Sometimes it totally baffles my mind when God reveals things to me... often times they are from the people you wouldn't expect them from- and in circumstances your brain could never fabricate. I have had some unbelievable interactions with people these past two days- I am so energized and excited- and I'm the sort who tends to become so overwhelmed in such circumstances that I'm overflowing and bubbly and tend to want to tell the whole world, whether they want to listen or not...
It started two nights ago, dinking around on facebook I noticed a friend's status mentioned becoming a pastor which somehow led to us talking.... which eventually led to a discovery that God had laid some very similar passions on our hearts, she mentioned going overseas, though was currently held back by the financial burden- and we all know that I've heard that song :) Long story short, I mentioned that going into my story would probably be better over coffee- and she took the initiative so we met up yesterday for tea- It was so refreshing, to share what I've processed overseas and coming back- shocking to find that one of the people who understood the most was someone I haven't had contact with in years... there is something beautiful when two woman, on fire for God get together and share there passions and God given ambitions... the dreams we shared, thoughts we processed- I very much so was left with a burning desire to stir something up... shake the kingdom here on earth.
Today I met with another friend- one who I've sort of been discipling, and WOW... God has just really blessed ME with her presence with my life... and I would be lying to say there weren't times before when I vainly figured it was the other way around- we went for a walk, and as we've been investing time in one another she has increasingly become more whole to me- revealing different sides and dimensions... I feel like I've been learning to see and love the way Jesus does- (though often times VERY FLAWED :() anyhow, we were walking in the woods, and wheels started turning and I just started talking about how God can work in us and through us- and the idea of a mustard seed faith being something small with the potential to grow- and how our faith needs to have that room to grow, we cant place it in a box... we discussed how God uses the week because through them He can be revealed as strong- and the power of the Holy Spirit in her- and let me tell you, it was one of those strange- Ah HAH moments- the day before over tea we had discussed how effective developmentally disabled people can be in harvesting the kingdom- their uninhibited declarations, childlike faith... and I realized that this desire to enable them for the kingdom was a truth that also applied to my friend who isn't developmentally disabled- she has such a deep desire to know God, and grow in Him, and so longs to do something for the kingdom... I cant wait to see what He has in store for her. We prayed together, and she was moved to tears, and it was just incredible- seeing how much she has grown already. I cant wait until she takes that leap, does something out of the ordinary for her- the Lord's already used her in my life... I can only scratch the surface of things to come... on the way back we started singing praise songs as we pranced through the woods, and this undignified behavior continued all the way home. Again I was moved to see her, walking down the streets, making a joyful noise to the Lord, completely unaffected by those we walked past- even genuinely raising her hands in worship... I was moved and humbled... overjoyed to see the love of our saviour flowing through her... um WOW
And the wonderful fellowship continued... there is nothing like the fellowship of believers- and for those of you who know me well- you know that I firmly believe that it is through such fellowship that the kingdom can be shaken and people can be saved... anyhow, we returned and pulled out my guitar, and my desire to continue to learn this instrument grows- I love being able to bless people by leading them in humble worship for the King... Anyhow- we sat on my front lawn and sang, and soon my best friend arrived, we went out for coffee, and that's where the left behind luggage comes in :) It's kind of crazy to look back- and realize how much God has stretched us in the past few years, Aubs and I have been challenged in countless ways- and it's exciting to see how things begin to unfold- quality time with Aubs is always a blessing, but my philosophical thought processing had already been started so this evening proved to be another Ahah moment. A moment I later compared to losing your luggage while traveling overseas... its like the airline ships it to you- but on the way some pieces are lost, and it takes awhile for it to all come together. She was sharing grief about a friend who had drifted, and how hard it was to get quality time, which led us to thinking about the importance of investing and giving time... being in the moment and present where you are- That was a beautiful truth that I brought home from Romania. While there I really discovered that in order to be effective we need to get off this results oriented nature that we've acquired, in Romania I often found my time spent playing basketball until kids were sick of it, letting girls tug on my hair, holding kids until my arms were about to fall off... things that cant be measured- and both of us have had similar recent international experiences. Anyhow, one of the things that was amazing about my time in Europe was that, even in Ireland- I had no agenda- I went with the flow- took things as they came and never really knew what was coming next- and because of that availability I was able to have coffee with strangers, meet people, hear their stories, and experience so much more. When we allow ourselves the freedom to say "Why not" and give people our undivided time so much can be reaped from that- we dont always realize what an impact treating others with worth may have. I shared with Aubree how I think that is one of the biggest tangible changes in me, when I go to work or get together with friends I avoid watching the clock too closely (setting an alarm for work of course) but still, I choose to embrace the moment and the one I am with at that time, otherwise the person is never getting the full you- if you are watching the time the clock becomes another person- one who is hogging all the attention, and if you treat a person with worth, reveal to them that they have value, who knows what that will one day do!? We tied this all back to our kids- maybe we only got to play with them for a few weeks- but the fact that someone saw them as worth the time- someone decided rolling around on the pavement, holding their hand, drawing on their arms, playing basketball- whatever that person wanted to do at that time- was worth our while, that means the world to them. How can someone even begin to comprehend a loving God, a son who cares enough to die for them.... an intangible, unconditional love- if they never experience any form of love on earth?
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