Joy in the Raindrops

I've been reading a lovely book called, A Thousand Gifts, by Ann Voskamp.  It's the life story of one woman's journey into a thankful and joyful life.  The way that Voskamp unravels her story is really quite simple, but it's also breathtakingly beautiful. The basic line of thought she explores begins when she recognizes she is living a life as a believer without joy. Through a series of life events, she realizes that her amount of joy is directly related to the amount of thankfulness she expresses for God's grace in her life.

Usually when I stumble upon some reading that really challenges me, I see it play out in my life. Jesus knows that I usually have to try things out to learn a good lesson.  A couple of days ago, I began my regular 7ish block walk home from class.  Only this time, it was pouring.  It was kind of a chilly day without the rain, and, because I've been trying to force spring to arrive, I wasn't wearing a coat. Needless to say, this rainy walk wasn't exactly something that I was looking forward to! As I walked back and the raindrops began to fall harder, I remembered the notion of thankfulness leading to joy. I decided to be thankful for the raindrops and for the thorough soaking that I was receiving.

Funny, because almost as soon as I decided to smile at this gift from Him, I was more joyful! And, scripture started pouring into my mind, a conversation with the Holy One, explaining more to me about this act of choosing thankfulness and receiving joy.  He said, 'Since then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated, at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God (Colossians 3:1-3)."

"Hmm..." thought I, "Could this be what it means to be thankful?  Could it be that seeing earthly things through His eyes is the beginning of joy?"

He answered,
"⁸ “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, 

   neither are your ways my ways,”
            declares the LORD.
⁹ “As the heavens are higher than the earth,
   so are my ways higher than your ways
   and my thoughts than your thoughts. 
¹⁰ As the rain and the snow
   come down from heaven,
and do not return to it
   without watering the earth
and making it bud and flourish,
   so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater,
¹¹ so is my word that goes out from my mouth:
   It will not return to me empty,
but will accomplish what I desire 
   and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.
¹² You will go out in joy
   and be led forth in peace;
the mountains and hills
   will burst into song before you,
and all the trees of the field
   will clap their hands.
¹³ Instead of the thornbush will grow the juniper,
   and instead of briers the myrtle will grow.
This will be for the LORD’s renown,
   for an everlasting sign,
   that will endure forever.”

And all I could do was grin a ridiculous grin and thank Him for how wonderfully He weaves pieces of my life together to teach me more about loving Him.  

I arrived home completely soaked, but much the better for it. Joy in the raindrops.

On an early morning drive, everything was covered in ice and incredibly beautiful. Good work, Jesus. 

Purpose

There's something beautiful about a person filled with purpose.  Purpose, a goal, something to run after, is an attractive quality.  I've been doing a bit of seeking on purpose in the last month or so, and it's been a journey of listening, learning, and stepping out in the truths that I've learned about who He's created me to be.  There's something incredibly satisfying in having a purpose.

Jesus is a pretty purposeful guy.  He's always known what he's about, and he sticks to that purpose, even when it's hard.  In John 12, right after Jesus delivers the famous lines, "Anyone who loves their life will lose it...," he and God the Father have this little dialogue about the cross:

Jesus: "Now my soul is troubled, and what shall I say? 'Father, save me from this hour'? No, it was for this very reason I cam to this hour. Father, glorify your name!

Then a voice came from heaven,

God the Father: I have glorified it, and will glorify it again."

It's all over the gospels. Jesus is purposeful.  He does things intentionally.  He does them with the cross in mind.  It's amazing to imagine the power of that foresight---the impact that that purpose would have on a person's daily life.  When Jesus called the first disciples, he knew that he would die for them.  Jesus was about his Father's glory.  He lived life in light of that.

And so should we.

So, I'm asking, daily, "God, what do you have for me today? How can I bring you glory?" And it turns out that life is a bit more exciting when you live in light of what He has to say.

How Great Thou Art

Last night we had Salt Company, our college ministry, in a building on Market Street.  The building is known as, "Old Brick," and was originally a Presbyterian church, built in 1856.  It's construction was fairly simple as far as churches go-heavy wooden doors opening to an entrance with stairs that led into a large, open sanctuary.  The interior was plain-a few stained glass windows, a few woodcarving details, dark wooden cross-beams supporting a high ceiling and white walls.  In the front of the sanctuary, there was a raised, wooden platform where Salt's worship team was set up for the evening.  

As the first worship set opened, I noticed thin electrical wires weaving their way down the woodcarvings of the altar--this building definitely wasn't constructed with the purpose of hosting a band with electrical guitars and digital keyboards. But I couldn't help but be in awe of the place that God had prepared for us.  Because, in truth, when this structure was being built those 155 years ago, He knew that we'd be using it on February 9th, 2011.  In the midst of a contemporary worship set, we were joining our voices with the songs of believers old enough to be our great-great-great grandparents.  Our worship was mingled in this shared space, in this sanctuary built for Him.

The interior of Old Brick--obviously not @ Salt Company...

In scripture, Paul talks about how God "does not live in temples built by human hands" (Acts 17:24). Jesus mentions this too, when he meets the Samaritan woman at the well.  She asks him a question about the proper place to worship-her people's custom of going to the mountain, or the Jewish temple in Jerusalem-and he answers back in the most peculiar way:  “Woman,” Jesus replied, “believe me, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem." (John 4:21) 

I've been thinking through this vein of ideas this week...Our church plant announced on Sunday that they've started a building fund for the future of our little body of worshipers.  Currently, we rent spaces for our Sunday services and Wednesday night Salt Company.  We're like church gypsies-without a permanent place about which to say, "ours" or "home."  

I've got to be honest, my immediate reaction to the announcement of a building fund was a bit of disappointment--the beginning of the end of our "church plant newness."  Someday we'll have that permanence and tie to something structural.  And I was a bit sad about that.  I've really enjoyed the flexibility, adaptable-ness & change that not having a building produces.  (I'm sure the setup crews would have a slightly different viewpoint!) Terms like "organic" have surfaced a lot in my vocabulary lately---The Church as a living body-not tied to a building---when you don't have a church building, it's a lot harder for people to confuse The Church (the body of Christ) with the church (the building).  There's something wonderfully exciting about a lack of permanence in your location.  

But, last night I remembered,  that there is something about a building. There's a sense in which, as you read about David's heart for building a great temple to the Lord, you realize that David wants to honor Him, to show how glorious He is through a semi-permanent representation of  just a small part of His splendor & glory.  A sanctuary, maybe more than anything else, is a space set apart for His people to gather and proclaim that He is worthy of worship. 

We won't always know how that sanctuary will be used.  I mean, can you imagine a worshiper from 1856 present in our college-student gathering from last night? He or she would never have been able to imagine the type of worship, the culture of His people in this present context.  But there is a unity in sharing that space in the honor of Him.  There is a mingling of spirits in the worship that Old Brick has seen in the last 155 years.  There's something to having a  reminder of all the worshipers who have come before you. And the unity that flows of out that is a beautiful thing.  

So, maybe a building isn't such a bad thing after all. It's actually pretty exciting to think about the worshipers that will follow us, the people that will use the space we set apart for His glory. Their voices will join with ours and all the ones that have come before us. 

We sang a part of this song last night-It's amazing that the One we worship never changes. 

O Lord my God, When I in awesome wonder,
Consider all the worlds Thy Hands have made;

I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder,

Thy power throughout the universe displayed.

Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,

How great Thou art, How great Thou art.

Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,

How great Thou art, How great Thou art!

When through the woods, and forest glades I wander,

And hear the birds sing sweetly in the trees.

When I look down, from lofty mountain grandeur

And see the brook, and feel the gentle breeze.

Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,

How great Thou art, How great Thou art.

Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,

How great Thou art, How great Thou art!

And when I think, that God, His Son not sparing;

Sent Him to die, I scarce can take it in;

That on the Cross, my burden gladly bearing,

He bled and died to take away my sin.

Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,

How great Thou art, How great Thou art.

Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,

How great Thou art, How great Thou art!

When Christ shall come, with shout of acclamation,

And take me home, what joy shall fill my heart.

Then I shall bow, in humble adoration,

And then proclaim: "My God, how great Thou art!"

Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,

How great Thou art, How great Thou art.

Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,

How great Thou art, How great Thou art!

Rejoicing in the Breath of His Mouth

Job 37:1-13

 ¹ “At this my heart pounds 

   and leaps from its place. 

² Listen! Listen to the roar of his voice, 

   to the rumbling that comes from his mouth. 

³ He unleashes his lightning beneath the whole heaven 

   and sends it to the ends of the earth. 

⁴ After that comes the sound of his roar; 

   he thunders with his majestic voice. 

When his voice resounds, 

   he holds nothing back. 

⁵ God’s voice thunders in marvelous ways; 

   he does great things beyond our understanding. 

⁶ He says to the snow, ‘Fall on the earth,’ 

   and to the rain shower, ‘Be a mighty downpour.’ 

⁷ So that everyone he has made may know his work, 

   he stops all people from their labor.

⁸ The animals take cover; 

   they remain in their dens. 

⁹ The tempest comes out from its chamber, 

   the cold from the driving winds. 

¹⁰ The breath of God produces ice, 

   and the broad waters become frozen. 

¹¹ He loads the clouds with moisture; 

   he scatters his lightning through them. 

¹² At his direction they swirl around 

   over the face of the whole earth 

   to do whatever he commands them. 

¹³ He brings the clouds to punish people, 

   or to water his earth and show his love.

I stumbled across this section of scripture on our flight back across the Atlantic.  It was funny,because I had just written a journal entry about our snow day with the kids--we played for several hours on a frozen lake.  Here's the journal entry & my memories from that day. 

'Last night I remembered the purity of joy that was spent on a frozen lake.  Snowballs, trees covered in snow, sliding on the ice, everyone laughing, chasing, and clumping together bits of white promise.  There were shared mittens, sneak-attack snowballs, shrieks of joy and surprise at the shock of a face full of snow.  All these were parts of you-glimpses of your love for all of us inside the joy that your creation caused us.  We were all just children again-everyone.  From 35 to 5-just children. Removed from the burdens of daily life, hurt, confusion, responsibilities & relational obligations.  We were just children before you, praising you for your gift of fresh newness.'

I was in awe of Him, remembering again that it was His breath that created the white stuff that we played so joyfully in. It was Him who gave us the gift of that beautiful day with the kids.  What an awesome God we serve; He blesses us in so many simple, but powerful ways.  And I think I learned something from this day on the lake: it was the rejoicing, the joyfulness, enjoying the magic of it all that was, in itself, a form of worship & thankfulness.  Fully enjoying something that He made to be enjoyed. 

Here's a super short video clip of our day on a frozen lake-it was amazing to me that so much joy could come from such simple things.  

The kids didn't at all go easy on us...this picture was taken after I had wiped the snow off of my face---I got hit pretty good several times out there--such fun!! 

Stories of Romania

As with last year's trip, this journey into Romania and the Father's heart was full of lessons learned and experiences to be remembered. Over the next couple of weeks, I'll be sharing some stories from my favorite memories of the trip, but first, I'd like to tell you a little bit about the most valuable part of the trip for me: community.

I've been in a community-building stage of life this past semester in Iowa City, so perhaps that's why I valued/noticed the community with such intensity.  Truly, it was amazing to see the way that God bonded our team together in His love to accomplish His purposes.

Team [Megan, Natalie, Nicole, Tim, Heather, & I] before our flight out of the US

Each member of our team had a specific gift to bring to the table--Nicole's contagious silliness, Megan's understanding of kids in hard situations, Natalie's love for kids of any sort, Tim's patience in constructing Lego creations, Heather's hugging habits--all these things together made a team that loved well.  

We had a lot of fun together, too.  Toward the middle of the trip, we definitely counted as some sort of odd little family.  We prayed together, talked about things that were on our minds, and talked each other through some decision-making for the future.  It was an amazing time of encouragement, support, and wisdom-sharing. What an awesome picture of the Body of Christ!

We ended our journey with lots of goofy-ness--a sure sign of a life-long friendship bond:

And that, blogging friends, is the community I proudly ministered alongside. I wouldn't have it any other way! 

Once Again

Tree decorated.

Christmas cookies made. 

Cards sent. 

Finals done. 

Bags--being packed. 

The countdown has reached its final week--7 days until I'm once again on my way to Romania to celebrate Christmas, the New Year, and the Father's love.  This year, I'll be bringing a few friends along for the journey.  Meet our team: 

Below my picture you'll see my little sister, Megan. To the right of her is my dear friend from Iowa State, Natalie.  The young lady in the charming yellow hat was my roommate & partner in mischief at ISU, Nicole.  Above her is Heather, a lovely TeenServe staffer from two summers ago, and to her right is our very-brave-only-guy, Tim, also from TeenServe summer staff. 

Our tickets are purchased, our bags are being packed, and we're so very excited to see the ways that the Father will use us to care for His children this Christmas season.  While we're there, we'll be celebrating Christmas with the children, taking care of infants in the baby hospital, and spending some time with some of the older orphans in the care of the long-term workers in Bucharest.  

We'll be in Romania from December 26th to January 6th, and we would love it if you would join us by praying for our team while we're serving.  Truly, your prayers make things happen! 

We'll keep you posted with updates throughout the journey.  Merry Christmas & many thanks for praying! 

Real Life

Here are just a few snapshots of Fall 2010: 

Miranda,  Deanna, & Lori hanging out in the Ped Mall before Salt Company. 

Fall beginning to happen on the UI campus. 

Beautiful sunset on the way to Anthem in Ames. 

Melinda, Jess, & Jenny--Jenny really does like everybody. I promise. 

Front: Jenny, Loren, Amanda, Melinda, Fern
Back: Jenny, Serena, Elizabeth, Miranda 

Connection Group: These ladies are why I'm here.