Encouraged

It's been awhile since I've had internet access besides the simple updates I can complete via my phone.

It has been an incredibly busy month so far, but so encouraging.

I can't believe that it has been a week since Apostle Judy Shaw left us (how time flies), but she came to spend 5 days with us a couple of weeks back.  Those days were completely filled from top to bottom, but were days of joy, encouragement, and reminders of God's amazing love for us.

Pastor Judy is John and Stacy's pastor from their church back in Sioux Falls.  And she is amazing. 

She used her short time with us to simply encourage, encourage, encourage.

The day she flew in, we drove to Keta, which is a village on the way to Togo along the coastline.  Keta is known for its beautiful beaches, the fishing that happens at its shorelines, and its incredible darkness (it is a community in the Volta region).

Our friends, Pastor Paul and Angie Doe, have an incredible ministry in the community there.  Paul ministers with the youth of the community, Angie with the children and women.  Even to spend a weekend with them there, you can see the powerful impact they have upon the lives in that community.

We went to Keta to host a women's conference there with Angie and Paul.  We visited there last year with Pastor Judy and some other friends of hers and it was so powerful.  We were excited to go back and I was definitely looking forward to a little time away from our Children's Village (I love our village, but it's always nice to get away!). 

We got into Keta rather late, so we ate dinner late and then we were off to bed, lulled to sleep by the crashing waves not that far from our hotel room.

When we got up the next day, we ate breakfast out by the ocean and then we headed out to the church where the conference was happening.  About 200 women were packed into a little church building, causing the temperature of that place to skyrocket.  It felt like walking into a furnace.  But, God moved!!  Powerfully!!

Pastor Judy spoke to the women about their destiny, and the love that the Father has for them.  Angie spoke to the women about stepping forward in faith.  It was a powerful time of ministry and when we left, we were all heat soaked and exhausted, but so encouraged by the response of the women. 

We had heard, while at the church, that the power was going to be out that night (a common occurrence lately it seems), so Paul and Angie came and joined us at the hotel, thankful for the generator that would run our a/c and fans.  And then, we all gathered together and went out to Paul and Angie's land for dinner and some time in the ocean waves.  The water was actually warm (though Tyna, our administrator, thought it was too cold!).  I stuck my feet in and prayed and sang to myself as I walked through the water.  What a beautiful way to end the day!

The next day, we went back to the church and ministered again.  I sang a song, one that had been stuck in my head all weekend (thank you Will Reagan), and then Angie got up to speak.  She spoke with the women about being a part of the vine (John 15) and it was so rich and true.  It was so fun to see her ministering in this way.  God has certainly given her a heart for this community and you could tell with every word that poured from her mouth.  Pastor Judy got up to speak afterwards and just spoke a powerful word to the women, asking them to walk out in faith what they have been called to do.  It was so sweet to see the women, especially the young women, coming forward and desiring, with tears in their eyes, to live out the destiny of "Beloved of Christ" that God was calling them too.  That they had a voice.  They had that opportunity to share the love of Christ with others, the authority, the joy.

Afterwards, some people who were sick were brought to the front of the church.  Pastor Judy and John spent the next 30 minutes praying over them, that God would heal them.  The lame would walk.  The deaf hear.  Time and time again, they were sent back to their seat, encouraged to have faith, but no physical sign of healing was there.  And then, a young woman came forward who had recently become blind due to an accident.  Pastor Judy and John prayed over her...and she was healed.  She walked out of the sanctuary knowing she was loved by God because of her healing.  Such a beautiful picture.

Not long after that, we packed up and drove away from Keta.  It was a beautiful weekend of refreshing.

And again, and again, we were refreshed with our time with Pastor Judy.

She preached a message about "Remembering WHO YOU ARE" to our kids, tying in that crazy old Rafiki, Simba, and Mufasa from the Lion King.  The kids were so moved.  Everyday, I still hear them repeating, "Remember who you are!".  And from that message, some of our kids experienced real freedom as God spoke to them about their true character and personhood in Christ.  So good!

Pastor Judy also spent time with other local missionaries one evening.  Of course, the electricity went out right when we were about to start, the heat became oppressive, it was exhausting, but God won in the end!  We brought out the generator, the Beebe boys lead us in some powerful worship, Pastor Judy ministered, and we were all encouraged by the time in community and the time in the Presence of God.

Pastor Judy's last talk was with all of the CORM staff, particularly the school teachers.  She spoke directly what needed to be said, "I know you are Christians, but it is time to dig in deeper and take a step forward in faith."  Such a rich challenge for our people, something they desperately needed called into.

I was so encouraged by her time with us.  It has felt like God keeps showing up in powerful ways here lately.  It's been so rich and so good.  We need more of this...more often...more of God.

May it be so!

The "42" Challenge

Last night, as I was reading the Word, I felt like God asked me to look up Isaiah 42.

When I opened up my Bible, I saw that I had written "City of Refuge Ministries, January 2010" along the passage.  I remembered back to when I was praying about coming to Ghana, this passage of scripture was laid on my heart.

Back then, I was coming with the fervor to fight the fight against human trafficking here in Ghana.  Now, I have discovered that "justice" is so much more than that.  It is about meeting people where they are, giving a voice to those who don't have one, and fighting for the future of the "least of these".  But, something else stuck out in this passage this time...(notice bold, italicized, underlined portions)

Isaiah 42

New International Version (NIV)

The Servant of the Lord

42 “Here is my servant, whom I uphold,
    my chosen one in whom I delight;
I will put my Spirit on him,
    and he will bring justice to the nations.
² He will not shout or cry out,
    or raise his voice in the streets.
³ A bruised reed he will not break,
    and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out.
In faithfulness he will bring forth justice;
⁴     he will not falter or be discouraged
till he establishes justice on earth.
    In his teaching the islands will put their hope.”

⁵ This is what God the Lord says—
the Creator of the heavens, who stretches them out,
    who spreads out the earth with all that springs from it,
    who gives breath to its people,
    and life to those who walk on it:
⁶ “I, the Lord, have called you in righteousness;
    I will take hold of your hand.
I will keep you and will make you
    to be a covenant for the people
    and a light for the Gentiles,
⁷ to open eyes that are blind,
    to free captives from prison
    and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness.

⁸ “I am the Lord; that is my name!
    I will not yield my glory to another
    or my praise to idols.
⁹ See, the former things have taken place,
    and new things I declare;
before they spring into being
    I announce them to you.”

Song of Praise to the Lord

¹⁰ Sing to the Lord a new song,
    his praise from the ends of the earth,
you who go down to the sea, and all that is in it,
    you islands, and all who live in them.
¹¹ Let the wilderness and its towns raise their voices;
    let the settlements where Kedar lives rejoice.
Let the people of Sela sing for joy;
    let them shout from the mountaintops.
¹² Let them give glory to the Lord
    and proclaim his praise in the islands.
¹³ The Lord will march out like a champion,
    like a warrior he will stir up his zeal;
with a shout he will raise the battle cry
    and will triumph over his enemies.

¹⁴ “For a long time I have kept silent,
    I have been quiet and held myself back.
But now, like a woman in childbirth,
    I cry out, I gasp and pant.
¹⁵ I will lay waste the mountains and hills
    and dry up all their vegetation;
I will turn rivers into islands
    and dry up the pools.
¹⁶ I will lead the blind by ways they have not known,
    along unfamiliar paths I will guide them;
I will turn the darkness into light before them
    and make the rough places smooth.
These are the things I will do;
    I will not forsake them.
¹⁷ But those who trust in idols,
    who say to images, ‘You are our gods,’
    will be turned back in utter shame.

 

 

The first part I was struck by was that out of faithfulness, God will bring about His justice.

 

Sometimes, it is easier to just "give up" on people.  To say that they don't accept our help, so why even try?  To become almost cynical about the differences in culture, in religion, in their understanding of God and his love for us.

 

Yet it is through FAITHFULNESS to what and where and who He has called us to, that justice is brought about.  Sticking to it.  Even when it's hard. 

 

And then, struck by this word "covenant".  That we are called to be a covenant to these people.  Sure, I can bring the light to the Gentiles, but that can only be done if I am a covenant to the people.  That word...it just scares me.  It means commitment.  It means sacrifice.  Not just the little bit that I give at the school, but covenant means the sacrifice of LIFE ITSELF.  Whoa.  That's not something that is easy to just say, "Ok, let me surrender that to you."

 

In the Old Testament, when God created a covenant with Abram, that his descendants would be as numerous as the stars, the blessed race, he made him walk through the middle of all of these animals that had been sacrificed, sprinkled by the blood of them to mark his commitment to God.

 

In the New Testament, God did away with all of the sacrifices and created a covenant with all of mankind--that Jesus would be the ultimate sacrifice--he would be the ultimate covenant-maker.

 

And He calls us to that too.  To give away our lives to Him, so that others might come to know Him.

 

I need to do that.  I need to surrender in that way.  It is so incredibly hard.  And to be honest, I'm still struggling through that word covenant for these people.  I'm praying into it.  I want to be there.  I do.  I'm just not quite there yet. 

 

And then comes the promise...God will lead.  God will guide.  Rough places will be smooth.  I will not be forsaken.

 

So good.  With sacrifice come this sweet, sweet promise. 

 

But, God didn't stop there. 

 

He sent me on to Psalm 42 (a "42" challenge).

 

Psalm 42

New International Version (NIV)

BOOK II

Psalms 42–72

Psalm 42^[a][b]

For the director of music. A maskil^[c] of the Sons of Korah.

¹ As the deer pants for streams of water,
    so my soul pants for you, my God.
² My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.
    When can I go and meet with God?
³ My tears have been my food
    day and night,
while people say to me all day long,
    “Where is your God?”
⁴ These things I remember
    as I pour out my soul:
how I used to go to the house of God
    under the protection of the Mighty One^[d]
with shouts of joy and praise
    among the festive throng.

⁵ Why, my soul, are you downcast?
    Why so disturbed within me?
Put your hope in God,
    for I will yet praise him,
    my Savior and my God.

⁶ My soul is downcast within me;
    therefore I will remember you
from the land of the Jordan,
    the heights of Hermon—from Mount Mizar.
⁷ Deep calls to deep
    in the roar of your waterfalls;
all your waves and breakers
    have swept over me.

⁸ By day the Lord directs his love,
    at night his song is with me—
    a prayer to the God of my life.

⁹ I say to God my Rock,
    “Why have you forgotten me?
Why must I go about mourning,
    oppressed by the enemy?”
¹⁰ My bones suffer mortal agony
    as my foes taunt me,
saying to me all day long,
    “Where is your God?”

¹¹ Why, my soul, are you downcast?
    Why so disturbed within me?
Put your hope in God,
    for I will yet praise him,
    my Savior and my God.

 

 

Much of this Psalm appears to be so sad, but I connected with it because I am in this place of DEEP hungering after God.  I pant after him.  I long for my time with him.  My time with him has been sweet and deep and healing and leaves me refreshed.  It has also been a time of work--working out these places within me that are hard and stubborn--a bit of a refiner's fire.

 

But, something that I feel like God keeps speaking to me is that He is with me.  He has not forsaken me.  He loves me.  He surrounds me.

 

A bit like those waves described in verse 7.  Deep calls to deep.  Waves and breakers sweep over me.  The power of His love washes away every place that doesn't reflect him. 

 

And I just love the picture of verse 8...his love directing me.  His song guiding my nights.

 

These words brought me to tears last night as I was reading them.  The overwhelming presence of His love.  The way that He cares about me...Autumn...the one He created, loves, pursues.  It's powerful.  There are no other words.

 

I challenge you to find truth in these words as well.  What was your "42" challenge?

A New Voice

Maybe these guys have been around for awhile...but they are a new voice to me. 

A voice that has been piercing through the lies, bringing truth. 

I've spent hours worshipping, listening to the voice of the Father in these lyrics.

Just wanted to give you a little taste...

Will Reagan and the United Pursuit--Endless Years Album

Take a Moment
Take a moment to remember
Who God is and who I am
There You go lifting my load again
Take a moment to remember
Who God is and who I am
There You go lifting my load again
Take a moment to remember
Who God is and who I am
There You go lifting my load again
No longer am I held by
The yoke of this world
Come upon you the yoke of Jesus
His yoke is easy and His burden is so light
His burden is so light
You’re lifting my load
You’re lifting my load
No longer am I held by
The yoke of this world
Come upon you the yoke of Jesus
His yoke is easy and His burden is so light
Your love carries
Your love carries me through
All the valleys and the darkest places

Give me a Song to Sing
There's not a prayer I've prayed
That You haven't heard
Not a tear I've shed
That You didn't feel
You're the God who comes to raise the dead
I know You'll raise me up again
I know You'll raise me up again

Who can praise You from the grave
to see the life you gave
Just to see the life you gave

Just to see the life you gave
Every fear in me You've put to rest
It's the song sing I bring
Of Your faithfulness

And every tear has led my feet to stand
Where the ocean meets the land
Where the ocean meets the land

Sink or swim I'm diving in
Where the river starts rushing
Where my heart starts beating
For the rhythms of the testing
And the songs of the trials
I will lift a cry up to You
Sung with hope inside my eyes

Sink or swim I'm diving in
To the passion of Your heart
Where love starts

I lift my hands if my hands fail me
I'll bend my knees if my knees grow weak
I'll raise my voice and sing, I'll sing
I know that You love me

Give me a song to sing (x3)
And I will sing it

Give me a song to sing (x3)
And I will sing it to You God (x3)

Give me a song to sing (x3)
And I will sing it

Give me a song to sing (x3)
And I will sing it to You God (x3)

When God Speaks

I've been in a place where I am learning to listen more.  I'm trying to pull back a bit.  To sit in places of silence.  To hear more from the Lord.

Sometimes, waiting to hear from God is difficult.  After all, I live with 40+ kids running around on a day to day basis.  So quiet...well...it's pretty unheard of here.

But, God doesn't require just a quiet space alone to speak.  He requires a quiet heart.  Open ears.  A willing spirit.

And He's been speaking.

The past couple of days, we've had a YYAM team with us here, helping out at the school and loving on our kids.  Last night, they led a worship gathering for all of us as staff and our older kids.

The Spirit of God was so sweet.  So pure.  So powerful.  So present.

Worship started and tears just began to flow as the Holy Spirit began to speak.

And God gave me words from three different people that were so beautiful, so perfect.  It could only have come from Him, because the YYAM'ers for sure didn't know anything about these conversations.

God spoke of His pride in me.  That He sees.  That I am not forgotten.

God spoke about the way that I have served here, giving me permission to dream my own dreams again (a word that I felt God had begun to speak to me while in the States).  That what has been accomplished so far is only the beginning, and I am to push through, to persevere and endure (a word God continues to speak since I have been back in Ghana), and I will see even greater things come.  And then the words of Ephesians 3:16-21, spoken over me since 2004, a reminder that the same God that worked in me then, is still at work in me now.

God spoke that I have an anointing of healing--not in the physical realm only, but in the hearts of people.

God spoke that He loves me...He loves me...He loves me.  He knows my struggles and my trials and He is with me.  I am not alone.  He is pursuing me, romancing me, desiring a greater intimacy (also a word I had heard during my time in the States).

I felt like tears could not be contained.  It was just so sweet.  So deep.  So precious.  So real.  So good.

And this morning, I had no words except, THANK YOU FATHER.  God is good.

Love Does, Post 2

More from my new favorite book...again, quotes in no particular order or context...

"Because of our love for each other [between his wife and himself], I understand just a little more how God has pursued me in creative and whimsical ways, ways that initially did not get my attention.  Nevertheless, He wouldn't stop.  That's what love does--it pursues blindly, unflinchingly, and without end.  When you go after something you love, you'll do anything it takes to get it, even if it costs everything."

"Jesus seemed to say that all we would need to do is to scrape together the pieces of our lives that had fallen on the ground, bring those pieces to Him, and He would start using them.  Jesus didn't say He would ice over the grit of faults and failures either; He said He would use us in spite of the grit and faults and failures.  What we would have to do is decide to move from the parking lot to the party.  And He said we can't do that by just believing all the right stuff anymore; Jesus said He'd help us start doing the right stuff."

"Maybe God is doing some inexplicable things in your life.  Each of us gets to decide every time whether to lean in or step back--to say yes, ignore it, or tell God why He has the wrong person....We were all meant to save many lives.  God is always trying to save lives, and it seems like He usually uses the least likely people to do it.  So the next time God asks you to do something that is completely inexplicable, something you're sure is a prank because it requires a decision or courage that's way over your pay grade, something that might even save lives, say yes."

"I get the invitation every morning when I wake up to actually live a life of complete engagement, a life of whimsy, a life where love does.  It doesn't come in an envelope.  It's ushered in by a sunrise, the sound of a bird, or the smell of coffee drifting lazily from the kitchen.  It's the invitation to actually live, to fully participate in this amazing life for one more day.  Nobody turns down an invitation to the White House, but I've seen plenty of people turn down an invitation to fully live."

"The one who has invited you is way more powerful than any of the impediments we think we're facing, and He has just one message for us.  He leans forward and whispers quietly to each of us, 'There's more room.'"

"Words of encouragement are like that.  They have their own power.  And when they are said by the right people, they can change everything.  What I've found in following Jesus is that most of the time, when it comes to who says it, we each are the right people.  And I've concluded something else.  That the words people say to us not only have shelf life but have the ability to shape life."

"Religious people say that Jesus stands at the door and knocks.  I agree.  But there's more.  Jesus invites us to stand at the door of His house and do some knocking too.  And when He opens a door, He wants us to bring all of the faith we have to Him, even it it's a dime's worth.  And He promises that He will trade up with us--because He Himself is what we have the chance to trade for.  And what we'll have to give in exchange for knowing Him is everything we've accumulated during our lives and are standing on the porch holding on to."

"What I like about Jesus is that He didn't try to recruit people or use spin.  Neither He nor His disciples ever said they were going on a mission trip, because they weren't.  He just invited everyone and said they could follow Him."

"I trust God because He's the best author.  I think God doesn't spell out everything for us in life, but He does tell us how we can write our lives better; and trusting Him implicitly is always the right place to start."

"Jesus was always talking about a reverse economy.  He talked about how if you want to receive, you give.  If you want to lead, you follow.  That the poor are rich and you only really live for certain things if you are willing to die to them...we have more power than we think to make our own rules about life to live out the economy that Jesus put in place.  We each get to be the storekeeper, at least figuratively, and we decide who gets what and what things are worth.  We get to decide that people, including ourselves, are worth more than other might figure and that following Jesus means doing the math differently sometimes.  Because actually we're all on the same side of the counter when it comes to needing a little help and grace."

"I want to leak from having been hit by Jesus.  From having something crazy happen to me, something that flipped my life upside down.  I've met people like that, people who leak Jesus.  Whenever you're around them, Jesus keeps coming up with words and with actions.  I don't suppose everybody gets hit by Jesus, but those of us who have talk about Him differently.  We start steering funny; we start leaking where we stand.  And it's because we got thrown from our lives in a terrific collision."

"Jesus doesn't invite us on a business trip.  Instead, He says let's go after those things that inspire and challenge you and let's experience them together.  You don't need a lot of details or luggage or equipment, just a willingness to go into a storm with a Father who's kicking footholds into the steep sides of our problems while we kick a couple in ourselves too.  He guides us into those footholds with His strong hands while we're safely tethered to Him by a bright red rope of grace, which holds us securely.  Somehow in all of this, the terrain we navigate doesn't seem as scary either, because when we're on an adventure with God we're too excited to be afraid and too engaged to be thinking of anything else."

"[The disciples] didn't need all the details because they were on an adventure with a father who wanted to take them.  You don't need to know everything when you're with someone you trust.  That's probably why Jesus' disciples never said they were on a missions trip.  I think they knew love already had a name and they didn't need a program or anything else to define it.  We don't either.  The kind of adventure Jesus has invited us on doesn't require an application or prerequisites.  It's just about deciding to take up the offer made by a father who wants us to come."

More to come...


 

How Far We've Come

I do this every once in a while.  I reflect on what has happened since I've come to Ghana.

Yesterday, I was reminded of it again.

We have a YYAM team here and they have been bustling around the school, teaching art, helping with sponsorship letters, tutoring, blessing us...

One of the team-members encouraged me yesterday stating that he had been to several schools during his time in Ghana and this school FEELS different than all the rest.  I can take pleasure in just that simple statement.

Yes, we have SO MUCH WORK TO DO.  I see it everyday.  I see it in our teachers getting used to a new way of instruction, curriculum, discipline.  I see it in our students, struggling against all odds to even learn to read.  I see it in the way that our teachers and students behave--the need for discipleship--to know their true identity in Christ.  We have so much to do.

But, we have come so far!

In so many ways, it's been an incredibly FAST journey, but in many, many ways, it has been a journey built on tears, and sweat (lots of sweat), brainstorming and working, hours and hours of putting things together to make this possible.  I have felt ill-equipped, but that's when God shows his strength best, I think.  In the ill-equipped, ordinary people of this world.

I came to Ghana, desiring to do a bit of tutoring.  God brought me to Ghana to do far more than that.  I didn't even have a dream for what exists today.

My first months of teaching were an enormous struggle.  10 students and I crammed inside a tiny space.  The heat alone should have been enough of a threat, but then you put in the language barrier, the teaching style (and learning style), the cultural differences, the discipline differences, the colors of our skin...none of it was easy.  It was all hard.

But, perseverance was key.  A word I seem to be hearing so often these days.  Persevere.  Push through.  Endure.  The other side will bring out dreams that have yet to even be dreamed. 

I digress.

And then, we all moved to Doryumu, preparing for our big build.  Packing close to 40 people in one house.  Back then, it seemed like "alone" was a word that didn't exist in our language any longer. 

I spent my days teaching in our little, blue schoolhouse.  No electricity.  No running water.  No curriculum.  Just me, a couple of other teachers, and our kids.  Those days came with a lovely simplicity though.  We learned from each other.  We worked through our strengths and our weaknesses.  We lived life together.  Rainy days brought rolled up pant legs as we slid our way home through the muddy clay.  Afternoons were typically perfect opportunities for "Lion Hunts" with my little Portia, and her crew.  Evenings were filled with the cheery laughter of Edwin, Malvin, and Justice as they learned to walk in that place, and races ensued. Nights were filled with one of two choices, either the sweet sleep of my boy Edwin, or his whimpering cries through most of the night.

And then, my first year was done, and we moved on to open our school to the community.  We brought in 100 new students, a whole new teaching staff.  We changed, and grew.  I didn't know how we could start a school with 120 students without windows and doors, running water, or electricity.  But, we did.  And it worked.

And this year, the changes have been different.  Somehow more challenging for me.  Because the challenges haven't necessarily been in the infrastructure, but in the hearts of the people. 

For the most part, our structure is good.  We are running.  We are seeing our children grow and learn.  There are things we are constantly working on to create a better environment, a better education for our kids, but we are seeing growth.

It really comes down to the discipleship of our staff and children.

Oh, my heart aches to see the struggles.  To walk side by side some of these teachers when the news of some illness has captured them.  To see them settle for anything less than God's best for them.  To watch them walk out their life without a true understanding of their identity in Christ.  How much God loves them. 

I look back and see how far we've come.  It gives me hope for the future.  And it also reminds me that in this season, it isn't only about the education of these kids, though that is why we've all gathered, but it is about the future of these lives.  And I can trust that while God leads in this place, his Kingdom purposes will be completed.  Come, Jesus, Come.

 

Love Does, Part 1

So, I'm obsessed with this new book.  It is just...well...speaks straight to my heart.  I think the author's favorite word is "whimsy".  And I think that is part of why I am loving it so much right now.  I desire to live a life of whimsy.  I want to live a life that is incredible.  I want to see God in the ordinary moments of my life.  I think this is even part of why I love Pride and Prejudice...and well, at this moment, pretty much anything BBC puts out...it all has this air of whimsy...of a beauty that we can't quite put our finger on...on this gentle pursuit of life.  I love it.  So, I thought I would share some of my favorite's so far out of this book.  These quotes really have no connection to one another...just little nuggets of joy that I've found so far.

Love Does: Discover a Secretly Incredible Life in an Ordinary Way
By: Bob Goff

"Living a life fully engaged and full of whimsy and the kind of things that love does is something most people plan to do, but along the way they just kind of forget."

"I learned that faith isn't about knowing the right stuff or obeying a list of rules.  It's something more, something more costly because it involves being present and making a sacrifice.  Perhaps that's why Jesus is sometimes called Immanuel--God with us.  I think that's what God had in mind, for Jesus to be present, to just be with us.  It's also what He has in mind for us when it comes to other people...But the kind of love that God created and demonstrated is a costly one because it involves sacrifice and presence.  It's a love that operates more like a sign language than being spoken outright."

"People who follow Jesus, though, are no longer typical--God is constantly inviting them into a life that moves away from typical...What Jesus said we could do is leave typical behind.  We could leave all of the comparisons and all of the trappings and all of the pretending of religion.  Jesus told the people He was with that it's not enough to just look like you love God.  He said we'd know the extent of our love for God by how well we loved people."

"Being engaged is a way of doing life, a way of living and loving.  It's about going to extremes and expressing the bright hope that life offers us, a hope that makes us brave and expels darkness with light.  That's what I want my life to be all about--full of abandon, whimsy, and in love.  I want to be engaged to life and with life."

"Failure is just part of the process, and it's not just okay; it's better than okay.  God doesn't want failure to shut us down.  God didn't make it a three-strikes-and you're-out sort of thing.  It's more about how God helps us dust ourselves off so that we can swing for the fences again.  And all of this without keeping a meticulous record of our screw-ups....I've realized that I used to be afraid of failing at the things that really mattered to me, but now I'm more afraid of succeeding at things that don't matter."

More to come...