by emma | Nov 17, 2006 | Faith, Words
“We often ask God to show up. We pray prayers of rescue. Perhaps God would ask us to be that rescue, to be His body, to move for things that matter. He is not invisible when we come alive. I might be simple but more and more, I believe God works in love, speaks in love, is revealed in our love. I have seen that this week and honestly, it has been simple: Take a broken girl, treat her like a famous princess, give her the best seats in the house. Buy her coffee and cigarettes for the coming down, books and bathroom things for the days ahead. Tell her something true when all she’s known are lies. Tell her God loves her. Tell her about forgiveness, the possibility of freedom, tell her she was made to dance in white dresses. All these things are true.
We are only asked to love, to offer hope to the many hopeless. We don’t get to choose all the endings, but we are asked to play the rescuers. We won’t solve all mysteries and our hearts will certainly break in such a vulnerable life, but it is the best way. We were made to be lovers bold in broken places, pouring ourselves out again and again until we’re called home.”
Sorry for the long quote, but it is impacting me. I very briefly highlighted this story a few months ago when I was introduced to it by a friend in Chicago, but I’ve been thinking about it a bit again lately. Check out the story here.
I think sometimes we can get so easily discouraged and wonder why things aren’t changing or aren’t turning out the way we hoped. But that is part of the paradox of the Christian life, of this journey of following Jesus – things wont always turn out how we hoped. But we still have a responsibility and a calling to act, to do something… otherwise how will anything ever change? And really, it’s not that hard is it? Buy the homeless guy a cup of coffee. Talk to the Big Issue seller you walk past everyday. Be willing to be interrupted.
I guess it links back into my post about life-giving, hope-filled communities.
by emma | Nov 13, 2006 | Faith
Communities that give hope, give life.
That is on my mind right now. I am in Ireland. Today I went to my church here, Causeway Coast Vineyard. I think the more I am away and seeing other churches, the more I realise how much I love and am blessed by CCV.
Now I am throwing myself into Glasgow Westend Vineyard. A wonderful place. I’m excited about getting more involved, getting to know people better, getting to know God better through it and through people.
I’m convinced that church is at it’s best when it’s giving itself away.
(I’m pretty sure I’ve stolen that statement from someone else, but their name evades me currently!) When the church gives itself away. Cares for the hurting and dirty and dying. When we forgo our wants and desires and instead go after the lost. When we make caring for them a priority. Proclaiming freedom to the captives and healing to the hurting.
Those are communities that give hope. Hope that there is a better way. Hope that there will be a better day. Hope that what God promised, he will bring about. Hope that all is not lost, all is not in vain.
Yes, hope.
“Don’t begin by traveling to some far-off place to convert unbelievers. And don’t try to be dramatic by tackling some public enemy. Go to the lost, confused people right here in the neighborhood. Tell them that the kingdom is here. Bring health to the sick. Raise the dead. Touch the untouchables. Kick out the demons. You have been treated generously, so live generously”
[Jesus, Matthew 10]
by emma | Nov 10, 2006 | Faith, Words
A cry.
A cry lies within us in the depth of a place which we cannot touch.
Waiting to escape the enclosed gates of our expression.
Something is happening inside of us, beyond what we can articulate.
So we respond. We respond to You; we respond to You Jesus.
In Your pure light I have come out of the shadows of darkness.
You alone are the one that can satisfy.
Seeping every vacant space inside of me: reality.
In You, in me in You. I try to imagine forever.
And at a certain point my brain stops, but that’s You–forever being, forever existing, forever knowing You.
Before there was anyone, anything, and You–and after everything there is no more: You.
My thoughts can’t even fully comprehend You,
so whatever praise my thoughts begin, my spirit has to complete.
And every time I take in a breath, I discover You.
That the same breath I’m breathing originated inside of You.
So I breathe You in. Because You take me in Jesus.
In Your pure light I have come out of the shadows of darkness.
You alone satisfy.
Seeping into every vacant space inside of me–try to imagine forever.
That’s You: forever being, forever existing, forever knowing You.
Before there was anyone, anything, You. After everything there was is no more: You.
And every time I take in a breath…
And every time I take in a breath, I discover You.
I breathe You in, because You take me in.
We breathe You in, because You take us in…
To be still and breathe that You are God.
Spoken Word, written by Amena Brown
by emma | Nov 1, 2006 | Faith
If you are generous with the hungry
and you start giving yourselves to the down-and-out,
Your lives will begin to glow in the darkness,
your shadowed lives will be bathed in sunlight.
Isaiah 58:10
by emma | Oct 28, 2006 | Books, Faith
“Sometimes the beauty is so deep it pierces us with longing. For what? For life as it was meant to be. Beauty reminds us of an Eden we have never known, but somehow know our hearts were created for.”
I re-read Captivating over the last few weeks. A powerful book. I am so grateful for the friendships God has already provided for me here. Captivating is a book which raises some really deep issues for me, and I couldn’t have faced them without the support I’ve got from people here. Most of the issues that were raised, aren’t bloggable. They’re deeply personal. So you’ll never know about them. But I’m so grateful for John and Stasi Eldredge, people that God has gifted and called to share their stories.
I like that quote, by the way. It’s a question I’ve been asking myself lately, why is beauty so important to us, why is it so powerful? Maybe that’s why.
by emma | Sep 29, 2006 | Faith
“…so we seek God and find God and then live in a constant battle to keep God…”
My friend wrote those comments in the middle of a blog post about 8 months ago… I happened to come across the post again recently, and these words have been haunting me ever since!
I love the whole searching nature of my faith… yes, it makes it harder sometimes than just being able to easily accept anything I am told, but it also makes it more real and more personal (and means I think about things for myself so do not end up joining a cult or something!).
Several authors I respect talk of this questioning nature. Don Miller for one. How about the entire book ‘Searching For God Knows What’? Rob Bell… ‘Velvet Elvis’… Rob Brendle ‘In The Meantime’… to name a few.
Questioning leads to reinterpretation. It allows us to grapple and wrestle with our faith, to really understand things better. After all, Jacob ‘wrestled with a man’ and came away limping… I love the symbolism in that, that wrestling/talking/meeting with God (or an angel) leaves scars, leaves us marked for life. Picture this… Jacob meets some friends a few days after this encounter with “the man”, and he’s limping… and they’re all thinking, “what kind of trouble have you got yourself into now Jacob?” How would they respond when they find out, actually, I was wrestling with God??
What marks do I have from the times I’ve wrestled with God? Do I have enough? Do they show? Are they supposed to show? Are you supposed to know that I’ve been with “the man”?
Pondering…
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