Never Alone

There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to one hope when you were called— one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.
~ Ephesians 4:4-6

I flew into Chicago today so that I could present some conferences for work. As much as I enjoy travel on the company dollar, when you're jaunting around the country by yourself there are usually moments when you just feel alone. Tonight I had plenty of time to find a place to eat and I'd had a pizza joint recommended so I headed downtown. I found the restaurant and sat down outside in some of the most beautiful November weather you might hope for. As the night settled in and I enjoyed a good meal there was a moment when I just wished for some company; someone with whom to talk and think about the day that I'd had and the thoughts in my head.

Now, I knew I wasn't truly alone because I have friends and family all around the country who care about me and would love to talk to me. However, I just wanted to talk with a person. So, I did what I usually do...I made a plan.

I pulled out my phone and looked up Moody Church which I thought was probably associated with Moody Bible Institute (not really I've learned since) and figured out where they were located. I was in downtown and they were somewhere north of that - probably about two miles or so is my guess now. They had service at 6:45 and it was 6:15 and I decided to hike it and go worship with some fellow believers.

Well, I walked for 45 minutes and finally got to the church at 7. It seemed like they were just starting so I went in and proceeded to enjoy an hour and a half of prayer and teaching (ironically enough about the same things I've been hearing over and over again lately). It wasn't Connection Service at Prestonwood but it was still a blessing because it reminded me that no matter where in the world I might find myself, I can always find people worshiping the Lord. For the record, this is not the first service I've crashed...I've done this in Austin, Austria and London.

Afterwards I was given a ride back to the train by this sweet lady who told me all about Chicago and was just so kind (it's also not the first time I've gotten in a car with a total stranger but that's a much longer story). So I went back to the hotel and settled in to do some work not feeling even the slightest bit alone in this city.

All this to say, God sends people to fill in the cracks in our lives. Some come and stay for a long time and some are just there for an hour or so to remind you that you're not alone. If you find yourself wishing for someone to talk to, take a chance and be the one to reach out. When I do this I usually find that there's a friendly recipient out there and it makes me realize that the body of Christ is not just limited to those I already know! So, my first day in the Windy City is drawing to a close and I'll go to sleep tonight reminded that God is still at work even when I'm far from home and the friendships I'm so blessed with there.

Soul Restoring

The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
~ Psalm 23:1-3

God is such a good shepherd; providing for us in our times of need and making sure that we take time to be still and then showing us our next paths. The picture that we see in scripture of this God is absolutely unfathomable to my mind. I simply can't wrap my brain around the character of my Lord - His unwavering faithfulness, His intimate association with His people, His sacrificial servanthood, His great compassion and love...this God is incredible!

I'm on my way out of town today to spend time with my dear sister and her husband and I know that it will be a time where God allows me to rest and continues to restore my soul. I'm not a proponent of running away from hard times but sometimes it is worth taking those moments and letting God restore you for the journey ahead. We all need rest - He made us that way! So, I may be out of pocket a bit over the next couple of days but know that if you're in need of any encouragement, pick up that BIBLE and start reading...it's all in there! :)

God and Boston

It's the end of a long day here in Boston and even though I'm tired and kind of feel every one of my years, I can't help but smile and be thankful that I'm able to be here at all. It's funny to me how much a city can get under your skin and the truth is that Boston has most definitely done this with me. I love the sights, the commotion, the accent, and everything else that makes up this crazy, wonderful city.

Most of all though I love what God is doing here. Today I was in Boston Commons and stood by Park Street Church where I have stood before and I looked up to see the lectern that perched outside the building where the word of the Lord used to be read over the people who went about their days in the streets of old-time Boston. As I saw that empty stand and thought of how people didn't hear the word spoken any longer I was filled only with hope. Hope that one day a man may stand on that metal podium and loudly proclaim the true hope that is found only in Christ. The some day men, women, boys, and girls would have the opportunity yet again to be reminded as they went about their business of the God who created them and sent His Son to rescue them from a fallen world. We might not be there today, in fact we might not even be close to such a day but I honestly believe that God is doing great things here. We may not see them as we stand on the corners and smile while handing out granola bars to strangers but I think that beneath the undercurrent of a busy city life, there is a movement of God.

I would love to someday see His name be made great among the people of Boston but even if that never comes to pass in my lifetime, I rest assured that day by day God is changing the lives of people in such a way that they will never be the same and that someday, He will be worshiped around the earth and that includes a street corner overlooking the Boston Commons. Now that's something to get excited about!

Thanks for your prayers, please carry on as we worship together tomorrow and then continue outreach throughout the city!

Serving Boston

Our first complete day in Boston has come and gone and as I sit down at the end of the day I feel somewhat worn out but also energized. There is something about this city that I find invigorating and interesting and I really enjoy the time that I get to spend here. We spent the morning passing out granola bars and then hanging flyers for an art festival on neighborhood doors. Following lunch at Bartley's Burgers we passed out water and then headed to Fenway to catch the Sox in a game with none other than our hometown Rangers.

All in all it made for a long day and the weather, while beautiful, was warm and left our entire team somewhat drained. As I sit here and reflect on the day though the things that stick in my mind most are how much I enjoy passing out items to the residents of this city and the unity that's formed among the group that's here.

Granola bars and water in and of themselves may be very unimportant but I believe that with each item that leaves our hands and moves into the hands of a willing recipient God is doing work. It's not always work in my life, it's just a reflection of obedience in me - but I believe that He's working among the residents...building up the faith of those brothers and sisters in the city and softening hearts of those who don't know Him already. It's quite easy for me to simply obey the Lord in this area and I'm amazed that He uses my obedience to open doors for others to know Him. I will never cease to be amazed at the things God uses to get people's attention!

I also have to mention the team here as the last mission trip I went on suffered from a lack of one-mindedness and it had a huge impact on the effectiveness we really had. There is none of that here though as God has simply pulled us each from our spots, given us all a passion for Him and reaching others, and bound us together using Boston as the base. Truthfully I feel that the biggest requirement of any mission is that all people be called by God to be there. Beyond that, anything is possible. This team is just another blessing in a life already so full and I just appreciate so much that God uses other members of the family to encourage and walk with me as I seek to follow Him.

Please continue to pray...may He do miracles in lives before our time here ends!

Back on the Homefront

It's been two weeks since I stepped off a plane on my journey back from Kenya where I had been for 12 days.

When I first returned back I would have said that the trip to Kenya didn't change me very much - that it was wonderful and that I loved working with the people but that I didn't really sense a huge change in my thoughts. Now that more time has passed I realize that I have changed - in some ways for the better and perhaps in some ways for the worse.

I recognize with greater clarity the overwhelming abundance we live with here in America and yet see how much less happy we are than the Kenyans who own much less but rejoice much more. I struggle with this reality while knowing that God places each of us in our corner of the world for a reason - one is not better than the other, just different.

The struggle for sensing God's will for my life has grown larger in the time since I returned - the questions of how and where I spend my time and resources seem more pressing. My experiences in Kenya have made me think a lot about where I am and what skills I have and how best I should use those. While I have thoughts about what this might mean to me, I struggle with how to start the process of putting thoughts into action. I have to force myself to not overthink this journey and instead to step forward with faith even when I can only see a small light pointing in a direction. I suspect that these thoughts are not going to end anytime soon!

As I sit here today, weighed down by responsibilities and expectations, I miss Kenya. I miss the people that I met and worked with over there, both fellow Americans and Kenyan brothers and sisters. I love America and those that I walk through life with but there's much to be said about a journey across the globe. It makes the important things more clear and the less important things fade into the background.

I'm blessed by the opportunity that I had to travel there and hope someday to return. For now though, I carry on my journey on these shores, not knowing where I'll end up but only knowing that even when I didn't see it, I was being changed by my latest trek.

Big as the Ocean

For all the times I've been in Boston I've never ventured out to the beach where the ocean meets the land. I've only seen the Atlantic from a distance as I fly over it either coming or going from this city. Today, however, I rode the T (that's Boston talk for the subway system) out to Revere Beach and took in the wonder of the vast sea.

I definitely have a thing about the ocean - I don't necessarily like to swim in it but I love to walk beside it. I guess the reason behind that is because it reminds me of just how very big God is. The ocean goes on forever and God knows everything that's going on within it. There's no building to fence it in and no barrier to keep it out - it just flows on throughout the days.

I think my temptation is sometimes to think that God is just not capable of doing the things that I hope for when I stretch my hopes out from the safe little place I like to stand. I believe with all my heart that God can do anything in the lives of others but I struggle sometimes in believing the same of my life. A walk by the ocean reminds me every time that this God I serve is bigger than I can even begin to imagine and that the things that are important to me remain important to Him.

I'll never begin to understand how a God who made the ocean can look upon me and find me worthwhile but even as I hear the waves crash and look out all the way to an unmarred horizon, I know with all of my heart that He does. This God who made the vast sea cares about me enough to know the number of hairs on my head. This God is one who can exceed my wildest dreams and fulfill my greatest hopes. This God is the one who I gladly serve through all my days knowing that even as one small person, He gives me the ability to make a difference for Him. And that's why I love the ocean - it shows me how great my God is!

"I will praise you, O Lord, among the nations; I will sing of you among the peoples. For great is your love, reaching to the heavens; your faithfulness reaches to the skies. Be exalted, O God, above the heavens; let your glory be over all the earth." - Psalm 57:9-11

Steps of the Saints

I spent the first part of Sunday morning standing in the cold, wet day handing out granola bars to some very surprised folks. I found more people willing to read the card and show appreciation for us being there today than I ever have before. Something about standing in the cold Boston wind makes people think twice about the reason behind you being there.

The second part of the morning was spent in the church service at Hope Fellowship. It was an amazing service with awesome worship and a great message from Curtis. However, the thing that really made me think was the reality that I was standing in the same spot where people have stood for almost 100 years worshipping the same God that they've worshipped over time. Through thick and thin this church on the corner has stayed strong, continuing to preach the Truth, and drawing worshippers to its pews. There is something about walking the path that you know others have travelled before that makes me stop and take notice. It greatly reminds me of the verse at the top of my blog which tells me of all those who witness what we do as we run this race. There are times when I'm just overwhelmed by the fact that my feet are able to grace the same wooden floors that the saints of the past have walked. It's such an encouragement to me to know that I'm running the race that so many others have run in the past and that as I press on I will be able to finish strong for the glory of God.

For those of you who have been to Boston, you know that the sanctuary here isn't spectacular; there are no stained glass windows or shiny wooden pews. The paint is peeling in places that it shouldn't and the floor is worn. However, in this little place, the spirit of God is felt as week after week, year after year, saints new and old gather to worship the one true God and seek His face.

"Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." - Philippians 3:13-14

Gift of Grace

I'm stealing a couple of minutes to let my loyal readers (those couple of you that there are :) ) know what's going on in Boston.

First, let me say that we sat on our plane on the ground for almost as long as we were in the air! However, God was awesome and let the bad weather that was plaguing the Northeast ease up enough for us to arrive safely. Since then things have been the typical whirlwind of activity with servant evangelism in the morning to Boston tours in the afternoons to game night this evening. It's been a wonderful trek to meet up with old friends and meet new people!

One story that I'd like to share with you occured while we were handing out granola bars to the rush hour crowd yesterday morning. Most people that you approach with a bar will accept it and carry on with their lives. However, one person's reaction stuck in my head more than most. I went to hand her a granola bar and she asked me to repeat what I'd told her. I said again that it was a free granola bar and then she grabbed it. It was her statement though that stuck with me and that was when she said, "There's not much in life that's free anymore."

I guess the reason that it made an impact is because she is absolutely right, there isn't a whole lot that you get for free. Almost everything in the world has a cost associated with it, whether its financial or physical or mental. This made me remember that what we're doing here in Boston by reaching out to people with nothing more than a kind word and a token granola bar makes an impact. We may not all be called to occupy a pulpit or serve as missionaries in Africa but we can make a huge difference to a world that doesn't see free things very often.

Of course, the other reason that I have mulled over her statement for the last day is because there is a free gift and it's free to everyone who might ask for it. That gift is the salvation that we can find when we place our trust in the Lord and begin to seek after Him. The gift of salvation is just that, a gift. One that we can do nothing to deserve and there's nothing that we can repay. We only have the choice to accept it for what it is and move on with our lives going in a different direction or we can leave it as it is and continue on in the same old paths. It's my prayer for all of you today that you'll remember the free gift that's available to you and those you know and seek after it with all your hearts!

Thank you for your prayers for Boston - they are appreciated more than you'll ever know!

"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast." - Ephesians 2:8-9

Boston Bound

Tomorrow I set off to spend a bit of time in wonderful Boston, Massachusetts! This will be the third time I've traveled there and it gets under my skin a bit more each time. The reason I've gone each time is to partner with a small church up there, Hope Fellowship, and help them out with whatever ministry they have going on at the moment.

This time we'll be working on reaching out to the community through handing out granola bars during rush hour, spending time with the college students, helping somehow with the Boston Marathon, and scoping out possible sites for the church to move to in the future. The thing about this trip though is that one can never know exactly how everything is going to happen - we have a tentative plan but I love the fact that everything is kind of free-flowing. We might switch things around or skip over things or do something completely different than we've ever done before. The whole trip just reminds me that in my life things are best experienced just by going with the flow and not fighting the direction things are moving. It's led to some great experiences in Boston in the past and I have no reason to expect this trip to be any different.

So, as I finish packing everything into my subway-friendly suitcase and get ready to fly four hours to the east, I'll just ask that you pray for our team as we go. Pray that we would have open hearts for the people of Boston, that we would meet them where they are and truly share the love of God with them in any way that we can. Pray for safety and guidance and health. Pray for unity and that God would work in mighty ways among our team and those that we come in contact with. Finally, pray for Hope Fellowship and the powerful work that they're doing up there as they seek to reach out and truly be God's hands and feet in a world where the Gospel is not popular and the people often feel that they don't need the Lord.

Above all else, our team covets your prayers as we go only to serve the Lord and seek to make His name known and we know that prayer is the requirement for success there. Thanks for joining us in prayer! All glory to God for what He will do!

"[I]f my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land." - 2 Chronicles 7:14