granddaughter Brooklyn Adelaide was born on April 5th 2014..........7lbs 12 oz , beautiful chubby cheeks, curly dark hair and the cutest nose I have ever seen on any baby. SO beautiful truly more beautiful than any other baby I have ever seen, I dare say even my own.......... I wonder if her beauty came from knowing that she was already in the arms of Jesus. As I write even these words the lump builds up in my throat and it still seems so unbelievable.
Brooklyns mother , my beautiful courageous daughter Fiona has started to write a blog herself that I would love for you to read. She is writing a raw emotional experience that I can never understand and don't ever want to , I cannot imagine having one of my girls die before me. Please follow it at
http://brooklynadelaide.blogspot.ca/2014/05/happy-mothers-day.html
I have a piece of me that wants to write about how I am feeling BUT somehow it feels wrong......
My JESUS FREAK seems to be hiding somewhere deep inside and I am trying to dig it out but sometimes the heaviness just weighs it down. A few days after Brooklyns celebration of life I was weighed down by a scary call back after my first mammogram, they saw something that needed to be checked again. Its funny when you are already feeling despair how your immediate sense of hope in anything else goes right out the window....I was already ok with possibly dying of breast cancer if I had it.....it all seemed too much for our family that i just assumed the worst things would just keep happening. I didn't even share this with my family out of fear that t would be too much for them to handle , even the possibility of bad news seemed too great, I felt responsible to protect them. It turns out there was nothing but I will say that I discovered very quickly in the month of April 2014 that we have no control over any of it.Even things we think only happen to other people really do happen to us too.
Its hard not to become detached or bitter or remain in the place of anger. Its hard not to think "whats the point of it all anyway if goodness just gets robbed by darkness?"
Its hard to watch as your little girl cries out for you to help them in a moment when darkness fills the room with something to thick that you cant even breathe. Its hard to try to find your FREAK again when your little girl looks lost and knowing that a piece of her is missing and you can do NOTHING at all to fix it.
I know my FREAK is still in there.......I just need time to find it......I know I have no choice but to go looking for it otherwise darkness ultimately wins and that's NOT how this JESUS FREAK works.
Please pray for my daughter and her husband Derek and follow her blog, in spite of the tears I know you will find you will be washed by them and leave feeling hopeful again.
I wish I could say it was because nothing really significant has happened during February March April but quite the opposite.
February was challenging with preparation for our annual Gala fundraiser, hiring an operations manager at the mission and our first employee which became much more of a process than I ever anticipated but thankful that I learned some pretty serious things about processes and people. I also learned that I had to stop and take more time to think things through before allowing the seduction of excitement get the best of me. I know my excitement caused pain for someone else-a bitter lesson to learn. All life lessons that I will carry with me always and certainly NEVER forget. Sometimes you think you are side by side with another JESUS FREAK but sometimes it just turns out that they dropped the JESUS and just kept the FREAK.
March was Gala month which always means crazy times of long days, organizing meetings and praying alot for God to come through with all the unknowns and with the process of hiring over we welcomed a wonderful addition to our team at HHSM who made the crazy process totally worth it. When you are on the other side of the storm or above the clouds I guess its much easier to appreciate the sun. It didn't go anywhere, you just couldn't see it until the storm passed.God had his hand on the process all along and so glad for wisdom and calm of leadership within the board of HHSM. I was more of a FREAK in March than a JESUS FREAK but I guess that's my humanity getting the best of me.
My plan was to get back to blogging in April because there was so much excitement ahead. I have never been more excited about anything else in my life...seriously.....I was about to be a Granny!!!! I was planning to Blog everyone to boredom with my daily writings about her, my beautiful granddaughter, the fresh new hope for our family, our wonderful gift from God. Then April came, full of excitement, full of joy, full of hope...............
Our beautiful granddaughter Brooklyn Adelaide was born on April 5th 2014..........7lbs 12 oz , beautiful chubby cheeks, curly dark hair and the cutest nose I have ever seen on any baby. SO beautiful truly more beautiful than any other baby I have ever seen, I dare say even my own.......... I wonder if her beauty came from knowing that she was already in the arms of Jesus. As I write even these words the lump builds up in my throat and it still seems so unbelievable.
Brooklyns mother , my beautiful courageous daughter Fiona has started to write a blog herself that I would love for you to read. She is writing a raw emotional experience that I can never understand and don't ever want to , I cannot imagine having one of my girls die before me. Please follow it at
http://brooklynadelaide.blogspot.ca/2014/05/happy-mothers-day.html
I have a piece of me that wants to write about how I am feeling BUT somehow it feels wrong......
My JESUS FREAK seems to be hiding somewhere deep inside and I am trying to dig it out but sometimes the heaviness just weighs it down. A few days after Brooklyns celebration of life I was weighed down by a scary call back after my first mammogram, they saw something that needed to be checked again. Its funny when you are already feeling despair how your immediate sense of hope in anything else goes right out the window....I was already ok with possibly dying of breast cancer if I had it.....it all seemed too much for our family that i just assumed the worst things would just keep happening. I didn't even share this with my family out of fear that t would be too much for them to handle , even the possibility of bad news seemed too great, I felt responsible to protect them. It turns out there was nothing but I will say that I discovered very quickly in the month of April 2014 that we have no control over any of it.Even things we think only happen to other people really do happen to us too.
Its hard not to become detached or bitter or remain in the place of anger. Its hard not to think "whats the point of it all anyway if goodness just gets robbed by darkness?"
Its hard to watch as your little girl cries out for you to help them in a moment when darkness fills the room with something to thick that you cant even breathe. Its hard to try to find your FREAK again when your little girl looks lost and knowing that a piece of her is missing and you can do NOTHING at all to fix it.
I know my FREAK is still in there.......I just need time to find it......I know I have no choice but to go looking for it otherwise darkness ultimately wins and that's NOT how this JESUS FREAK works.
Please pray for my daughter and her husband Derek and follow her blog, in spite of the tears I know you will find you will be washed by them and leave feeling hopeful again.
Thursday, January 2, 2014
Making triumphs out of struggles in 2013
I was looking over my blog posts from the past year and I laughed a little, cringed a little and reflected alot. I knew it was a risk putting my personal thoughts "out there" and it is a huge reminder when you look over the year and read titles like "mature enough to run again" especially when your maturity and excitement fizzled out a month after that post lol! But for me that's life, putting yourself out there even at the risk of failing. I am only better than I used to be because of those failings and that is the absolute truth. I have struggled this past year and triumphed but through all of it been absolutely encouraged by every moment. There has not been any struggle that God has not turned into a triumph and if He hasn't yet He will. He has never let me down before.
As we entered 2013 we had been disappointed by the door closing on Toms hopes for a job with Hamilton Police and I found it difficult especially when I had decided that was what God "wanted " for my husband. Tom had been out of work for 3 years and he had made it right to the very end and I was convinced all of this process was all apart of Gods plan for our family to have a steady paycheck and retirement packages and benefit plans. Something we had never had before. Safety and security through my husbands job. It wasn't meant to be and as I wrestled with my confusion and quite frankly my anger I heard from God through scripture about how he looked after the birds, how storing things up here on earth was not important, and how my security should be in Him alone. Dont you hate when He speaks so loudly through His word so there is no denying your feelings were all about YOU and not Him. When we released our own attachment to it Tom received a call from one of the customer references on his resume for the police force asking if he would be willing to come and talk to them about coming to work for them. They set up a new position for him that would provide him a steady paycheck and leave him with the time he still needed to be at the mission ( something he would not have had with the job with HPS) you see God planned for him to go through the hard work to find out some things about himself that he never realized about leadership and strength. Exactly what he needed to confidently step into a position made just for him and to continue his work leading church at the mission.I couldn't be more proud of my husband. Gods triumphs are always bigger than our struggles.
With our limited resources from 2010-2013 we often wondered how we would pay our bills, especially our enormous bills for Toms medication. Just when we were at our last drip from the tap in the beginning of 2013 we received a call from trillium fund who informed us that we had been eligible all this time for coverage and they would be sending us a cheque to us! The cheque was for over $10,000 and we were able to pay down our bills and breathe again. Gods triumphs are always bigger than our struggles.
I almost lost my dad in 2013. To say it was a struggle to see him day after day for months in ICU is a severe understatement. It was a struggle for him spiritually and physically and it was one of the most difficult things I have ever watched. It was a spiritual battleground for me every day but I wouldn't change any of it which I know doesn't make sense but because of all that pain my dad and I are closer than ever. For many years I struggled to know my father on a deeper level but this crisis brought amazing clarity to me about who he is and more importantly how his life has shaped him into the man he is today. When you almost loose someone none of the layers of crap matter and your able to reveal the real humanity in a person and see yourself there. I learned alot about myself and the things I thought I had let go of and came to a place where I needed to not just let go of but really put to death if I was to ever move forward and become the person I was also meant to be. When you release someone of any guilt they think they should hang onto it is like breathing new life into both of you.I am so grateful for every moment alone with Dad in the hospital when I finally got to know him and myself. Gods triumphs are always bigger than our struggles.
2013 was a year of MANY spiritual attacks both personally and at the mission. I'm not really surprised though because 2013 was also the year I celebrated my 10th anniversary of my birthday with Jesus! Lots of wonderful friends gathered early in the morning to have breakfast and talk about our faith and it was amazing to see so many different people connected by the celebration of new life in Jesus. It was also the 10th anniversary of HHSM which meant we were entering into a new phase in our growth which can always mean new challenges and big growing pains. I was in awe when I looked back at how God had turned a simple act of obedience to Him into what we see now at the mission. I remember thinking 10 years ago that because of this new gift I was given that I wanted everyone to know about Jesus but having no way of knowing how that was going to happen considering the mess my life was in. I am not surprised when the attacks come because I once belonged to death and now I belonged to the promise of life. Someone once told me to be more worried when the attacks don't come because it means your working for the devils team and he will leave you alone to do it. That never become more real to me than this year. Stories of how God has moved in the lives of our friends were a definite theme this year so I guess the enemy was ticked off. I will go into battle any day especially when you see the kinds of miracles we have seen in 2013. Gods triumphs are always bigger then our struggles.
2013 meant I turned 40! I always wondered where I would be or what I would be doing when I turned 40 and I NEVER imagined the life I have now. I often heard woman say they were afraid of 40, of getting older of not being at a certain place they thought they should by now. I was so excited to be here, I really was. I am living a life that I never dreamed was possible for me and it gets better every year, not problem free but so spiritually free. My family and BFF planned a party for me and it was overwhelming. When you look around a room with people in your life at 40 and realize how many wonderful mentors are there and people who you could turn to at a moments notice to help you and be honest with you, there is nothing better than that. I received so many special gifts that day but the favorite gift of 2013 was finding out I am going to be a granny in April! I am soooooooo excited for my daughter and her husband and cant wait to meet her. There is nothing more amazing than a baby bring born into a home that already knows Jesus. My life was once off the rails and now is on a journey I could never dream of. Gods triumphs are always bigger than our struggles.
People want to know what you have planned for the year ahead and I guess there are lists of things I could mention but if memory serves me correctly when I am the one planning it never seems to work out, so i think this year my only resolution will be to try my best at removing more of myself to let more of God in and release more of the JESUS FREAK . I haven't made it through this past year or any other of the last 10 by perfect planning or list following but any success has only been through complete surrender to who I am in Him. Blessings to all of you in 2014 and beyond. I pray you will release your struggles to God so He can show you what triumph looks like.
As we entered 2013 we had been disappointed by the door closing on Toms hopes for a job with Hamilton Police and I found it difficult especially when I had decided that was what God "wanted " for my husband. Tom had been out of work for 3 years and he had made it right to the very end and I was convinced all of this process was all apart of Gods plan for our family to have a steady paycheck and retirement packages and benefit plans. Something we had never had before. Safety and security through my husbands job. It wasn't meant to be and as I wrestled with my confusion and quite frankly my anger I heard from God through scripture about how he looked after the birds, how storing things up here on earth was not important, and how my security should be in Him alone. Dont you hate when He speaks so loudly through His word so there is no denying your feelings were all about YOU and not Him. When we released our own attachment to it Tom received a call from one of the customer references on his resume for the police force asking if he would be willing to come and talk to them about coming to work for them. They set up a new position for him that would provide him a steady paycheck and leave him with the time he still needed to be at the mission ( something he would not have had with the job with HPS) you see God planned for him to go through the hard work to find out some things about himself that he never realized about leadership and strength. Exactly what he needed to confidently step into a position made just for him and to continue his work leading church at the mission.I couldn't be more proud of my husband. Gods triumphs are always bigger than our struggles.
With our limited resources from 2010-2013 we often wondered how we would pay our bills, especially our enormous bills for Toms medication. Just when we were at our last drip from the tap in the beginning of 2013 we received a call from trillium fund who informed us that we had been eligible all this time for coverage and they would be sending us a cheque to us! The cheque was for over $10,000 and we were able to pay down our bills and breathe again. Gods triumphs are always bigger than our struggles.
I almost lost my dad in 2013. To say it was a struggle to see him day after day for months in ICU is a severe understatement. It was a struggle for him spiritually and physically and it was one of the most difficult things I have ever watched. It was a spiritual battleground for me every day but I wouldn't change any of it which I know doesn't make sense but because of all that pain my dad and I are closer than ever. For many years I struggled to know my father on a deeper level but this crisis brought amazing clarity to me about who he is and more importantly how his life has shaped him into the man he is today. When you almost loose someone none of the layers of crap matter and your able to reveal the real humanity in a person and see yourself there. I learned alot about myself and the things I thought I had let go of and came to a place where I needed to not just let go of but really put to death if I was to ever move forward and become the person I was also meant to be. When you release someone of any guilt they think they should hang onto it is like breathing new life into both of you.I am so grateful for every moment alone with Dad in the hospital when I finally got to know him and myself. Gods triumphs are always bigger than our struggles.
2013 was a year of MANY spiritual attacks both personally and at the mission. I'm not really surprised though because 2013 was also the year I celebrated my 10th anniversary of my birthday with Jesus! Lots of wonderful friends gathered early in the morning to have breakfast and talk about our faith and it was amazing to see so many different people connected by the celebration of new life in Jesus. It was also the 10th anniversary of HHSM which meant we were entering into a new phase in our growth which can always mean new challenges and big growing pains. I was in awe when I looked back at how God had turned a simple act of obedience to Him into what we see now at the mission. I remember thinking 10 years ago that because of this new gift I was given that I wanted everyone to know about Jesus but having no way of knowing how that was going to happen considering the mess my life was in. I am not surprised when the attacks come because I once belonged to death and now I belonged to the promise of life. Someone once told me to be more worried when the attacks don't come because it means your working for the devils team and he will leave you alone to do it. That never become more real to me than this year. Stories of how God has moved in the lives of our friends were a definite theme this year so I guess the enemy was ticked off. I will go into battle any day especially when you see the kinds of miracles we have seen in 2013. Gods triumphs are always bigger then our struggles.
2013 meant I turned 40! I always wondered where I would be or what I would be doing when I turned 40 and I NEVER imagined the life I have now. I often heard woman say they were afraid of 40, of getting older of not being at a certain place they thought they should by now. I was so excited to be here, I really was. I am living a life that I never dreamed was possible for me and it gets better every year, not problem free but so spiritually free. My family and BFF planned a party for me and it was overwhelming. When you look around a room with people in your life at 40 and realize how many wonderful mentors are there and people who you could turn to at a moments notice to help you and be honest with you, there is nothing better than that. I received so many special gifts that day but the favorite gift of 2013 was finding out I am going to be a granny in April! I am soooooooo excited for my daughter and her husband and cant wait to meet her. There is nothing more amazing than a baby bring born into a home that already knows Jesus. My life was once off the rails and now is on a journey I could never dream of. Gods triumphs are always bigger than our struggles.
People want to know what you have planned for the year ahead and I guess there are lists of things I could mention but if memory serves me correctly when I am the one planning it never seems to work out, so i think this year my only resolution will be to try my best at removing more of myself to let more of God in and release more of the JESUS FREAK . I haven't made it through this past year or any other of the last 10 by perfect planning or list following but any success has only been through complete surrender to who I am in Him. Blessings to all of you in 2014 and beyond. I pray you will release your struggles to God so He can show you what triumph looks like.
Sunday, November 3, 2013
The $10 assignment
Last week at church at the mission my husband was speaking about labels that the world gives us versus the labels God can give us. How living a "Christian life" is a difficult one especially if you are moving in a way that honors God but the world disagrees with. There was 16 people in that day. It was the week before OW and ODSP cheques were due. Many of our friends were in a desperate time of the month....many with addictions to drugs and alcohol, many with mental health issues many who are simply with us on a Sunday because they have no more left to loose and want to know if this God is REALLY for everyone and some its just for the coffee. We all wrote on a piece of paper the labels the world gave us; slut,whore, thief, murderer, abuser,looser,crack head,ugly, no good etc and placed them in the garbage as a way to symbolically get rid of the labels and start fresh with the labels that God has for us; redeemed,forgiven,sanctified etc. Before we finished my husband gave each person an assignment to go and bless someone that week and if you wanted to report back and let us know how it made you feel to see someone else blessed and to share their experience we could do that next week. He then gave me an envelope with money in it and asked me to hand each person in the room $10. As i went around the room people we noticeably shook up by the idea that we would give them money...that we would trust them with money, to do what we asked at a time of the month when they were most desperate. Tom and I knew that we were taking a risk in the room with addicts who may then go and get high with it or people who may spent it on themselves but when God puts something on your heart its best to let Him sort all that out. We heard one of our friends say that their neighbor needed a can of beans for a recipe and they would use some of the money for that.Only God knew and He is in control.
When we arrived today at church there was only 7 people there. We knew the numbers would be lower because our friends had received their cheques, the time change may also have sent them early and left because they thought we weren't there and we also knew many of them may have done something with that money they didn't want to share and that was okay too.After worship Tom asked if anyone had anything to share about their $10 assignment. We shared how some gave to moms in the grocery store or put it in the Poppy box, someone put together bags with ensure a snack and a card about Gods love to hand out on the streets. George shared about how he saw a friend he hadn't seen in years who was hungry and so he invited him to A&W to have breakfast with him and then bought him 2 teen burgers to go because they were on sale. He said he talked to his friend about the mission and how it could help him and also shared with his friend about how he goes to church now. He said his friend asked if he was using drugs because George Elliott would never go to church but that George explained its not like what you think church is.We have coffee and doughnuts and sing,talk about God and pray for the people in the neighborhood he told him. He hoped his friend would come today but he didn't. I thought about the times when a friend I haven't seen in a few years gets together with me and do I take the time to talk about God with them? I love when God uses people like George to be teachers for me. I love when we realize it isn't about who is leading the church but how we can learn from everyone there. Tom thanked George for telling his story to us and then George announced ,"Dont let no one screw up your beliefs no matter who the hell it is!" and with that statement he got up and had another cup of coffee.
Sandi shared her week with us also. She was eager to share her $10 assignment with all of us even though she had briefly shared it on Facebook earlier. This is what she told us;
" Marion drove me to the store and i saw a girl I used to know when I worked the streets. I called her over and saw that she was still working the streets sick and had a tracheotomy it was hard to understand her . I had to tell her who I was and she was surprised to see me and how good I looked. I gave her the $10 and told her it was Gods money like you said and then i really wanted her to know why I was so good so i told her about God and Jesus and how he saved my life. I wanted her to know that He forgave my sins and that He forgives her too. I told her about our church and said she should come and she would be welcome there. I really wanted to make sure she knew all about Jesus and she began to cry, Marion could hear her crying from the car. That felt like more than $10 you know and it wasn't about the money anyway was it. It was about us telling people about the Lord and that's worth way more money than that. I know she probably took it to the crack house but God doesn't care about that part because even if she gets high with it she will definitely tell people she saw me and tell them that I am clean because of the Lord and church and everything. People in the crack house will hear it and maybe that's how someone else will get clean and saved. I felt good not with giving the money as much as telling her all about my new life and how she can have one too."
I was blown away by Sandis story although by now I should learn that she is a JESUS FREAK that I can learn from everyday and every moment I get to be with her. She is the first to get up in church when the door opens and serves coffee and tells everyone they are welcome to the space. She understands the heart of God so deeply it seems to radiate out of her. She carries a spirit from God that understands His grace forgiveness and love in an uncomplicated way that it is so easily shared with so many who most of us think are unreachable. Sandi understands that Gods love is for everyone.Not just with her words but with her whole life.
I often think about people who say they don't believe in Jesus because they don't understand why God Allows bad things to happen in life or to them, and when I think of my friend Sandi who has more than enough reasons to hate God for the life she has lived but understands His love can conquer all of it and even use the painful experiences like hers to tell others about Him in a way no one else could , I am convicted and excited at the same time. I am convicted that I need to thank God for ALL things I have experienced and will experience because He can use it all and I am excited to be able to learn from a great teacher like Sandi . I wish everyone could know her. I wish those who are afraid to believe because of pain could learn from her.
Church isn't about who writes the sermon and reads it. Its about the big message that God is trying to teach through each personal experience of Him in the room. When Tom read the sermon and sent the people on an assignment with money that most would not trust them with, he let God do the teaching and waited for the lesson we can ALL learn when we returned the following Sunday. When the story of $10 being given to a crack-addicted prostitute turns into a lesson on forgiveness, everyone is welcome and that even God can be used in a crack house to bring people to the Him we ALL learn more than we ever imagined from the gift of $10 bill. When someone shares that they are going to church to a friend they haven't seen in years over a $10 meal at A&W we learn about faith and courage and sharing that with others even if it is uncomfortable. Thank-you God for the way you use all of us as leaders,preachers, disciples in your church. I love how you use people with labels from the world as "old men,liar, murderer" or " crack-addicted whore" and send them out as "preachers,disciples and teachers of your word". I love that you are the kind of God who loves us beyond measure and is just waiting for us to give our lives to you in order to be used by you for your kingdom. Thank-you for being bigger than all the labels we receive from the world and for making every moment a teaching one and each of us a teacher.
When we arrived today at church there was only 7 people there. We knew the numbers would be lower because our friends had received their cheques, the time change may also have sent them early and left because they thought we weren't there and we also knew many of them may have done something with that money they didn't want to share and that was okay too.After worship Tom asked if anyone had anything to share about their $10 assignment. We shared how some gave to moms in the grocery store or put it in the Poppy box, someone put together bags with ensure a snack and a card about Gods love to hand out on the streets. George shared about how he saw a friend he hadn't seen in years who was hungry and so he invited him to A&W to have breakfast with him and then bought him 2 teen burgers to go because they were on sale. He said he talked to his friend about the mission and how it could help him and also shared with his friend about how he goes to church now. He said his friend asked if he was using drugs because George Elliott would never go to church but that George explained its not like what you think church is.We have coffee and doughnuts and sing,talk about God and pray for the people in the neighborhood he told him. He hoped his friend would come today but he didn't. I thought about the times when a friend I haven't seen in a few years gets together with me and do I take the time to talk about God with them? I love when God uses people like George to be teachers for me. I love when we realize it isn't about who is leading the church but how we can learn from everyone there. Tom thanked George for telling his story to us and then George announced ,"Dont let no one screw up your beliefs no matter who the hell it is!" and with that statement he got up and had another cup of coffee.
Sandi shared her week with us also. She was eager to share her $10 assignment with all of us even though she had briefly shared it on Facebook earlier. This is what she told us;
" Marion drove me to the store and i saw a girl I used to know when I worked the streets. I called her over and saw that she was still working the streets sick and had a tracheotomy it was hard to understand her . I had to tell her who I was and she was surprised to see me and how good I looked. I gave her the $10 and told her it was Gods money like you said and then i really wanted her to know why I was so good so i told her about God and Jesus and how he saved my life. I wanted her to know that He forgave my sins and that He forgives her too. I told her about our church and said she should come and she would be welcome there. I really wanted to make sure she knew all about Jesus and she began to cry, Marion could hear her crying from the car. That felt like more than $10 you know and it wasn't about the money anyway was it. It was about us telling people about the Lord and that's worth way more money than that. I know she probably took it to the crack house but God doesn't care about that part because even if she gets high with it she will definitely tell people she saw me and tell them that I am clean because of the Lord and church and everything. People in the crack house will hear it and maybe that's how someone else will get clean and saved. I felt good not with giving the money as much as telling her all about my new life and how she can have one too."
I was blown away by Sandis story although by now I should learn that she is a JESUS FREAK that I can learn from everyday and every moment I get to be with her. She is the first to get up in church when the door opens and serves coffee and tells everyone they are welcome to the space. She understands the heart of God so deeply it seems to radiate out of her. She carries a spirit from God that understands His grace forgiveness and love in an uncomplicated way that it is so easily shared with so many who most of us think are unreachable. Sandi understands that Gods love is for everyone.Not just with her words but with her whole life.
I often think about people who say they don't believe in Jesus because they don't understand why God Allows bad things to happen in life or to them, and when I think of my friend Sandi who has more than enough reasons to hate God for the life she has lived but understands His love can conquer all of it and even use the painful experiences like hers to tell others about Him in a way no one else could , I am convicted and excited at the same time. I am convicted that I need to thank God for ALL things I have experienced and will experience because He can use it all and I am excited to be able to learn from a great teacher like Sandi . I wish everyone could know her. I wish those who are afraid to believe because of pain could learn from her.
Church isn't about who writes the sermon and reads it. Its about the big message that God is trying to teach through each personal experience of Him in the room. When Tom read the sermon and sent the people on an assignment with money that most would not trust them with, he let God do the teaching and waited for the lesson we can ALL learn when we returned the following Sunday. When the story of $10 being given to a crack-addicted prostitute turns into a lesson on forgiveness, everyone is welcome and that even God can be used in a crack house to bring people to the Him we ALL learn more than we ever imagined from the gift of $10 bill. When someone shares that they are going to church to a friend they haven't seen in years over a $10 meal at A&W we learn about faith and courage and sharing that with others even if it is uncomfortable. Thank-you God for the way you use all of us as leaders,preachers, disciples in your church. I love how you use people with labels from the world as "old men,liar, murderer" or " crack-addicted whore" and send them out as "preachers,disciples and teachers of your word". I love that you are the kind of God who loves us beyond measure and is just waiting for us to give our lives to you in order to be used by you for your kingdom. Thank-you for being bigger than all the labels we receive from the world and for making every moment a teaching one and each of us a teacher.
Monday, October 21, 2013
Going for a haircut.......ending up at church.
This past Sunday at our group we call R.A.W (Real Awesome Worship) at the mission, its our little space, our little church space, I got to hear my husband preach his first ever sermon and it was great. We just finished our second round of Alpha and loving every minute with Nicky Gumbel but our friends wanted to learn more about God. We asked them about what they would like to hear about and they gave us LOTS to choose from. One of those suggestions was "we hear about giving your life to God but what would that look like and be honest", so we prayed about it and thought about what we thought were the hardest things about it and compared it to the expectations God had for our lives and my husband went on to speak beautifully and honestly about "being Christian". He was so nervous because he knows that he does not have the proper "schooling" according to the world and he had to battle his own insecurities -you know that tape that plays in your head that tells you your not good enough, but we have learned together over the past few years that when you follow God it isn't going to make sense to everyone in the world but it is God who we ultimately answer to . The fact is every week at R.A.W we never know who will show up, what will be asked or what will happen. It truly is a beautiful mess most of the time.
This Sunday was extra special because it was the first time we led without relying on Nicky to start us off. We prayed for God to give Tom the wisdom and the words and He really did. I was really proud of him. to see him step out into something for God and open himself up to possible ridicule and at the very least a room of people who would throw really hard questions at him. We gained strength through the worship songs we sang and knew if we released it all to God He would sort it out even if we didn't really hear from him and were not stepping out into his will, we know He is a God who never leaves you in the mess but pulls you out to make a message.
Just as Tom began to preach a woman named Maria came in and sat down, made the sign of the cross over her body and closed her eyes in prayer. We know Maria she has been coming to the mission store for many years now but has never attended our church on Sunday. She listened to Tom and sang worship songs with all of us and prayed with us. When we were finished and everyone started to leave she asked me if she could speak to Tom and I before she leaves. I said of course and she asked me to listen to why. She said in her thick Portuguese accent " I have alot of pain in my life. I lost God along time ago and I put up a wall between me and him because I cry out to him in pain many years for myself and my children but He doesn't come so I said forget you and I put up a wall. I haven't had him for a long time. But I hear you people say today about being mad at God and I am. but I want him back I am ready to have him again but my wall is so big many years many angry years. I want to talk to your husband, have him pray for me I want to have God again." She took my breath away. I called the rest of the people left to come and pray over her with Tom and I and she shared with them a bit of what she told me, even George was there with us. We prayed for the wall to come crashing down and for Maria to know that God had never left her all these years. I was so glad she came , she thanked us for the prayer and left.
Today came and while I was serving coffee at the missions free hair salon Maria came in. She said I need to speak to you right now! I went over to her and she said, " I thought yesterday was the hair cut day, I got my days mixed up. Thats why I came yesterday during your church, I thought you were just praying for the start of the hair cuts like you do for everything and then your husband started speaking about God and I realized I was in church and I was going to leave but I knew that God had tricked me into coming to church to meet Him again. After you prayed with me yesterday my insides were empty I didn't feel hard in the middle anymore and I knew God had tricked me into meeting him, He will do whatever He needs to get you with him I guess. Thank-you for that it has been along time without Him and I am glad He tricked me. SO I am here today for a hair cut -right?" she smiled. "yes Maria today is the hair cut day, not church. " I laughed. She said " I think I may come back to church again either here or the one I used to go to but I talked to God today." I said "Maria I am so glad you and God are talking again and wherever He needs to meet you we are so happy for that and I will let Tom know for sure. Thank-you for sharing this with me."
I am blessed by everything at the mission and I am on an incredible JESUS FREAK journey with God but I am never less than surprised and humbled and forever blown away by the way He does everything so on purpose and so beautifully for His kingdom and the way HE steps right into our beautiful mess everyday. God you are so awesome and I thank you for the boldness of my husband to follow you and for a place like HHSM where there is space for all us broken people to try our best to move forward on our journeys with you. I am so glad God that you and Maria are talking again. :)
This Sunday was extra special because it was the first time we led without relying on Nicky to start us off. We prayed for God to give Tom the wisdom and the words and He really did. I was really proud of him. to see him step out into something for God and open himself up to possible ridicule and at the very least a room of people who would throw really hard questions at him. We gained strength through the worship songs we sang and knew if we released it all to God He would sort it out even if we didn't really hear from him and were not stepping out into his will, we know He is a God who never leaves you in the mess but pulls you out to make a message.
Just as Tom began to preach a woman named Maria came in and sat down, made the sign of the cross over her body and closed her eyes in prayer. We know Maria she has been coming to the mission store for many years now but has never attended our church on Sunday. She listened to Tom and sang worship songs with all of us and prayed with us. When we were finished and everyone started to leave she asked me if she could speak to Tom and I before she leaves. I said of course and she asked me to listen to why. She said in her thick Portuguese accent " I have alot of pain in my life. I lost God along time ago and I put up a wall between me and him because I cry out to him in pain many years for myself and my children but He doesn't come so I said forget you and I put up a wall. I haven't had him for a long time. But I hear you people say today about being mad at God and I am. but I want him back I am ready to have him again but my wall is so big many years many angry years. I want to talk to your husband, have him pray for me I want to have God again." She took my breath away. I called the rest of the people left to come and pray over her with Tom and I and she shared with them a bit of what she told me, even George was there with us. We prayed for the wall to come crashing down and for Maria to know that God had never left her all these years. I was so glad she came , she thanked us for the prayer and left.
Today came and while I was serving coffee at the missions free hair salon Maria came in. She said I need to speak to you right now! I went over to her and she said, " I thought yesterday was the hair cut day, I got my days mixed up. Thats why I came yesterday during your church, I thought you were just praying for the start of the hair cuts like you do for everything and then your husband started speaking about God and I realized I was in church and I was going to leave but I knew that God had tricked me into coming to church to meet Him again. After you prayed with me yesterday my insides were empty I didn't feel hard in the middle anymore and I knew God had tricked me into meeting him, He will do whatever He needs to get you with him I guess. Thank-you for that it has been along time without Him and I am glad He tricked me. SO I am here today for a hair cut -right?" she smiled. "yes Maria today is the hair cut day, not church. " I laughed. She said " I think I may come back to church again either here or the one I used to go to but I talked to God today." I said "Maria I am so glad you and God are talking again and wherever He needs to meet you we are so happy for that and I will let Tom know for sure. Thank-you for sharing this with me."
I am blessed by everything at the mission and I am on an incredible JESUS FREAK journey with God but I am never less than surprised and humbled and forever blown away by the way He does everything so on purpose and so beautifully for His kingdom and the way HE steps right into our beautiful mess everyday. God you are so awesome and I thank you for the boldness of my husband to follow you and for a place like HHSM where there is space for all us broken people to try our best to move forward on our journeys with you. I am so glad God that you and Maria are talking again. :)
Saturday, October 5, 2013
Going on a bike ride....finding me some Jesus
Today was the Ride for Refuge.
Today we left the house thinking we were raising money for Helping Hands Street Mission.
Today I complained about the weather, having to get up early and argued with my daughter all before I left the house.
Today I had a discussion about whether the fundraiser would be "worth it" in the end.
Today God told me to shut my face and pay attention because yet again and as always Today was about something so much more than I could ever imagine.
We rode for team Sandi. Sandi is a friend of mine who is one of the strongest women I have ever known. Sandi and I met a long time ago when we were both very different people. She was addicted to drugs and I was addicted to serving in the community at the expense of my family and not always for Gods glory. She came to the mission for help but what really ended up happening is she ripped away my layers to expose what lessons I needed to learn that could only be taught by her. Sandi says the mission helped save her life, I say the feeling is mutual.
Sandi raised the most money of anyone on our team although I am not surprised. One day when she shares her story to the whole world you wont be either. She is a woman who you want to be close to because wisdom just flows from her. A woman who hangs on to Jesus really hard because she knows what its like when you let go. She was there before me and already ready to go just waiting for her opportunity to get on that bike so she could "get it over with" as she said. Sandi was afraid she may not be able to finish the 10 k. She was out of shape and has some health issues that make it difficult to breathe. She was upset because she couldn't get MORE money for the mission, "maybe next year" she said.
We started the ride and we sent the younger girls ahead to be our pacers and we had Sandi in the middle in case she got tired. Sandi took about 5 minutes to want to go further and faster. As she passed people she talked about who she was riding for (something I didn't do) and at one point she was talking to a woman for quite a while and I could hear things like "I am riding for Helping hands Street Mission they and God really helped me in my life.." she is sharing a small part of her testimony (something I wasn't doing). We reached the half way point and she needed a little break so she stopped and used her puffer, had a drink and a Halls from her pocket. She walked her bike up one of the hills so she could catch her breath. She kept saying sorry, we kept saying its okay. When she got on her bike again the wind started to come against us pretty hard and I heard her start to pray ..."God give me strength and stop the enemy from trying to stop me" I wonder how many times it has never occurred to me to pray first before complaining. Sandi , always a teacher.
Our team made it and we rode in together with some really great people cheering us on. She finished the ride she thought she couldn't do in under an hour. She thanked God when she got off her bike for giving her the strength. A few more people came in behind us and it was someone who had been emailing me about their new church plant wanting to connect again with HHSM to serve and partner with us. We said hello and he introduced me to his mother who let me know that she is a part of a group that is involved with justice for those involved in prostitution and human trafficking. I immediately wanted Sandi to meet her, they have the same heart for the same woman. I brought her over and she explained who she was again and Sandi said " this is the lady I was talking to on the ride." She turned to her and said " I never shared my whole story with you but I was involved in the life too and I would love to talk to you about housing for woman." They went on to talk about connecting together since she has woman doing speaking tours with her group all over the country. I was just watching and loving how God planned this day all along. Sandi said " Can you believe how God does that?!?!" I said "sometimes God is so creepy the way He connects EVERYTHING!" She laughed.
Today wasn't about how much money we raised for Helping Hands Street Mission. It wasn't about if we thought it was worth the time. It was all about God all along moving Sandi onto yet another stage in her journey with him and sending her out to share what He has done in her to more people for His glory. Today was a FREAKY day, A JESUS FREAKY day. A day when you get to watch God take over the whole situation and move you out of the way so He can continue to do the great works He does in all of us.
Today we left the house thinking we were raising money for Helping Hands Street Mission.
Today I complained about the weather, having to get up early and argued with my daughter all before I left the house.
Today I had a discussion about whether the fundraiser would be "worth it" in the end.
Today God told me to shut my face and pay attention because yet again and as always Today was about something so much more than I could ever imagine.
We rode for team Sandi. Sandi is a friend of mine who is one of the strongest women I have ever known. Sandi and I met a long time ago when we were both very different people. She was addicted to drugs and I was addicted to serving in the community at the expense of my family and not always for Gods glory. She came to the mission for help but what really ended up happening is she ripped away my layers to expose what lessons I needed to learn that could only be taught by her. Sandi says the mission helped save her life, I say the feeling is mutual.
Sandi raised the most money of anyone on our team although I am not surprised. One day when she shares her story to the whole world you wont be either. She is a woman who you want to be close to because wisdom just flows from her. A woman who hangs on to Jesus really hard because she knows what its like when you let go. She was there before me and already ready to go just waiting for her opportunity to get on that bike so she could "get it over with" as she said. Sandi was afraid she may not be able to finish the 10 k. She was out of shape and has some health issues that make it difficult to breathe. She was upset because she couldn't get MORE money for the mission, "maybe next year" she said.
We started the ride and we sent the younger girls ahead to be our pacers and we had Sandi in the middle in case she got tired. Sandi took about 5 minutes to want to go further and faster. As she passed people she talked about who she was riding for (something I didn't do) and at one point she was talking to a woman for quite a while and I could hear things like "I am riding for Helping hands Street Mission they and God really helped me in my life.." she is sharing a small part of her testimony (something I wasn't doing). We reached the half way point and she needed a little break so she stopped and used her puffer, had a drink and a Halls from her pocket. She walked her bike up one of the hills so she could catch her breath. She kept saying sorry, we kept saying its okay. When she got on her bike again the wind started to come against us pretty hard and I heard her start to pray ..."God give me strength and stop the enemy from trying to stop me" I wonder how many times it has never occurred to me to pray first before complaining. Sandi , always a teacher.
Our team made it and we rode in together with some really great people cheering us on. She finished the ride she thought she couldn't do in under an hour. She thanked God when she got off her bike for giving her the strength. A few more people came in behind us and it was someone who had been emailing me about their new church plant wanting to connect again with HHSM to serve and partner with us. We said hello and he introduced me to his mother who let me know that she is a part of a group that is involved with justice for those involved in prostitution and human trafficking. I immediately wanted Sandi to meet her, they have the same heart for the same woman. I brought her over and she explained who she was again and Sandi said " this is the lady I was talking to on the ride." She turned to her and said " I never shared my whole story with you but I was involved in the life too and I would love to talk to you about housing for woman." They went on to talk about connecting together since she has woman doing speaking tours with her group all over the country. I was just watching and loving how God planned this day all along. Sandi said " Can you believe how God does that?!?!" I said "sometimes God is so creepy the way He connects EVERYTHING!" She laughed.
Today wasn't about how much money we raised for Helping Hands Street Mission. It wasn't about if we thought it was worth the time. It was all about God all along moving Sandi onto yet another stage in her journey with him and sending her out to share what He has done in her to more people for His glory. Today was a FREAKY day, A JESUS FREAKY day. A day when you get to watch God take over the whole situation and move you out of the way so He can continue to do the great works He does in all of us.
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