God is so good. His promises really are true. We have a sliding glass door and window markers and mirrors setting against the wall, maybe to be hung up someday and maybe not. Last week we wrote up the verse "Sounds of violence will no longer be heard in your land, nor sounds of devastation and destruction within your borders. You will name your walls 'Deliverance' and your gates 'Praise'." Isaiah 60:18
Last week we got to walk out some of God's promises to us. He has promised me that his fruit comes from intimacy and that if I choose the one thing that matters, if I choose what Mary chose, he will be glorified and His kingdom will come to earth right here all around me. If we will believe, we will see his love transform, our lives and others and the world.
As a house we have been practicing waiting on the Lord. And abiding in him and his presence. What a life shift for me. Anyway, so far, that has meant that I don't have the answers, or the magic miraculous solution or the precise prophetic word from God or anything that seems wam-bam perfect. I just find myself being challenged over and over again by the Lord saying, "will you trust me? will you believe that my word is true? Do you believe that I will complete the work I have begun? Do you believe that I am living and active even when you don't feel or hear or see? Do you believe that I heal even when you don't see how? Do you believe that my love is enough?" And this week he showed all of us that he does transform lives by the powerful simplicity of his love. He showed me that 'when we confess to each other and pray for each other we will be healed'. Its true. He does the work.
John 6 reminds me of the challenge. [They replied, "We want to perform God's works, too. What should we do?" Jesus told them, "This is the only work God wants from you: Believe in the one he has sent."]
Believe, believe, believe. Abide, abide, abide. Contend for my presence. It is worth protecting and contending for. I am worth it. I am worth everything, all of you. All of you. Will you believe?
Monday, November 12, 2007
Sunday, November 04, 2007
Intentional... waiting
This is a little summary of whats become of me in the last year. And what in the world i'm doing now.
Well, October was my first month in my new home in Lubbock, Texas. What a journey its been to start this new journey. We (myself and five roomies) are on a block of low income housing units. Lots of kids, lots of drugs and prostitution, and lother illegal means of hopelessness. Its really not to active in the daytime. Stats show it as the highest crime block in the city for the last couple years, for various reasons. The house we stay in has been bought by a church in town with a heart for outreach. It's a huge house that is divided into 4 apartments with 2 bedrooms each, there is a littl
what brought us here? simply.. God did. Having lived in this neighborhood from 2004-2006, I was challenged and transformed and filled with joy from relationships with kids here, and once in a while a parent or two. I was also filled with frustration at my own inadequacies in 'ministry'. As Jesus has been drawing me in closer to him and raising my level of faith and intimacy with him and joyful expectation of his glory and love being revealed on the earth, I've come to the place of having to die to 'Andrea's theology' and find God's limitless love and his kingdom way of bearing fruit.... from intimacy. Last fall in Mozambique, amid amazing revival among the poor and orphans, I found myself strangely reminded of kids in this neighborhood right here in Lubbock texas, and hungry to see radical change and the transforming power of the real radical incarnational love of Christ come here. In a moment of wild imagination, i thought, wow, I would love to live right there on 65th, in an apartment building and just love people with the radical constant love that God has given and is pouring out all the time to anyone with hands open... I didn't think anyone else would share the crazy specific vision with me...
I was wrong. Came back to Texas in February, in April, a mutual friend (now roomie, Melissa) introduced me to Ben (roomie) who had just such an idea about intentional living to love on the very same street and knew men also crazy enough to invest in buying property there specifically for people to live and do outreach thru..... Months worth of financial challenges later and God had put together the team of misfits he wanted to represent his kingdom right here for such a time as this. Here we are.
what are we doing here now? that feels like a more difficult question, we've been here about a month. 3 girls in one apartment and 3 guys hanging around a lot waiting until we can finish painting and flooring their apartment across the hallway. The speed of things has seemed a bit slow. Because we were eager to get off our friend's couches, we moved in even before the toilet was connected to the floor. Of course thinking that was a simple glue job and that we'd just go across the entry, dark hallway to the empty unit being renovated and use that toilet in the meantime... 11 days later we got the toilet attached.
Ode to the Toilet
by M.L. Richards
O little peach toilet,
so short and so stout
We must live without you
and yet we don’t pout
A cursed porcelain bowl
of this there’s no doubt
You’ve defied many a man
tools down, they walk out
But we shall overcome?
And the all shall see
The great bond between
the Manor girls, three
As they no longer hike
to go take a pee
Now we’ve begun to tease each other that we live in a 3rd world country in the house because of our slow pace of life, and when we plan anything, it either doesn’t happen or happens over the course of 5 days instead of 1, a work day consists of meeting for breakfast at 9-10 and the working a few hours from 12-2 having lunch with a few friends over and then resting a while and working a few more minutes before we divide and conquer other endeavors in the city.
So what am i doing here now, haven’t met many neighbors yet, or talked to the ones I already know. Not much ‘outreach’ happening yet. I feel really convicted and passionate about seeking the Lord and waiting on his presence and listening for his voice and not going and doing out of my own ideas, ambitions and restless timing. I have tried ministry my way and didn’t like my limits. So this time around, I’m going to believe God’s vision for bringing his people to himself and for letting his glory dwell in me and I’m going to trust his timing and his ways because he has promised to open the heavens. So I am believing, and waiting. And enjoying him in the process.
Most of us living here are working very little, one of us not at all. And we have limited funds at the moment, but not to worry, our God is very rich. Anyway, Jill was praying for nations yesterday and praying for provision and God gave us $80 that very hour for groceries this week.
He’s not playing, he has provision for his purposes. He is giving us every good gift abundantly as he gives his Spirit without limit!
Well, October was my first month in my new home in Lubbock, Texas. What a journey its been to start this new journey. We (myself and five roomies) are on a block of low income housing units. Lots of kids, lots of drugs and prostitution, and lother illegal means of hopelessness. Its really not to active in the daytime. Stats show it as the highest crime block in the city for the last couple years, for various reasons. The house we stay in has been bought by a church in town with a heart for outreach. It's a huge house that is divided into 4 apartments with 2 bedrooms each, there is a littl
what brought us here? simply.. God did. Having lived in this neighborhood from 2004-2006, I was challenged and transformed and filled with joy from relationships with kids here, and once in a while a parent or two. I was also filled with frustration at my own inadequacies in 'ministry'. As Jesus has been drawing me in closer to him and raising my level of faith and intimacy with him and joyful expectation of his glory and love being revealed on the earth, I've come to the place of having to die to 'Andrea's theology' and find God's limitless love and his kingdom way of bearing fruit.... from intimacy. Last fall in Mozambique, amid amazing revival among the poor and orphans, I found myself strangely reminded of kids in this neighborhood right here in Lubbock texas, and hungry to see radical change and the transforming power of the real radical incarnational love of Christ come here. In a moment of wild imagination, i thought, wow, I would love to live right there on 65th, in an apartment building and just love people with the radical constant love that God has given and is pouring out all the time to anyone with hands open... I didn't think anyone else would share the crazy specific vision with me...
I was wrong. Came back to Texas in February, in April, a mutual friend (now roomie, Melissa) introduced me to Ben (roomie) who had just such an idea about intentional living to love on the very same street and knew men also crazy enough to invest in buying property there specifically for people to live and do outreach thru..... Months worth of financial challenges later and God had put together the team of misfits he wanted to represent his kingdom right here for such a time as this. Here we are.
what are we doing here now? that feels like a more difficult question, we've been here about a month. 3 girls in one apartment and 3 guys hanging around a lot waiting until we can finish painting and flooring their apartment across the hallway. The speed of things has seemed a bit slow. Because we were eager to get off our friend's couches, we moved in even before the toilet was connected to the floor. Of course thinking that was a simple glue job and that we'd just go across the entry, dark hallway to the empty unit being renovated and use that toilet in the meantime... 11 days later we got the toilet attached.
Ode to the Toilet
by M.L. Richards
O little peach toilet,
so short and so stout
We must live without you
and yet we don’t pout
A cursed porcelain bowl
of this there’s no doubt
You’ve defied many a man
tools down, they walk out
But we shall overcome?
And the all shall see
The great bond between
the Manor girls, three
As they no longer hike
to go take a pee
Now we’ve begun to tease each other that we live in a 3rd world country in the house because of our slow pace of life, and when we plan anything, it either doesn’t happen or happens over the course of 5 days instead of 1, a work day consists of meeting for breakfast at 9-10 and the working a few hours from 12-2 having lunch with a few friends over and then resting a while and working a few more minutes before we divide and conquer other endeavors in the city.
So what am i doing here now, haven’t met many neighbors yet, or talked to the ones I already know. Not much ‘outreach’ happening yet. I feel really convicted and passionate about seeking the Lord and waiting on his presence and listening for his voice and not going and doing out of my own ideas, ambitions and restless timing. I have tried ministry my way and didn’t like my limits. So this time around, I’m going to believe God’s vision for bringing his people to himself and for letting his glory dwell in me and I’m going to trust his timing and his ways because he has promised to open the heavens. So I am believing, and waiting. And enjoying him in the process.
Most of us living here are working very little, one of us not at all. And we have limited funds at the moment, but not to worry, our God is very rich. Anyway, Jill was praying for nations yesterday and praying for provision and God gave us $80 that very hour for groceries this week.
He’s not playing, he has provision for his purposes. He is giving us every good gift abundantly as he gives his Spirit without limit!
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