by | Faith Lived Out, Guest Posts
Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up – James 5:14-15
From Dear Dad…
I wanted this to all be over. I sat at my desk twirling a pencil around, trying to figure out how to make sense of everything. No one else was in the office yet. I was extremely grateful. I was going to talk to my friend Jammie.
Maybe she would help me make sense of everything. Then I saw her e-mail:
“I was reading this morning and came across these scriptures and wanted to share it with you:
“Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up“ – James 5:14-15
“I love you and hope that you can meditate on these, and maybe they will help you want to seek help from our church family.”
Seek help from our church family? I had no idea what she was talking about. They had dragged her into all of this, too.
I’m honored to be guest posting for Larry Hehn. Click here to read the rest of the post.
by | Faith Lived Out, Guest Posts
God smacked me with truth today. I was sitting on the couch reading the Bible and opened it to this verse:
1 Thessalonians 5:14, “Encourage the timid, help the weak, be patient with everyone.”
My footnotes say, “Don’t yell at the timid and weak; encourage and help them.”
At times it can be difficult to distinguish between idleness and timidity. Two people may be doing nothing—one out of laziness and the other out of shyness or fear of doing something wrong.
The key to ministry is sensitivity: sensing the condition of each person and offering the appropriate remedy for each situation. You can’t effectively help until you know the problem. You can’t apply the medicine until you know where the wound is.
Sensitivity. I’m lacking it.
I’m guest posting over at Joseph Iregbu’s place today. Click here to read the rest of the post.
by | Faith Lived Out
I write to you this morning with a raw heart. Raw emotions. It seems I can’t look at a stranger without crying.
photo credit: ashley rose, via Compfight
I walked out of church on Sunday and I felt something, but I couldn’t put my finger on. Now I realize what it was. I’m falling more in love with you than I knew I could be. I tried to talk about your love for me last night, but I couldn’t do so without crying, again. That’s a good place to be, I guess.
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by | Faith Lived Out
His name is John. He is 15. His blonde hair and innocent looking eyes draws my attention quickly. I’m here to teach him English. I forgot to take a picture of him before I left.
photo credit: katiew (creative commons)
The country of Transnistria is his home. Russian is his native language, but today we will talk to one another in English.
I ask him if he attends church here. He shakes his head no.
“I don’t go to church,” he says, shaking his head. “I’d rather be with friends.” I smile. He smiles.
Then he pulls his phone out and swipes through pictures that take my breath away.
He sits with his friends, all no older than 15, in a smokey room. There is a picture of the bong. A picture of his friend blowing smoke out of his young mouth. John laughs as he shows me pictures.
I don’t smile. My heart breaks. I ask God for the words.
I’m taken back to my teenage self. I too sat in a room with friends smoking pot, laughing, thinking I was having the best time of my laugh. I remember the moments of “freedom.” The nights of drinking, getting high, giving my body away.
I grab a hold of his arms and shake him, in my mind anyway. Do you see what you’re doing to your life? Open your eyes! Walk away. Run to Jesus! Please run to Jesus.
We talk. The conversation is shallow. Before he leaves I tell him in my best broken Russian, “God loves you.” He is gone.
Does he really know how much God loves him? Does he know there is a better life for him? Has he ever had a childhood? Does he know my heart is breaking watching him walk away without Jesus? Does he know Jesus is weeping over his brokenness?
The face of Caleb, my little cousin, fills my mind. He is 12. The day he came into this world is marked as one of the greatest days of my life. The innocence of his blue eyes captures my heart every time he looks at me. Does he know?
Does he know how much God loves him? Does he know there is a better life for him? Does he know Jesus weeps over his brokenness?
I’m reminded of a broken world as I think about John today. Where is he? What is he doing? Does his father hug him? Does his mother tuck him in at night? The anger in my heart of innocence being stolen wants to pick up that bong and shatter it against the wall.
I want to hold John in my arms and repeat the name of Jesus over and over again. I may not be able to do it with him, but I can do it with Caleb.
Will you pray for John?
by | Faith Lived Out, Guest Posts
Some prefer cocaine.
Others choose their job. Another clings to alcohol. My preference? Cheeseburgers, pizza, and anything else that would make the world disappear with every bite.
photo credit: edog1382 (creativecommons)
I don’t remember the age I realized I was overweight, or that I used food to survive the life I hated living. It just was what it was, perhaps because I lived in it so long. Food helped me avoid reality.
For every bite and every binge, I didn’t have to focus on my heart.
I didn’t have to concentrate on the pain of sexual abuse or the truth of my dad’s abandonment. He chose alcohol over me. It never occurred to me I was choosing food over others. Before I knew it I was 25 years old and 330 lbs, still trying to hide the pain of my childhood and the fact that my father’s diagnosis of cancer was going to leave me abandoned yet again.
Then one day everything started to change.
I was flat on my back in a hospital bed with headaches I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy. I couldn’t hold my head up because the vertigo was so intense. I couldn’t help but see this as a fork in the road — a sovereign chance to make a change. I could keep doing what I was doing or try something different.
by | Faith Lived Out
If you’re reading this right now, I’m probably on a plane. I could be in Chicago, Germany, Austria, or my final destination, Moldova.
Today is the day I embark on the mission trip journey. It’s my first time. I’m not really sure what to think, and I probably forgot to pack something. A friend told me the other day,
If you have your passport and a clean pair of underwear, you should be good to go.
Check. Check.
Would you pray for me and the other members of my team on the trip? We left this morning and we’ll be back on the March 17th.
Here are some specifics, if you don’t mind:
- My energy
- Strength
- No headaches
- That I use the Holy Spirit to be my voice and not my self.
Oh… and maybe that I can sneak a sweet child from the orphanage I’ll be visiting into my suitcase for the trip home. I wouldn’t be opposed to God making that happen – just sayin’.
I’ll see you when I get back!
