"Taken"

Last night I watched "Taken" with my roommate Sam (she is a stellar, passionate woman of God and I adore the heck out of her!). We had a phenomenal conversation earlier in the evening about justice and mercy while we were on a short hike, which ended up being a great precursor to this movie. The two of us simply raged at the injustices in this movie, because both of us know full well that the images and stories in this movie, though maybe not based on a true account, are based on actual events that occur every moment of every day on this earth. It absolutely breaks my heart.

Human trafficking and the sex slave trade are among some of the most difficult things for me to grasp (there are dozens more). The fact that someone can objectify, enslave, oppress and annihilate another human life in such horrific ways is absolutely beyond me. My heart absolutely breaks within me. Any time I narrow in on injustices and spend time researching and reading ghastly amounts of accounts and statistics I begin to over think my calling in life.

I spent some time reading in Hebrews and 2 Peter this morning as the sun rose (while also drinking a half pot of coffee...but nobody should be surprised at that!). In 2 Peter 1:5-10 it says this:

⁵For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, ⁶and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, ⁷and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. ⁸For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. ⁹For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins.

¹⁰Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to make your calling and election sure, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall.

I was simply reminded that it is not necessarily exactly what we are doing for God's Kingdom, but the heart out of which we are doing it with. God first wants me to love Him, and the rest will essentially follow. I know for a fact that Christ is my all, that He is all I need to survive in this life. Nothing else will fulfill my desires like the sacrifice He made for me. So whether I am at home in Bend or working in Africa, I know that I'm serving Christ with a heart of gratitude and passion with what I've been given (1 Peter 4:10), and that is the most important calling on my life.

Refresher

Last night I went to one of my favorite places in Bend. A hidden little place called O'Kanes. For those of you that do not live in Bend, I'll paint you a picture: They serve good, handcrafted beer with a small indoor seating area heated by a huge fireplace, and the best quality about the place? Outside. A large brick patio with enormous enclosed fire pits and plenty of propane heaters to keep you toasty on a chilly evening. Most of my nights there consist of long conversations about life by the fire, sipping on a beer and gazing at the gorgeous star-studded sky. Last night was no exception.

I ran into an old friend and his girlfriend there and as we caught up on life, of course, Africa came up. They asked why I was going, where, what I would be doing, etc. Turns out they didn't know too much (or, anything really) about the crisis happening in the DR Congo. It was such a refresher for me to speak it aloud, remember the truth of the crisis and that it is still happening. To remember that there is still work to be done, advocating and educating to happen here at home even before I go. That God is still preparing my heart in the moments leading up to this adventure.

I feel refreshed and ready to go, because after the last few weeks I had lost my gumption. Days were running into one another and I passed time by events and benchmarks of progress only. There has simply been so much on my plate that my energy level and excitement about any one thing was difficult to conjure up. However, the embers are turning back into a flame. God is reminding me of the purpose to which I am called.

Please consider a way to help support my trip over there; whether it's buying a couple of pounds of coffee, writing a check of any amount, or signing up for a sewing class in a few weeks. You may not feel called to go to Africa or anywhere, but you may feel a tug to help in whatever means you can. I urge you to do that. It does matter.

Poetry

Oftentimes jotting down thoughts in a journal or talking with someone about life doesn't always hit the nail on the head. I told one of my closest friends yesterday, "Laughter won't do it, a thousand tears can't touch it, and it's more eloquent than a 20 page dissertation on feelings in a journal." It's poetry. The simple thoughts penned and flowing in small verses and carefully thought out words...somehow it seems to convey the message perfectly. I'll be posting some poetry as we go throughout the next months. I hope you enjoy it. This was yesterday:

The War

Selfishness wages war
with desire
like a blitzkrieg on my soul
the deepest longing
for all that I see
and nothing I've tasted

The childish emotions
roll in like the tide
as my mind throws
a tantrum
equal to a three year old

Unsure and lacking
questioning value
desiring faith to
rise up as my front guard
and throwing my
inhibitions to the wind

The war continues
desiring to promote justice
and do righteousness
to feed the hungry
shelter the oppressed
to go and enlarge my tent
for my brothers and sisters

And yet selfishness fights back
to simply taste and see
the grass on the other side
for comfort, companionship
a teammate to band with
it does not end

The selfishness I feel
can leap and fly
off the tallest cliff as
I do not care for it
for my God will satisfy
the desire of each beat
of my heart and
each tear from my eye

Cauzal Coffee!

Honestly, I'm a bit late on the uptake for announcing this, but May 1 began my campaign to sell Cauzal Coffee in an effort to raise funds for my upcoming journey. Tell everyone you know to visit the blog, click the coffee cup, and get "purchase happy". :)