Life in progress

Hello friends & family! It’s been a long while since I wrote last and though I don’t have anything profound to say, I wanted to share with you an update on my life.

So far, I’m at about 25% in the ministry partner development (MPD) stage. It’s been so encouraging to find partners in unlikely places. Also my family has been so generous and supportive. How blessed am I to be born in such an amazing family?!? This is by far the most humbling and faith building experience of my life. Isn’t that just like the Lord. He loves to bring us to a place where we are utterly dependent upon Him. Good thing He’s trustworthy.

Life in Stillwater is bittersweet. I love it here. It’s easy to get nice and comfy. I have my family close (which is awesome). I get to pick my nephews up from school and get Marble Slab and go to my niece’s first football game as a high school cheerleader. I get to attend this incredible church where I’m challenged and renewed every Sunday and Wednesday. I get to be near many of my closest friends and meet them for lunch or a bbq on the weekends. It’s getting harder and harder to want to leave and yet at the same time I have this urgency deep within my soul to get to Colorado Springs as quickly as I can. It’s such an urgent longing, sometimes I think about packing and moving immediately. That wouldn’t be best (and Campus Crusade probably wouldn’t allow it) for me financially or for the ministry in the long run cause I couldn’t give it my 100% while I’m still trying to do MPD on the side, but oh my heart longs to be there already. I pray I can use this longing as motivation to get my priorities straight and get after this MPD business. I know the Lord already knows who my partners will be, I just need to be faithful in seeking Him and talking to people about what I’m gonna be doing. It’s such exciting work and the Lord is so evident in it, that it’s quite contagious and I haven’t had trouble helping people see the extreme needs our soldiers and airmen face. If I were a salesmen, this would qualify as a 95% off steal, but I am not. The business of arming our military men and women with a knowledge of the One True God is much more serious and I am committed 1000% to getting it to them.

There are some intense things going on at Ft. Carson right now. The kinds of spiritual warfare that would make the fiercest warrior faint at heart. Surprisingly though, hearing about the 8 suicides and increasing number of murders being committed by our war vets invokes urgency instead of fear. I feel like I have the answer – it’s JESUS!! – and I’m sitting here in Oklahoma just out of reach. It brings tears to my eyes to think of these brave men and women who have been through so much and sacrificed time and health for our country who are now bound by the trauma they experienced.

Trauma isn’t the enemy. In fact the Lord tells us over and over that our trials are for our own good. Trials produce perseverance and perseverance proves our character. It makes us complete & mature in a way little else can. Our flesh and Satan are the enemy. They take what the Lord intends for good and use it to pervert our self image and our fellowship with God and others. The key so many of us miss (self included) is remaining grounded in the knowledge and application that God is good and can be trusted no matter the trial. When we find our roots in these two concepts our faith cannot easily be shaken. Mainly, cause it’s Truth & guess what…truth sets us free. Even from ourselves. My method to remain firmly rooted is to read about His love for me and His character daily. If God can be trusted, then the Bible can be trusted. There isn’t any other place to turn that’s infallible. Certainly wise counsel from a trusted friend is helpful, but even the best of intentions lead the wrong direction sometimes. His Word is either all true or complete junk. There is no middle ground and it’s the same with Jesus. He is who He says He is (the Triune God who takes away the sin of the world) or He’s the greatest liar and crook this world has ever seen. I am so thankful to have been entrusted with this truth at such an early age. To be raised in a family where I could know and understand the love and salvation a relationship with Jesus Christ offers, is about as blessed as it gets. There are countries and tribes where His name has never been spoken and though it challenges my faith and reason, I know that God still reaches them through His general revelation (like creation) and through sending others into those dark places to share about the restoration He offers to all who believe. I know for some it’s hard to see this exclusive way to God through Jesus as “fair”. It’s crossed my mind before. Many times actually. While I don’t know how He’s at work in the remote tribes of Africa or villages in Pakistan, I do know that His love and grace are so much deeper and unchanging for every single person who has ever been born than I can ever imagine. If I hurt a little for those who die without hearing his name, He suffers the most gruesome of torture. And again I am reminded that it is not God that separates us from Himself, but US. Our sin. Our rebellion. Our hatred or even our apathy is what causes us eternal separation from the One who willingly laid down His life for our redemption.

What else then can I do with my life with more passion and more purpose than share the way of restoration with those whom God loves? What way can my time be better spent? How about yours? What have you done today that makes an impact in the long run? Keep at it friends! Thanks for joining me on this journey. It’s gonna be full. Guaranteed.