July 2007

Seaweed on your head is always a good idea… I dunno…

My first time in the Pacific in 6 months! It was COLD!

Man that was fun!  I love the ocean! :o)

Anissa is thrilled to be covered in salt water once again!  (She lives in Oklahoma now.)

La Jolla Shores

My pier :o)

Me and Heather at her house

Lindsay, Heather, and me at Heather’s rehearsal dinner.

Heather - the bride!

Walking down the aisle

The wonderful couple!

 

Lindsay and I - the helpers

Every detail was perfect!

San Diego is what I refer to as my hometown, where I grew up. I’m visiting “home” right now and it feels great to be back. There are a whole lot of people in Southern California who know me and love me and I certainly love them! I also love this city - I love the geography, the weather, the culture, and I enjoy the familiarity.

BUT I have to say, I miss Texas. My life is there now. I am happy to be “home for a visit, but I don’t have any desire to stay. I want to be in Texas. God has given me a heart for the people he has placed in my life there and I look forward to getting back! (Though I’d really like to find a way to take my San Diego beaches with me - yes, they are mine!)

I’ve been thinking recently about the expression: “Home is where your heart is.” If that is the case, where is my home? It’s not just here (in San Diego). It’s not just in Texas. My home is in the Kingdom of God. It is not limited to one place on this earth. It’s not even limited to this lifetime.

Jeff Lewis (interim pastor at my family’s church and Global Studies professor at CBU) made a statement in his sermon this morning that resonated with me: “Christianity is a nomadic religion. We must move when God tells us to move, plant when God tells us to plant, etc. People have often called me a nomad because I’m always going somewhere. It’s often credited to my personality but I think it’s something bigger. God has developed it in me and ingrained it into my personality as I have walked with Him. It wasn’t always there. I am no longer content to call just one place my home or to live from day to day in a routine that keeps me from risking and reaching out to the world around me. There is a whole world of people out there who need to hear the Truth and whenever and wherever God leads, I will go and I will speak truth and I will live truth! I’ve never had a lot of money and I don’t know that I ever will, but I am richly blessed! God has taken me to places and PEOPLE that will forever be in my heart. I consider them all home:

San Diego is my hometown! It’s motto is “America’s Finest City” and I’ve yet to find any evidence against the validity of that statement. Who doesn’t love San Diego? We have beach, mountain, desert, and amazing weather! My only complaint is the expense! It’s a special place to me because I grew up here. I spent many wonderful and many very hard times (all of which were very formative for me) here with my family and many special friends, who over the years became family! It’s a place that no matter where I am in life, I can come back and be welcomed with open and loving arms.

Riverside, CA is my birthplace and I found myself back for four years of college. Cal Baptist had so much to do with the formation of who I am today. My heart was shaped and molded there in so many ways! Lifelong friendships were developed while sharing life-shaping experiences!

Dallas / Fort Worth, TX is my newest and current home. I never would have thought I’d end up there for a portion of my life, but God led me there and I LOVE my life and those in it! I miss it when I’m away! I can’t wait to uncover more and more of what God has in store for me there in the days to come!

Vietnam is where God opened my eyes to many things I saw His might and power as I’d never seen before. I saw more deeply that He is holy and worthy of all praise and it became clearer than ever before what life is without Him… Meaningless and hopeless. God developed in a me a passion and a deeper sense of responsibility to take the message of the hope I hold to a world that is living hopelessly.

India is where God showed me the pit of nothingness He had pulled me out of. He showed me how futile life is without him and the destructiveness involved in placing anything above Him. It was there that God further developed in me a passion to share the value and purpose He gives us as we live following Him.

In all of these places God has taught me to love, to give, to pray, to wait, to serve, to give up myself. What a blessing.

Being back in CA for this visit continues to be filled with special moments and it’s been a great reminder of the transformation God is continually doing in my life. Just two nights ago I was able to spend some time with the girls I lived with my first 3 years of college. If anyone can tell you about how drastically God has changed me, they can! We had some good laughs over it this week and I’ll just say right now that God is amazing and definitely has a sense of humor - one more reason that I love Him! My life is far from boring. Anytime you need to hear a story or have a good laugh give me a call. I’ve got plenty stored up to share with you! :o)

It seems that every follower of Christ struggles with prayer at some point… or all points… of life.  I know my little A.D.D. brain often has trouble focusing; I know that I’ve said, “I’ll be praying for you” and have shamefully forgotten to do so; I know that I’ve often times struggled with the purpose of prayer and have sought to find “effective methods” of praying…

In the last year or so, God has taught me much about the function of prayer… I’ve reflected on answered and unanswered prayers in my own life… I’ve spoken with many who have strong prayer lives as they intimately commune with God on a regular basis and see things happen in answer to their prayers!  I’ve read many books and articles from others who have struggled to be effective prayer warriors and from those who seem to have done it well!

These are just a few quotes I’ve found along the way… I’d love to hear your thoughts.

“The things, good Lord, that we pray for, give us the grace to labour for.” ~ Sir Thomas More

 ”The true relation in prayer is not when God hears what is prayed for, but when the person praying continues to pray until he is the one who hears, who hears what God wills.”  ~ Soren Kierkgaard

“If I throw out a boathook from the boat and catch hold of the shore and pull, do I pull the shore to me, or do I pull myself to the shore?  Prayer is not pulling God to my will, but the aligning of my will to the will of God.”  ~ E. Stanley Jones

“God draws mightily near to the praying soul.  To see God, to know God, and to live for God - these form the objective of all true praying.”  ~ E. M. Bounds

“If I seek God more than anything else, I will eventually seek more of what God wants for me, and be content with that.”  ~ Philip Yancey

Until 6 months ago, when I moved to TX, I had not been out of CA for more than 6 weeks at a time… I’m ready for a visit!  :o)  CA here I come! 

A Franciscan Benediction

May God bless you with discomfort
At easy answers, half-truths, and superficial relationships
So that you may live deep within your heart.

May God bless you with anger
At injustice, oppression, and exploitation of people,
So that you may work for justice, freedom, and peace.

May God bless you with tears
To shed for those who suffer pain, rejection, hunger, and war,
So that you may reach out your hand to comfort them and
To turn their pain into joy.

And may God bless you with enough foolishness
To believe that you can make a difference in the world,
So that you can do what others claim cannot be done
To bring justice and kindness to all our children and the poor.

I am blessed with deep intimate friendships. I seem to have more than my share, but I’m not complaining. This summer many of my closest friends, with whom I am so used to sharing the depths of my heart, are serving God around the world… For this too, I am grateful! God has infected my heart and the hearts of so many that I love, with a passion to be a part of his work among the nations! With many of my dear friends gone to other regions of the world, I am not able to communicate with them on the regular basis that I am so accustomed to. I am building a deeper appreciation for these dear friends of mine and the love that we share for one another during their absences!

Today I longed to chat with some of those dear friends as it seems to have been so very long… but instead of feeling sad I was soon overwhelmed with thankfulness because I was able to talk with God, who is never inaccessible to me! The deep and intimate friendships I have with so many sisters and brothers in the Lord, are mere glimpses of the depth and intimacy available when walking in relationship with Jesus Christ!

I am currently reading a book on the subject of prayer… Prayer is really depth and intimacy in their purest forms. God desires for me to present my desires and requests, and thus the depths of my heart, to Him. He may not always hand over everything I ask for, but he always does answer… Sometimes, in subtle ways that I do not notice until years later. Other times, he answers by changing my heart over time.

If you’ve ever heard me tell a story, you know that I am a details kinda girl. Today, with a cup of coffee in hand, I went for a walk outside to spend some time in prayer… (What could be better than a beautiful evening with coffee, beautiful creation, and deep intimate conversation?) As I talked with God I looked with Him at the details of my life, past, present, and future… I was amazed by so much of what I saw! He has worked out so many things and taken me so many places that only He could do! I can not tell you how many prayers He has answered…

I stand amazed! My God does MIRACULOUS work… and… in His grace and mercy He desires me to be a part of it… in prayer and in action!

And to that all I can say is… Thank you Lord! I stand in grace!