The One Thing

I Packed My Tambourine

2011-02-26T23:50:00.004-06:00

“Then Miriam the prophet, Aaron’s sister, took a tambourine and led all the women as they played their tambourines and danced. And Miriam sang this song:

“Sing to the LORD,for he has triumphed gloriously;

he has hurled both horse and rider

into the sea.” ~Exodus 15:20-21

Last week Kevin and I attended a 5-day marriage workshop called “Love After Marriage” (LAM) in Redding, California. There are way too many good things to share in just one testimony so suffice it to say that under the guidance and leadership of the Holy Spirit, our lives and our marriage, along with many others, have been healed and transformed.

We didn’t make the choice to participate in this workshop lightly; we knew from the website that it was going to be about going outside our comfort zones and being open and transparent in community; “nothing hidden” were the words they used. Kevin and I love each other deeply and have shared many good seasons over the 30 (almost 31) years we’ve been married. But the truth is that we also have had some difficult, recurring struggles over those 30 years as well as some more recent issues; we were unable to get resolution on our own or with the help of a counselor. We were committed to each other and to staying together and we knew that our loving God wanted more for our marriage than the one we currently had; we also knew that we would need to depend entirely upon Him and not on our own strength to bring the breakthrough we both desperately wanted. So in mid-January, with some trepidation (aka “fear and trembling"), we registered for the February workshop and made our travel plans.

For the next couple of weeks I went back and forth between hopeful, prayerful preparation and thoughts of “what if this doesn’t work?”, “what if nothing changes?” I am the queen of what I call “horribilizing” or defeatist thinking but I just couldn’t help it. I believed that the Lord had led us to this workshop but I also didn’t want to be disappointed again. Then one night about three weeks before we were to leave for California I was praying with a group of women when the Lord gave me a hopeful word: “when you go to Redding, pack your tambourine.”

Now this might not make sense to most people but for me it was an incredibly powerful promise. Allow me to share a little bit of Bible history to help bring understanding to this word I received. As the scripture passage above describes, right after God brought the Israelites safely through the Red Sea and destroyed Pharaoh’s army (symbols of slavery and oppression) Miriam, the sister of Moses and Aaron, danced and worshipped God with her tambourine in the desert. Big deal, you may think, who wouldn’t be celebrating something like that? But as a gifted pastor/teacher friend of mine pointed out, what made Miriam even think to pack a tambourine? After all, the Israelites had to flee Egypt in haste in the middle of the night; they didn’t know where they were going or even have enough time for their bread to rise before they left. So what would possess someone literally running for their life to think of packing an instrument of worship and praise? Seems like that would be pretty low on the priority list for most of us. But Miriam knew that there would be a time coming in the future where there would be occasion to rejoice and sing and dance. Although she didn’t know where she was going, or how it would turn out, she was counting on God to miraculously provide.

So yes, I literally packed a tambourine in my suitcase as a sign of the promise I had received. I didn’t know when or how but I knew it was sure. The workshop proved to be challenging almost from the moment it started on Monday morning. As our small group began openly sharing and ministering to one another, old conflicts and hidden hurts inevitably began to arise. We had three couples in our small group (50 couples total participated in the workshop) and throughout the week each of us had times of tears, sadness, anger, frustration, and just needing to leave the room for awhile. It was the most transparent, scary, vulnerable, honest, healing time Kevin and I have ever spent with each other and with other people.

Throughout the week, despite the difficulties, I held on to the promise that I would be playing my tambourine by the end of the workshop on Friday! I initially thought the promise of celebration was just for me and Kevin, but by Wednesday, the day we got our breakthrough, I “knew” that the tambourine was going to be symbolic for others there as well. I just didn’t realize how symbolic it would truly be…

One of the couples in our group, David and Maggie (names used with permission), had a particularly tough time from the beginning of the workshop and throughout the week. Maggie said that in their four years of marriage they had attended many other seminars as well as marriage counseling and nothing had helped them resolve their significant differences. She shared that they were on the verge of divorce but both wanted to try LAM as a last-ditch effort. Maggie and David are both extremely gifted people who love the Lord and love others; they especially have a heart for the nations. Anyone could see that as a couple their combined giftedness would be used mightily for the Kingdom and so that made them a fierce target for the enemy, as all marriages are. We were all praying for one another and with one another throughout the week and people were starting to get the breakthroughs and healing they needed. But for Maggie and David their situation only seemed to deteriorate further; by Thursday night it seemed almost hopeless that any resolution would be found. Many of us interceded for them through the night and into Friday, the final day of the workshop. They were late arriving to the conference room Friday morning when our first session started; we wondered if they were even going to return, and we kept praying.

Friday morning I got up in front of the whole group and gave my testimony about how the Lord had begun a great healing work in our marriage that week and explained why I brought my tambourine. As I finished speaking I shook it a few times in celebration then set it down on the leader’s table to stand as a hopeful symbol for everyone there. I didn’t even think Maggie and David had heard all of my testimony since they were late in arriving, but during the break Maggie told me, “remind me later to tell you about a prophecy spoken over me concerning Miriam’s tambourine!” We didn’t have time to talk any further about it until later that night.

Also during the break a young woman from another small group in our workshop approached me and thanked me for sharing the story of Miriam’s tambourine. She said she had never heard it taught that way and it had really opened up her understanding of the text. Then she told me that she and her husband had attended a party the night before they came to LAM and were given a toy tambourine as a party favor! The day after the party they were emptying out their car before packing it for their trip to Redding, but something made her keep the tambourine in the car and she said she didn’t know why until this morning. After she heard my testimony she got it out of her car, brought it into the conference room, and placed it next to mine on the leaders’ table. Now there were TWO tambourines standing as witness to the power of God in that place!

Then late Friday afternoon Maggie and David participated in “couples coaching” which is basically a combination of Holy Spirit-guided counseling, mediation, and intercessory prayer led by the leaders in front of the whole group. By this time some of the team intercessors were on their faces in the back of the room continuing to pray for their breakthrough, and praise God it finally came! It was amazing and emotional and so beautiful to watch it happen before our very eyes!

Later that night during our farewell dinner I asked Maggie about the tambourine prophecy she had mentioned. She told me it happened about one year before she met David. In her own words,

“This was spoken over me after I'd been to Toronto and had a radical encounter with God as my Father, yet I was still struggling with total freedom...huge rejection issues etc...I was told that my freedom would come when like Miriam I would pick up my tambourine and dance with no inhibitions!”

Wow!! How good is our loving Father God that He gave both me and Maggie a promise of freedom and deliverance and He used faithful Miriam’s tambourine as the symbol and fulfillment of that promise! Words cannot describe the sense of awe and wonder we felt as the realization of the Lord’s faithfulness and trustworthiness washed over us. I asked Maggie when that word was given to her and she said, “Seven years ago”… the number 7 in Hebrew is symbolic for completion, need I say more? This was a promise spoken to one hurting woman seven years ago and to another earlier this year…and both of us ended up in the same small group at the same workshop and, like Miriam, both of us far from home and completely out of our comfort zones. The Lord arranged it so that each of us became a part of the completion of the other one’s healing. I now realize more than ever that God cares passionately about healing not just individuals but a community, and every one of us has a part in that. I have seen the incredible power of healing that only happens in a community of like-minded people seeking the Holy Spirit. I give Him thanks and praise for the ministry of LAM, for the fresh strategy He is releasing for marriages in these days, and for His supernatural breakthrough, power and anointing on our marriage to become all He created it to be!

We worship a God who provides a place to dance, even in the midst of the toughest circumstances. Wherever you go, whatever tough situation you find yourself in, God will be with you and He will bring you through it. Don’t forget to pack your tambourine; you’re going to need it!

p.s. probably needless to say, but Maggie is now the happy owner and player of that tambourine!

[If you have read this far and would like to talk to me more about the LAM workshop, email or Facebook message me and I will be happy to tell you more. Barry & Lori Byrne lead the 5-day intensive workshops; they are incredible anointed teachers, counselors and examples of sacred marriage. LAM is a ministry of Bethel Church in Redding, CA: http://www.loveaftermarriage.org/.

"Miriam's Song" sculpture from Signals

A letter from Ruth

2010-09-02T08:30:00.001-05:00

We sponsored Ruth, our second child through Compassion International earlier this year and have now begun to receive her letters. She is 11 years old and lives in a small village in Uganda, northwest of Kampala. We specifically chose her from among the many children awaiting sponsorship because God was placing the care of orphans on our hearts. Ruth is an orphan who lives with her grandmother and other younger relatives in a country severely affected by HIV and AIDS.

We have received two letters from her so far and look forward to getting to know her and her family through her letters in the years ahead. These particular words from her most recent letter just melted my heart:

"Thank you for my picture and my letter. I love them. I am going to become a doctor. I love you."

I can only imagine what she has already seen and experienced in her short life, having lost both of her parents, living in a country where 1.2 million children have been orphaned by AIDS and 85% of people live on $1 or less a day. She asks us to pray that God would keep her healthy. As I prayed for her and was writing a letter back, God gave me Psalm 37:4 for her, "Delight yourself in the LORD and He will give you the desires of your heart." Over the coming years I hope to be able to encourage her to seek her Heavenly Father's kingdom first, to take delight in Him, and to know the delight He feels for her, His beautiful daughter.

How many of us correspond by personal letter anymore? Very few, myself included. Yet how many of us absolutely love to receive a personal, hand-written letter in the mail? Probably all of us. Back in the day before email and cheap long-distance, I was quite the letter writer. I loved to write them and loved even more to receive them. So why is it so difficult for most of us to sit down and write a note or a card when we know how much it means to receive them? These days the only letters I still hand-write are to my 96 year old grandmother and to our two sponsored children.

I want my letters (and even my emails, Facebook posts, and the like) to be love letters from Jesus Himself. I want to speak His words of love, grace, encouragement and truth to those He has given to me to love. I take my cue and inspiration from that penultimate (yes, pun intended) letter-writer himself, the apostle Paul. In his second letter to the believers in Corinth he wrote: "You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts." (2 Cor 3:3). Those words were written somewhere around 55-57AD. May it be the same yesterday, today, and forever, and may God receive all the glory. Amen.

Check out the Compassion website to see how you can make an eternal difference in the life of a child:

Help a Child

Hitting "Pause"

2010-04-24T07:07:00.023-05:00

We gathered Under the Bridge this morning for the last time, which is a bittersweet feeling for most of us. Everyone who has been a part of this ministry, anyone who has given or received at any time, has been changed in some way by the presence of the Spirit of the Lord among us. I believe I speak for many when I say that I have been so blessed to have been a part of this ministry and privileged to have met so many incredibly strong and faithful people over the past 4 years. For now we are just hitting "pause" for a little while to let Haven for Hope get underway and then we'll figure out where we might be able to jump in again to serve God and our city and love our neighbors. The Mission will look different in the months and years to come but the Word of God to us never changes: "Also, seek the shalom of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the LORD on its behalf, for in its shalom you too will find your shalom" (Jeremiah 29:7). Amen!

To see more pictures from our time together this morning click here:

Mission Under the Bridge final gathering

Unplowed Ground

2010-01-17T22:15:00.011-06:00

"Plant the good seeds of righteousness,
and you will harvest a crop of love.
Plow up the hard ground of your hearts,
for now is the time to seek the Lord,
that he may come and shower righteousness upon you."

~ Hosea 10:12

Thought this was a good word to share while we're still sort of at the beginning of a new year. This photo speaks to me of those hardened, walled-off places in my heart where I don't let God (or anyone else) in, those places where I need the Living Water to come in like a flood and begin to soften and break up that packed-down dirt.

Where are the hard, dry places of your heart that need to be softened and made pliable so that the seed of God's Word can be planted, watered, and begin to grow? And what would it look like to sow good seeds (time, love, prayer) into the lives of others in order to harvest a crop of love and joy and good fruit?

Lend $25, Change a Life

2009-12-28T12:09:00.006-06:00

"He who is kind to the poor lends to the LORD, and he will reward him for what he has done." ~ Proverbs 19:7

Microcredit is a revolutionary idea that is changing the world, a few dollars at a time. The practice was pioneered by Muhammad Yunis and Grameen Bank in Bangladesh, who were awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2005. The idea is simple but impactful: extend very small loans (microloans) to those living in poverty to help spur entrepreneurship and promote self-sufficiency of families and villages. Typically the very poor lack collateral, steady employment, and/or a stable credit history necessary to secure conventional financing and often need only a few hundred dollars or less to begin or grow their business.

There are several reputable, innovative organizations connecting lenders (that's you and me) with those in need of microloans. We support the work of Kiva.org. Through Kiva we made our first $25 loan in April to a woman in Ghana to expand her grocery store; it was recently repaid so we have reinvested it in another food business in Ghana. That's the beauty of microloans--that same $25 keeps getting reinvested, or "paid forward", into other deserving small businesses ranging from grocers to health workers to craftspeople to manufacturers. Check it out yourself and see how much good you can do for just $25!

Christmas Under the Bridge 2009

2009-12-23T03:50:00.014-06:00

"The true Light that gives light to all mankind was coming into the world." ~ John 1:9

We celebrated Christmas a few days early with our friends under the bridge this past Saturday morning. The light of a new day was breaking at 7am as we heard a message proclaiming the coming of our Savior, the Light of the world and the verse above came to mind.

It is typical that many more volunteers come out during the Christmas season and this weekend was no exception. Lots of folks were on hand to share gifts and food and coffee and conversation, and we were pleasantly surprised by the appearance of some members of a local high school band who serenaded us with festive Christmas music. Our "motorcycle guys" sponsored the Christmas card table again this year--people were able to write cards to their loved ones and the guys covered the postage. Overall it's a festive and fun event each year but certainly bittersweet for those who are separated from family and friends for whatever reason. I can only imagine the love and memories and longing that must have come to mind for some of those writing cards that day.

We'll be back downtown next Saturday, the day after Christmas, and the Saturday after that...

Merry Christmas!

More pictures:

Mission Under the Bridge - Christmas 2009

Crazy Love

2009-12-15T22:09:00.006-06:00

I'm currently reading a book called Crazy Love by Francis Chan (the guy speaking in the video) and it's messing with my mind and heart in a good way, bringing up some great questions and lots to reflect upon. He writes:

"Have you ever wondered if we're missing it?

It's crazy if you think about it. The God of the universe — the Creator of nitrogen and pine needles, galaxies and e-minor — loves us with a radical, unconditional, self-sacrificing love. And what is our typical response? We go to church, sing songs, and try not to cuss.

Whether you've verbalized it yet or not . . . we all know something's wrong.

Does something deep inside your heart long to break free from the status quo? Are you hungry for an authentic faith that addresses the problems of our world with tangible, even radical, solutions? God is calling you to a passionate love relationship with Himself. Because the answer to religious complacency isn't working harder at a list of do's and don'ts — it's falling in love with God. And once you encounter His love you will never be the same."

Watch this video and others here and be amazed, humbled, and inspired.

O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!
You have set your glory above the heavens.
From the lips of children and infants
you have ordained praise because of your enemies,
to silence the foe and the avenger.
When I consider your heavens,
the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars,
which you have set in place,
what is man that you are mindful of him,
the son of man that you care for him?
You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings
and crowned him with glory and honor. [Psalm 8:1-5]

"Wake up, it's time for church!"

2009-12-12T23:23:00.001-06:00

Evangelization is a process of bringing the gospel to people where they are, not where you would like them to be…When the gospel reaches a people where they are, their response to the gospel is the church in a new place.--Vincent Donovan

Oftentimes as our caravan of cars pull into our designated area under the bridge at 7am each Saturday morning there are people still asleep on the pavement, bundled under layers of blankets to keep out the cold or rain. We either park around them or, to avoid injury, gently try to wake them up and invite them to join us. This morning two sleeping men woke up as we approached and one was heard to say to the other, “Wake up, it’s time for church!” He didn’t say, “Wake up, we need to move” or even, “Wake up, it’s time to eat” but, “Wake up, it’s time for church.” What a privilege it is to not just have church under the bridge but also be the church to one another!

"Homeless Gwen" newest Mattel doll

2009-10-31T18:17:00.008-05:00

From a recent blog post in Homeless in America:

"The American Girl line of dolls coveted by many American little ones, now includes a doll named Gwen (photo, a tabloid knockoff) that’s based on a character that is homeless. Created by longstanding manufacturer Mattel, Gwen has come under serious fire because, as some put it, it sends the wrong message to children playing with it, leaving aside the fact that it shamelessly capitalizes on a very painful and ever-present issue, that of homeless children, The Telegraph reports.

Gwen’s story is a tragic one: she lives with her mother in a car, after her father abandons them and they are left with no means to sustain themselves. Now, Mattel and American Girl have taken this story and this particular character and are making money off it in the most shameless manner. The homeless doll is priced at a whopping $95, which means that no homeless, little girl will ever be able to afford it, and, what’s even sadder, it’s not even used to raise some sort of awareness on the issue of homeless children, critics say.

“What message is being sent with Gwen?” said New York Post columnist Andrea Peyser. "For starters, men are bad. Fathers abandon women without cause. She’s also telling me that women are helpless." The dolls send the wrong message to children, argued Tanya Tull, president of Beyond Shelter. She said "she was afraid that they’re going to pick up the idea that it’s OK, that it’s an accepted segment of society that some children are homeless and some children are not." The Telegraph writes, summing up some of what Gwen’s critics say. "

{SIGH}...I report, you decide...

Beauty for Ashes

2009-10-15T21:44:00.024-05:00

"I am beginning to believe that heaven is not in some other world, but shot through the broken world in which we live." - Heather King, from Heaven and Earth

Broken world, broken people, broken lives. On our own it has always been this way. But Jesus the Messiah came to proclaim the message that the Kingdom of Heaven is right here, "at hand", among us. This kingdom will not be fully perfected or revealed in this age but it is most definitely unfolding in our world as we walk by faith. Jesus as the Light of the World came to dwell among us and directly faced the brokenness of this world. And incredibly, as broken people, God invites us into His work of healing the world today. Jesus faced the pain and disappointment of human life and He healed, taught and helped people with a gentle word or touch. In his book Life of the Beloved, Henry Nouwen says we must do likewise. We should not avoid or deny the brokenness but we ought to actually “befriend it and place it under the blessing" and God will work through us to heal and bless the world. Have you ever noticed how shattered glass reflects the light so much more brilliantly than smooth and intact glass ever could?

I love that idea of divine exchange: beauty for ashes, healing for brokenness, freedom instead of captivity, praise instead of despair (Isaiah 61, Luke 4). We live in the tension of this imperfect world yet also in hope not fully realized. God is about the business of transforming shattered lives and broken people into beautiful new creations that reflect His image and purposes. He has put this before me in a very real and personal way lately; it is both an offer and a challenge. How do you live in this tension and how will you respond?

"For God, who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ. But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us." - 2 Cor. 4:6-7

Who Knows Your Name?

2009-08-16T22:21:00.005-05:00

I got to give the message yesterday at Mission Under the Bridge, what a privilege! What God impressed upon me and what I really wanted to share was His heart for each of us individually. We may feel like we are merely faces in a crowd, or just a stranger in the sea of humanity of this city or a nameless member of some generic category like "the homeless" [side rant: I really hate that title for some reason], but to God we are individuals, each with a name.

Over and over in his word God tells us that he knows and leads us each by name (John 10:4, 14), he knew us before we were formed in our mother's womb (Psalm 139, Jer. 1:5), and that each of our names is always before him, engraved on the palms of his hands (Isaiah 49:16). What amazing and trustworthy promises these are from our loving Father. But an even better promise is the fact that when we call on the name of Jesus and give our lives to Him as our Lord and Savior, we are adopted forever into the family of God and receive new names, a new family name...we become Sons and Daughters of the Most High King! That is not a name we are given in heaven but one we receive now.

As I was praying about what to say in my message, the song "He Knows My Name" kept coming to mind. The lyrics are simple but meaningful and I shared them as I closed my message yesterday:

I have a Maker
He formed my heart
Before even time began
My life was in his hands

I have a Father
He calls me His own
He'll never leave me
No matter where I go

He knows my name
He knows my every thought
He sees each tear that falls
And He hears me when I call

Today, ask yourself: do you need a fresh start, new hope, a trustworthy promise, a new name? Have you called on the Name of the One who loves you and knows you by name? His is the Name by which we are rescued, healed, and saved.

"No one who trusts God like this—heart and soul—will ever regret it. It's exactly the same no matter what a person's religious background may be: the same God for all of us, acting the same incredibly generous way to everyone who calls out for help. For 'Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.'" ~ Romans 10:11-13, The Message

I met a man named Rocky after the message who, as we talked, said to me with tears in his eyes, "I want a new name". Together with another woman, Lydia (pictured above in yellow jacket), we prayed together for him to receive Jesus and to receive his new name. We celebrated under the Commerce Street bridge and I know the angels in heaven were celebrating as well! Thanks be to God!

Dark Yet Lovely

2009-08-08T23:50:00.004-05:00

This video is entitled "Why I Go to Africa" but the message is relevant for any place in the world, including (and maybe especially) our own communities. Where is God calling you to be His hands and feet to the broken, the poor, the hungry, the hurting?

The song in the video is one of my new favorites: "Dark Yet Lovely" by Sarah Edwards, a worship leader at the International House of Prayer in Kansas City, based on Song of Songs 1:5, "I am dark [in my heart], yet lovely [to God]."
Listen, reflect, and comment if you wish.

Lord, give me Your eyes

2009-07-11T22:43:00.003-05:00

I prayed the words to this song this morning as I drove downtown to serve under the bridge because I needed vision and focus. I was just not feelin' it...but thanks be to God who is attentive to our cry. He is always faithful to give us eyes to see the divine image in each of His children!

"Give Me Your Eyes" by Brandon Heath

Community - Purchase TOMS Shoes & A Pair of Shoes is Given to a Child in Need - One for One - Of...

2009-06-18T21:43:00.003-05:00

I just ordered my first pair this week!

Shared via AddThis

Selah...

2009-06-09T11:26:00.021-05:00

"Selah" is a term in the Psalms that means "a sacred pause". That is how I would describe the time I recently spent at the International House of Prayer in Kansas City, Missouri. I've gone twice now and each time was a somewhat different experience, yet both were beautiful times of Selah for me. My first visit last December with my good friend Michelle came on the heels of a difficult family time and I found myself crying out for reassurance and encouragement from God. I received it abundantly. My visit last month also happened to occur after a difficult time, the death of my brother, but this was more a time of simply receiving deeply from the Lord as well as an opportunity to reconnect with a dear friend and mentor from Colorado. I believe God honors the desire of our hearts to seek Him and He meets us in that place, wherever that "place" may be. IHOP-KC and snow!~December 2008

The IHOP (yes, that's what they call themselves) describes itself as "a missions base which embraces 24/7 live worship and prayer, intimacy with God, preparing for the end times and doing acts of justice as the foundation of the ministry we are engaged in." They also host many conferences and youth events but the main focus of IHOP is its Prayer Room. The Prayer Room has been designed to reflect the tabernacle of David described in 1 Chronicles 16, with unceasing worship and intercession for our world. It's hard to describe it in just a few words or to capture its atmosphere without actually being there. I often get quizzical looks and questions about the idea of 24/7 prayer and worship..."so what do you actually do there?" The best way I can describe it is as a place to get away to not just worship and love God but to be loved by God. It isn't as if I don't know that God is everywhere, or that I can love God anywhere or that he only loves me or hears my prayers when I am in specific "churchy" places. But daily life has a way of distracting, interrupting and otherwise diluting our devotion to God and we are easily seduced by things that seem "good enough" but are not for our "best".

There is something very powerful and empowering in devoting yourself for a time to doing nothing else than sitting at the feet of Jesus, our Rabbi, Teacher, Lord, Savior, Bridegroom, Friend. It is "the One Thing" that Jesus called the best thing in Luke 10:38-42, one that would never be taken from us. At His feet is where we learn to love God with our whole heart, soul, mind and strength. We gaze upon His beauty (Psalm 27:4) and He imparts His beauty to us, His Bride (Eph. 5:27, Psalm 149:4). The prayer room is a place to meet a God of beauty, fascination, confidence, pleasure and joy; a worthy and wise pursuit for the human heart. There is also a very powerful dynamic in the prayer room where everyone is worshipping and praying in freedom yet of one mind, one heart and one purpose, coming into agreement with the heart of God.

From a practical/technical standpoint, IHOP-KC creates an amazing atmosphere of 24/7 worship and prayer. There are twelve worship sets a day which transition every two hours, and each is guided by one of two prayer formats: intercession, and worship with the Word, which is more devotional in nature. Everything that is sung or spoken is from the Word of God and it is powerful. Each worship team has a unique style and sound. Some are pretty rockin' and some more mellow and contemplative. All are beautiful reflections of the heart of God.

I came away from my time at IHOP rested and refreshed in God, with much peace and certain affirmation of some of the things that have been stirring in my heart and mind. I guess I am officially a "groupie" now and I plan to return again soon, but as a friend said to me, "there are much worse things you could be called than a prayer and worship groupie". Amen!

May you find your own place and time of Selah with the Lord. It is worth everything to pursue it!

my Colorado pal, Julie, and me~Kansas City~May 2009

In Memory of our baby brother

2009-05-17T14:25:00.015-05:00

John Douglas Williams

Oct. 25, 1968 - April 15, 2009

It has taken me awhile to post this because it still hasn't really completely sunk in yet. Doug, you were gone too soon and too suddenly; you are loved and missed by sisters Deb and Torey, brother Chip, our Dad, all the in-law spouses, and your 3 nephews and 2 nieces who lovingly called you "Uncle Buck" (after the John Candy movie of the same name).

1990 - my 32nd birthday: Doug with Kim (4) and Steven (7)

January 2001 - Alexandria, VA: Kevin and me with Dad and Doug

October 1969 - Torey (6), Doug (1), Deb (10), Chip (8)

Doug had the foresight to designate himself as an organ donor. His sudden death from a brain hemorrhage was incredibly sad and hard for us all to deal with. We know he is in heaven with the Lord, free from pain, but we are left behind to mourn all the "what might have been's" of his life and our relationships with him. I cannot tell you how much comfort it brought us and continues to bring, knowing that his death brought life to many people. We have already received news of successful transplants of his liver, kidney and corneas; at least three people today have renewed lives because of his gifts. Others in the future will receive life-saving skin and bone grafts. Doug was a gifted auto mechanic who spent much of his free time salvaging parts from wrecked cars and "transplanting" them into other cars to give them new life and I think on that level Doug grasped the usefulness and importance of organ donation in a way that others of us might not.

We are so very grateful for the people and the mission of The Living Legacy Foundation of Maryland. Their chaplains and nurses walked with us through the entire process with so much sensitivity and caring and we were able to celebrate new life even as we grieved a death. From the beginning, God has always exhorted His people to "Choose Life" and we know that Doug was displaying God's heart when he made the decision to be an organ donor. Please consider making this same decision for yourself, and become a giver of second chances and infinite hope. Click here to find the information for your state.

Doug, we love you and will see you again one day...

1972, age 3 1/2

At the cross, Jesus was thirsty...and over 1 billion people are still thirsty today

2009-04-03T22:24:00.005-05:00

Did you know that one child dies every 15 seconds from a lack of clean, safe drinking water? Every 15 seconds! Did you know that clean drinking water can be made available for less than one dollar per person per year? We support the work of Living Water International and One Dollar Water.com as they offer a cup of cold water to the thirsty in Jesus' name.

Lent: Prepare the Way from Living Water International on Vimeo.

Living Water International is an implementer of participatory, community-based water solutions in developing nations. Since 1990 LWI has completed nearly 7,000 community water projects in 26 countries, which provide safe, clean water to 9.5 million people every day. LWI consults, trains, equips and empowers local communities to implement solutions in their own countries.

If you can spare $1.00 a day, you can do a lot!

Like a waterfall...

2009-03-25T06:23:00.006-05:00

"But let justice and fairness flow like a river that never runs dry." ~ Amos 5:24 (CEV)

photo by Kimberly Boggs

Contemplating the Cross

2009-03-05T19:38:00.015-06:00

What does the cross mean to you?

During the 40-day period of Lent, from Ash Wednesday to Easter, we follow Jesus on his journey to Jerusalem and to the cross. We know Resurrection is coming, but for now we contemplate the cross.

What does the cross mean to you? Not just in an "eternity/heaven" sense, but what does the cross mean for you tomorrow or an hour from now? Pastor Rob Bell asks this question in his message, "Love Wins" (I don't have a direct link to the Mars Hill website but you can listen to the message via this blog). Because the cross is God's way of saying that love wins. Always. The cross means that the universe now functions in a radically different way. How? By making it so that the people that appear to be the winners (those who practice evil), are actually losing… and the people that appear to be losing (those who practice love), are actually winning. And that in all situations, with all people, and in all ways, LOVE WINS. Revenge will no longer gain you any ground in this world (even though on the surface it may appear to) and instead, we should respond in love and forgiveness (even though on the surface it seems foolish).

Other voices:

"When Christ calls us, he bids us come and die...to go one's way under the sign of the cross is not misery and desperation, but peace and refreshment for the soul, it is the highest joy...we do not walk under our self-made laws and burdens, but under the yoke of him who knows us and walks under the yoke with us." ~ Dietrich Bonhoeffer - "Nachfolge" (Discipleship)

This is who God is. It is God looking at me from the cross with compassion and providing for me, with never-failing readiness to take my hand to walk on through life from wherever I may find myself at the time. The cross says, "I am bought by the sufferings and death of Jesus and I belong to God." ~ Dallas Willard, The Divine Conspiracy

"I could never myself believe in God, if it were not for the cross. The only God I believe in is the one Nietzsche ridiculed as ‘God on the Cross.’ In the real world of pain, how could one worship a God who was immune to it?" ~ John Stott, The Cross of Christ

I would love to hear your thoughts and personal understanding of the cross, whether or not you consider yourself a follower of Christ or "religious/spiritual" in any sense of the word. Blessings for the journey...

A prayer for the home-less and the "home-full"

2009-02-17T11:15:00.001-06:00

this is my local adaptation of a prayer by urban minister Hugh Hollowell from Raleigh, NC who blogs at Love Wins:

Our Father,

We pray today for those who are homeless and hungry in our city.

We know that all blessings come from you
and we, Father, are truly blessed.

For while we are well fed,
others go to bed hungry.

While we have nice, warm houses,
others will sleep tonight under bridges.

These things are not happening in a third world country,
or something we have seen on TV,
but we see them with our own eyes, right here, in San Antonio.

If anyone is,
these people are our neighbor.

Help us to remember what your Son said-
That when we feed the hungry
or shelter the homeless…
We are doing it to Him.

Remind us, O God, of your Son’s prayer-
That it may be on earth,
as it is in heaven.

For one thing we know for sure
is that no one goes hungry
or sleeps under bridges
in Heaven.

Father,
thank you for your love that never lets go.
Thank you for giving us resources to share
with those who are hurting.

Today, we pray for the strength
to help bear their burdens.

And most importantly-
we ask for the will to do so.

We ask this in the name of your Son who,
through His death
overcame evil, forever. Amen.

[Jesus said], "Whenever you did it for any of my people, no matter how unimportant they seemed, you did it for me." ~ Matt. 25:40 (CEV)

What is your LOVE like?

2009-02-14T20:07:00.001-06:00

Warm like a blanket?

Strong, like a water buffalo?

Playful, like a rabbit?

As essential as fresh water?

Then, let it show!! Show and share your love with a gift from Church World Service's Best Gift catalog. A gift of love. A gift of life.

Church World Service is also the sponsor of the annual CROP Walks for Hunger held all around the country. Kevin and I are walking with members of our church on March 1st. You can help when you click here to go to our donation page. Thank you!

Don't forget: If you're making a gift in honor of someone, as you complete your donation, you'll have an opportunity to send eCards or print out cards to send them greetings and let them know.

Your light will burst forth like the dawn

2009-02-10T23:27:00.006-06:00

from a posting on Homeless in America 2/2/09:

Your Light Will Burst Forth Like the Dawn
by Saint Augustine

You are told to love God. If you say to me: Show me whom I am to love, what shall I say if not what Saint John says: “No one has ever seen God!”. But in case you should think that you are completely cut off from the sight of God, he says: “God is love, and he who remains in love remains in God.” Love your neighbor, then, and see within yourself the power by which you love your neighbor; there you will see God, as far as you are able.

Begin, then, to love your neighbor. Share your bread with the hungry and bring into your home the homeless poor; clothe anyone you see to be naked, and do not despise your own flesh and blood.

What will you gain by doing this? “Your light will burst forth like the dawn.” (Isaiah 58:8). Your light is your God: He is your “dawn,” for He will come to you when the night of time is over: He does not rise or set but remains forever.

By loving other people and caring for them you make progress on your journey. Where are you traveling if not to the Lord, to Him whom we should love with our whole heart, our whole soul, and our whole mind? We have not yet reached His presence, but we have our neighbor at our side. Support, then, this companion of your pilgrimage if you want to come into the presence of the One with whom you desire to remain forever.

"I am doing a new thing"

2009-01-28T14:35:00.008-06:00

"I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland. " ~ Isaiah 43:19

Springs of Ein Gedi

Just west of the Dead Sea in the Judean desert lies Ein Gedi. The landscape, climate and water sources create a lush oasis that hints of a future paradise, foretold by the prophet Isaiah when he wrote, "the wilderness and the dry land will be glad. The desert will rejoice and blossom like a rose. It will blossom abundantly, and rejoice even with joy and singing." (35:1,2) The ancient Jews often used word pictures to describe what God was like. They compared life in God as "living water", a river, or an oasis. In Psalm 42 David writes of life as dry and lifeless as a desert; he pants in thirst for God. Jesus also described himself as "living water" in John 4.

Desert caves in Ein Gedi, similar to where David hid from King Saul who was trying to kill him (1Sam.24)

I am so thankful that God also uses word pictures to communicate with us, to make himself known through the centuries. Scripture came alive in this place for us in the 21st century. We were so blessed to have a vivid picture of what it means for God to make "streams in the wasteland", streams of living (not stagnant) water amidst a dry and barren landscape. God is always about creating, re-creating, redeeming and restoring His creation and His beloved children through Christ. He tells us over and over not to dwell on the past and stagnate, but to go forward, pressing ahead into the plans and purposes He has for our lives. On that hot, dry day last June I was reminded so powerfully of His words, "Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? " (Isaiah 43:18-19).

What new thing will God do in and through your life this year? Where are the dry and desolate places in your life that long to be refreshed with living water? I ask myself these same questions. God is faithful; He will do it...He is doing it! May you be refreshed!

Playing for Change

2009-01-21T23:01:00.014-06:00

Thought this was a great video clip to commemorate a historic and peaceful transition of power yesterday. Politics aside, I pray that each of us takes seriously our calling to be peacemakers and peace-bringers, locally and globally. Take a few minutes to listen to this global version of "Stand By Me" and be inspired:

From the website Playing for Change.com: Peace through Music.

Layla!

2009-01-17T12:52:00.015-06:00

Meet Layla, the newest 4-legged member of our family. Those of you (us) of a certain age are probably hearing the Eric Clapton guitar classic of the same name playing in your head right now...that's not why we named her Layla but hey, the pop-culture tie-in is just an added Baby Boomer bonus. Anyway, our newest love is an 8 week-old Golden Retriever, born in Boerne on my birthday. She has completely captured our hearts since we brought her home just before New Year's. She gives the best puppy kisses as you can see below…

Lani, our 12 yr old Golden, wasn't all that thrilled when we first presented her with her very own "mini me" but she has grown to tolerate and accomodate her and we are pleasantly surprised. Lani lets Layla chew on her various body parts (ok that sounded better in my head), hang on to her swishy tail for a drag/ride along the floor, and cuddle with her for impromptu naps and bouts of puppy narcolepsy. I think they're going to get along just

Didn't know we'd get this hilarious expression from Layla, who looks a bit suspicious here as she reclines against Lani. It's a little creepy, almost photoshop-esque, but totally real. Who knows what she was watching?

Layla loves our backyard! So many places to explore and critters to encounter, many of them much larger than she is. We have to keep her on a leash in certain areas to protect her from the owls who might want to swoop down to take her away; another threat was the overgrown possum who used to live in our backyard until Kevin exiled him over to Cibolo. He was way bigger than Layla (and way less cute) and was in the process of turning our entire yard into one huge dirt-crater. Git 'em, girl!

Illumination - Shema

2009-01-14T23:22:00.016-06:00

"Hear, O Israel [Shema Israel]: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. " (Deuteronomy 6:4-5)

"These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts." (v.6)

"But this is the new covenant I will make with the people of Israel on that day," says the LORD. "I will put my laws in their minds, and I will write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people." (Jeremiah 31:33)

"You yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, known and read by everybody. You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts. (2 Cor 3:2-3)

"I am a little pencil in the hand of a writing God who is sending a love letter to the world." ~ Mother Teresa

photo taken at Diaspora Yeshiva Center,
also thought to be site of the Upper Room, Jerusalem

Illumination - Happy New Year!

2009-01-04T12:53:00.010-06:00

The Kardo, Jewish Quarter, Old City Jerusalem

"We spend January 1 walking through our lives, room by room, drawing up a list of work to be done, cracks to be patched. Maybe this year, to balance the list, we ought to walk through the rooms of our lives... not looking for flaws, but for potential." ~ Ellen Goodman

May 2009 be a year to focus upon and grow in the potential of who we are created to be. Wherever you are in your journey of faith, may this year bring you closer to the goodness and love of the One who created you.

Old City Jerusalem

Mission Under the Bridge ~ our year in pictures

2008-12-27T18:40:00.022-06:00

What a blessing and a privilege to serve Jesus alongside so many wonderful brothers and sisters, both homeless and "housed". With thanks and gratitude to our faithful leaders and volunteers past and present, and with loving memories of Sam Jackson, I created the slideshow below to capture our past 12 months of ministry. Thank you donors, encouragers, and prayer partners! An extra special shout-out to Jo and Connie for their tireless work behind the scenes and on the scene. Photos taken by Janice A., Carol G., and myself throughout the year. The song on the slideshow is "King of Wonders" by Matt Redman, Tim Hughes and Joel Houston, a free download from compassionart, so be sure your speaker volume is on. Enjoy...

"Every time I think of you, I give thanks to my God. Whenever I pray, I make my requests for all of you with joy, for you have been my partners in spreading the Good News about Christ from the time you first heard it until now. And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns." ~ Philippians 1:3-6

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Bethlehem, part 3: Christmas and the Wall

2008-12-23T23:13:00.005-06:00

"For Christ himself has brought peace to us. He united Jews and Gentiles into one people when, in his own body on the cross, he broke down the wall of hostility that separated us." ~ Ephesians 2:14

Throughout our time in Israel we were privileged to meet with several local Christian leaders, some of whom were Palestinian. Mitri Raheb, pastor of Christmas Lutheran Church and founder of the International Center of Bethlehem, shared his unique perspective as a Palestinian Christian working for peace in Israel, modeling the kind of peacemaker that Jesus calls each of us to become. He challenged us not just to pray for peace but to be people of peace, living out the words of Micah 6:8, "[God] has shown you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God." He wasn’t trying to convince us to become pro-Palestinian, just pro-peace, Kingdom style. We who have never been subject to discrimination or hatred for simply being of one nationality or another cannot imagine what it must be like day in and day out. Two things I would like to share in my final post on the little town of Bethlehem in 2008: Click here to watch a short video on National Geographic's website. Secondly, some thoughts from Mitri Raheb from his book, Bethlehem Besieged: Stories of Hope in Times of Trouble. In the chapter entitled Christmas and The Wall, he writes about the verse from Ephesians quoted above. These excerpts are taken from his Christmas Eve sermon of 2003:

In our Palestinian context, “peace talk” is often a recipe for managing the conflict rather than resolving it. It is as if there were an un-gentlemen’s agreement: the world continues to talk peace while Israel continues to build the wall…

I preached my Christmas Eve sermon to people facing [the reality of the security wall]. We know what it means to tens of thousands of our people, how it cuts them off from their fields, medical services, and schools. We’re worried about our children and future generations, who will grow up seeing nothing around them but high concrete walls and security fences. We’re worried that they might eventually live with walls in their minds, forgetting that the sky is the limit.

As Christians we dare to speak out, not to demonize the other, but because we believe there is an alternative. Christians have to take Christmas in Bethlehem seriously, because on that holy night and in this very place, God chose to be very concrete, to take flesh, and to take our world very seriously. We Christians are unafraid to face the brutal reality around us because we believe in a power mightier than walls and put our faith in a peace that exceeds all human understanding…

I reminded my congregation that no one understood the true meaning of peace better than St. Paul. Originally named Saul, this former Jewish leader, zealot, persecutor, and hard-liner committed himself to making sure that a wall of separation was built and kept between his community and its enemies…For Saul there was no compromise. For Saul the ideological wall of separation was necessary to preserve his people’s identity, demography, and security.

However this same radical person was radically transformed [on the Damascus Road with his encounter with Jesus of Nazareth]. At that moment the zealot Saul became the passionate apostle Paul. His great discovery was that God in Christ broke the walls of hostility between the human and the divine.

For Paul this discovery had only one conclusion: If God in Christ has destroyed the wall of hostility between the divine and the human, then there is no place for walls between peoples, tribes, cultures, and nations. The incarnation – the reason we Christians gather on Christmas Eve – was thus nothing sentimental but a radical transformation. This very reality…was so powerful that it transformed the ancient world and created a new reality…

Christmas is still transforming people all around the world…From the hometown of Christ, we have no other message on the day when we celebrate his life. We wish ourselves nothing less than for the transforming power of the incarnation to strengthen all of us in our commitment to breaking down walls, making peace, and building bridges.

God's grace and peace to all this Christmas, from our family to yours.

photo: Amos Trust

Christmas Under the Bridge 2008

2008-12-22T11:32:00.011-06:00

"To give blessing is to affirm another's Belovedness and it creates the reality of which it speaks. Yet we can have no illusions about the darkness; the loneliness, the homelessness and the addictedness of people are all too visible. Yet all of these people yearn for a blessing. That blessing can only be given by those who have heard it themselves." ~ Henri Nouwen, Life of the Beloved

This quote above says so much about our dependence on the One who calls us His Beloved to have any ability whatsoever to help or bless another. This past Saturday blessings were spoken and received as we celebrated the gift of Jesus at Christmas with our homeless brothers and sisters in downtown S.A. It was a lot of fun with plenty of food, lively singing and gift-giving. People were invited to write Christmas cards to their loved ones knowing that the postage will be paid for. This was a special blessing to so many! As they sat deep in thought writing messages in their cards I wondered if they were perhaps speaking words of blessing or reconciliation to someone else.

In the midst of the joy there is so much pain especially at this time of year. Families are separated and displaced; so many children call the local homeless shelter their temporary home this Christmas. We prayed with more people than we usually do, coming together in Jesus' name for restoration of relationships and health. One man specifically asked me for a blessing over him and his family...how true are Nouwen's words that everyone yearns for a blessing. Not just for material "blessings" as we often refer to them, but to know in our core that we are God's Beloved.

I'm posting just a few pictures for now because I foolishly forgot to charge my camera battery beforehand and had to resort to the blurry camera phone option. Be blessed!

compassionart

2008-12-19T23:00:00.002-06:00

O Little Town of Bethlehem, part 2

2008-12-19T09:34:00.015-06:00

As we walked through the streets of Bethlehem we were followed and sometimes hounded by aggressive street vendors offering us all sorts of items for "best price". It was nothing personal but we had already purchased some of the items they were selling elsewhere (they all seemed to have the same stuff). As we walked towards our bus and declined to buy what he was selling, an elderly vendor angrily shouted to Kevin, "Americans only buy from Israeli, you hate Palestinian people." That outburst could have provoked many different responses but Kevin stopped for a moment, put his hand on the man's arm and gently told him, "No, you are wrong. We love the Palestinian people and we are praying for you." Tears welled up in the old man's eyes and he quietly said, "Thank you", and walked away. Love wins. Always.

There is a lot of walking involved through the narrow, hilly streets of Bethlehem. One older man in our group was having difficulty walking so Kevin and another man stayed behind with him while they called a taxi to take them up to the church we were headed to. As they waited for the taxi to arrive a group of young children ran by, picked up some trash off the street and threw it at them. Your initial reaction might be shock or anger, "what did I do to deserve this? I'm just minding my own business!" But everyone knows that children learn this behavior from the adults in their lives, so they are merely reflecting the feelings towards Americans that their elders have taught them. We have seen this played out over the generations in our own country. How do you begin to undo this? By modeling a different kind of response. Not one of revenge or evil retaliation. Yes, Kevin and the other men gave those boys the universally-understood stern fatherly look of displeasure to let them know their behavior was unacceptable but they did not retaliate physically. Later, a group of young boys gathered around our bus with their hands out asking for money. Some of those same boys who earlier threw trash were most likely a part of that group of beggars. Several in our group responded by giving them a shekel or two. To be honest it didn't really cost us much, but it may have made a world of difference to them or their families.

Does that make us saps or pushover Americans? Maybe. But that's not the point. Small gestures of love towards our "enemies" repay love for evil, speak blessing instead of cursing, bestow beauty instead of ashes. Jesus taught this and modeled it on the cross by overcoming evil, hatred, and death to usher in forgiveness and reconciliation when we didn't deserve it. The cross is God's way of saying, "love wins" and this is how we are to live now. I believe that this is how the Kingdom comes, and God's will is done "on earth as it is in heaven." Love wins. Always. Or as a wise apostle once wrote, “love never fails.” (2 Corinthians 13)

BFFs

2008-12-17T09:32:00.019-06:00

At Baby A's in Austin

I am probably way too old to be using the term "BFF". Okay, I know I am. But I don't care - "best friends forever" is a term that fits me and Jan, my best friend from high school days. We met on the first day of school in 10th grade, both of us the new kids in town at a brand new school. Jan is not only still married to her high school sweetheart (going on 30 years now) but she is the one responsible for getting me and Kevin together when we were in 11th grade! So yeah, we go back a ways. We've been in each other's weddings, mourned the passing of our mothers, celebrated babies and many other milestones, including all four of us turning 50 this year! When you've known someone for that long you also know a lot of their secrets (heh heh) so now we're kind of obligated to stay friends for life. Jan knows I'm kidding when I say that...right, Jan? Are you nodding in agreement right now?

So I wanted to post a little tribute to my best-est, long-time (not oldest) friend. She lives on the East Coast and I am in Texas now so I appreciate that she and I always make the effort to get together whenever we can. Three years ago we met up in Denver. Two years ago in North Carolina. Last weekend in Austin. You can tell someone is a good friend when you get together after not seeing them for a year or more and you can pick up the conversation right where you left off. She goes by Janet now but nothing much else has changed between us. The only one missing was the D-man. Love ya, girl!

O come, O come Emmanuel

2008-12-13T10:15:00.000-06:00

My favorite song of the Advent season. Emmanuel, "God with us". Our peace. Rejoice!

The book of John describes Jesus as the Word of God, the Word made flesh, the Light which shines in the darkness, "and the darkness can never extinguish it." Let the music and words wash over you and enjoy a moment of peace and light in this Advent season.

O Little Town of Bethlehem

2008-12-06T21:23:00.018-06:00

As we enter into the second week of Advent I wanted to post a series of pictures of the "little town of Bethlehem". Most of the pictures were taken during our trip earlier this year and a few were borrowed (thanks, Google Images) to round out the illustration I wanted to make. What a contrast of images we saw! In the context of the message of hope and peace that accompanied the birth of Jesus our Savior, Immanuel ("God with us"), it is a particularly heartbreaking situation for Palestinians and Israelis alike. We met with Palestinian Christian pastors and priests who told us of their plight and asked us to share their stories with their brothers and sisters in the faith here in the U.S. My eyes were opened to the apartheid-like system that keeps Palestinians inside walled areas that have become like ghettos. Unemployment runs as high as 70% here and even a basic education is difficult to attain. Despair and hopelessness run rampant. I have much more to write about this, but for now I'll let these pictures and captions speak for themselves and you can draw your own conclusions. I hope they stir a lot of thought and interest as you consider what true "peace on earth" and reconciliation would look like as God purposed. Feel free to comment on whatever thoughts or emotions these pictures evoke in you.

This is the idyllic Bethlehem on our Christmas cards but aside from the cave-like setting which is more likely the site of Jesus' birth (shepherds hung out in local caves in the area) it is not at all representative of the Bethlehem of today.

...but this is the Isreali side of what actually greets visitors who wish to enter the town of Bethlehem - a 20 foot, 230-mile long concrete wall topped with barbed wire and ringed with guard towers. Passports and car searches are pretty standard procedure to enter. We were not permitted to take pictures of Israeli security so I found these pictures online.

This is an example of the elaborate artwork/graffiti on the inner (Palestinian) side of the same security wall

Angel above the entrance to the Basilica of the Nativity in Bethlehem

Professor Luker led us in a devotion and worship inside one of the (very cleaned up) caves

Plaque in Shepherd's Cave - "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests" (Luke 2:14)

Typical poster seen plastered on walls and doorways throughout the city

Sanctuary of Christmas Lutheran Church, an Arabic and English-speaking congregation

Grotto of the Nativity below ground in the Church of the Nativity in Manger Square, thought to be a possible site of original cave/manger of Jesus' birth

Another view of the security wall that rings the city of Bethlehem and surrounding area

Children & AIDS

2008-12-01T22:03:00.004-06:00

Compassion is not sentiment but is making justice and doing works of mercy. Compassion is not a moral commandment but a flow and overflow of the fullest human and divine energies. --Matthew Fox

Meet Zemedagegn Sinke, "Zem" for short. He lives in Dila, Ethiopa and we have been his sponsors through Compassion International since 2004. This picture was taken last year on his 12th birthday, December 28, 2007. Zem lives with his mother and 6 brothers and sisters; his father died about two years ago. His letters to us contain stories of school, his family, his love of soccer and sports (which is much greater than school!), and yearly pictures of him celebrating each birthday. I wish I knew what kind of "cake" he is enjoying, mostly because I am always curious about cultural foods and customs. But mostly I treasure this picture because of his beautiful smile and the fact that photos are not as commonplace in a poor city in Ethiopia as they are in this country; they are a pretty special thing. Every birthday is precious, too, because the average life expectancy for a male in that country is just 43.4 years.

Today is World AIDS Day. Beyond sharing awareness of the AIDS pandemic throughout the world and especially in Africa, I wanted to give thanks for Zem's life and for the work that Compassion is doing for him, his family, and his community. Compassion is all about investing in a child emotionally, physically, socially and spiritually in order to break the cycle of poverty, hopelessness, and despair. I also appreciate their holistic, effective HIV/AIDS Initiative. You are probably aware that Ethiopia is very hard hit by HIV/AIDS; every 14 seconds a child is orphaned by AIDS, which is not only unbelievable but intolerable. I do not know if Zem's father died of this disease but it is well within the realm of possibility given the statistics. One of his letters informed us that his mother has also been ill for over a year. HIV/AIDS is a heartbreaking humanitarian crisis and it's very easy to get lost (and distanced) in all the statistics. Through the life and stories of this one child who is being cared for, fed, taught and loved in Jesus' name, the impact hits much closer to home for us. Jesus often taught about serving and helping one person at a time (think, the Good Samaritan, the lost sheep), and that is Compassion's belief: each child is precious and unique to God. We look forward to seeing what God will do in the life of this special young man as he celebrates many more birthdays. For now, I am looking forward to receving this year's picture!

Feasting & Fasting

2008-11-26T17:15:00.003-06:00

A person who has food has many problems. A person who has no food has only one problem. ~Chinese saying

First off, Kevin and I send out our best wishes for a blessed Thanksgiving to all of our family and friends out there who won't be sharing the feast with us here in San Antonio. We are so thankful that each of you is a part of our life in some way!

But as we approach the annual Thanksgiving feast, let's continue to be mindful that there are more than 850 million people in the world who go hungry on a regular basis. In developing countries, nearly 11 million children die every year from preventable and treatable, with 60% of these deaths from hunger and malnutrition. Malnutrition not only stunts growth but also affects brain development, future learning ability, ability to fight off diseases, and impacts emotional and psychological well-being.

This year most of us have been impacted in some small or big way by the economic downturn; it has created or added to our "many problems" as the Chinese proverb says. But consider the person who has only one problem: no food or not enough to nourish the body and soul.

God has plainly told us us the kind of "religion that is pure and faultless", the kind of "fasting", or deeds and posture of heart, that is acceptable to Him:

[the church people ask God:] ‘We have fasted before you!’ they say. ‘Why aren’t you impressed? We have been very hard on ourselves, and you don’t even notice it!’
[God answers:] “I will tell you why! It’s because you are fasting to please yourselves. Even while you fast, you keep oppressing your workers. What good is fasting when you keep on fighting and quarreling? This kind of fasting will never get you anywhere with me. You humble yourselves by going through the motions of penance, bowing your heads like reeds bending in the wind. You dress in burlap and cover yourselves with ashes. Is this what you call fasting? Do you really think this will please the Lord?
“No, this is the kind of fasting ["religion"] I want: Free those who are wrongly imprisoned; lighten the burden of those who work for you. Let the oppressed go free, and remove the chains that bind people. Share your food with the hungry, and give shelter to the homeless. Give clothes to those who need them, and do not hide from relatives who need your help". (Isaiah 58)

This is how we are to be a part of the solution to our neighbor's hunger and poverty. The beautiful thing is that God has ordained it because as we offer healing and love to our impoverished neighbors, we too receive our healing (v.8).

If you have read my post this far, I encourage you to pray and discover the many ways that you can make a difference. Here's someplace to start:

Send an e-Postcard from the Hunger site.

Blessings to you and yours this Thanksgiving!!

50 is the new 30

2008-11-20T21:00:00.010-06:00

...that's my story and I'm stickin' to it!!

"You are only young once but you can remain immature indefinitely." ~ Ogden Nash

my family forced me to wear the Birthday Princess tiara all day, everywhere! you can see how much I hated that

Kim spent the better part of a year cross-stitching this beautiful harvest cross. She also made my birthday cake from scratch! I am so blessed by all of the love and creativity she puts into everything she does.

here's me not taking myself seriously some more (see yesterday's post)

Today I also celebrate 20 years of being smoke-free! I thank God for life and breath, for my amazing family, my friends, my family in Christ and so many blessings I don't think I can count that high!

not taking myself too seriously today...

2008-11-19T14:28:00.004-06:00

Mi familia

2008-11-18T07:21:00.012-06:00

Kim and I took a quick trip up to Oklahoma City this past weekend. Yes, we ventured deep into Sooner country but it was totally worth it because a) my sis and her husband live there, and they are both decidedly not OU fans [although Tony IS an Aggie, but we forgave him for that many years ago...], and 2) my dad is also visiting there and one of my brothers, a long-distance trucker, happened to be passing through OKC on Sunday so we all got to watch the Redskins game together (even though they lost).
Thanks Torey for all the good EATS and laughs and thanks to my fam for the early birthday celebration and the love!

Tony, Torey, Kim and G'pa at Primo's ~ salud!

me and my sis. no I am not taller, I'm just sitting on her lap!

Chip, Torey, me and our Dad (aka G'pa)

The sibs

Defining poverty, part 2

2008-11-12T12:35:00.004-06:00

graphic source: SA Mennonite Church

Hear it from those who know what it means to be poor:

Being Poor
Being poor is knowing exactly how much everything costs.

Being poor is getting angry at your kids for asking for all the crap they see on TV.

Being poor is having to keep buying $800 cars because they’re what you can afford, and then having the cars break down on you, because there’s not an $800 car in America that’s worth a damn.

Being poor is hoping the toothache goes away.

Being poor is knowing your kid goes to friends’ houses but never has friends over to yours.

Being poor is going to the restroom before you get in the school lunch line so your friends will be ahead of you and won’t hear you say “I get free lunch” when you get to the cashier.

Being poor is living next to the freeway.

Being poor is coming back to the car with your children in the back seat, clutching that box of Raisin Bran you just bought and trying to think of a way to make the kids understand that the box has to last.

Being poor is off-brand toys.

Being poor is a heater in only one room of the house.

Being poor is hoping your kids don’t have a growth spurt.

Being poor is Goodwill underwear.

Being poor is not enough space for everyone who lives with you.

Being poor is your kid’s school being the one with the 15-year-old textbooks and no air conditioning.

Being poor is not taking the job because you can’t find someone you trust to watch your kids.

Being poor is the police busting into the apartment right next to yours.

Being poor is not talking to that girl because she’ll probably just laugh at your clothes.

Being poor is hoping you’ll be invited for dinner.

Being poor is a sidewalk with lots of brown glass on it.

Being poor is your kid’s teacher assuming you don’t have any books in your home.

Being poor is six dollars short on the utility bill and no way to close the gap.

Being poor is crying when you drop the mac and cheese on the floor.

Being poor is knowing you work as hard as anyone, anywhere.

Being poor is people surprised to discover you’re not actually stupid.

Being poor is people surprised to discover you’re not actually lazy.

Being poor is a six-hour wait in an emergency room with a sick child asleep on your lap.

Being poor is never buying anything someone else hasn’t bought first.

Being poor is picking the 10 cent ramen instead of the 12 cent ramen because that’s two extra packages for every dollar.

Being poor is getting tired of people wanting you to be grateful.

Being poor is knowing you’re being judged.

Being poor is a box of crayons and a $1 coloring book from a community center Santa.

Being poor is knowing you really shouldn’t spend that buck on a Lotto ticket.

Being poor is hoping the register lady will spot you the dime.

Being poor is feeling helpless when your child makes the same mistakes you did, and won’t listen to you beg them against doing so.

Being poor is a cough that doesn’t go away.

Being poor is a $200 paycheck advance from a company that takes $250 when the paycheck comes in.

Being poor is knowing where the shelter is.

Being poor is people who have never been poor wondering why you choose to be so.

Being poor is knowing how hard it is to stop being poor.

Being poor is seeing how few options you have.

Being poor is running in place.

http://lovewinsalways.org/justice/what-it-means-to-be-poor/

How do you define poverty?

2008-11-11T12:30:00.001-06:00

There are many ways to define poverty. The Federal Government uses predetermined income levels and family size to determine who is at or below "the poverty level". The standard dictionary definition is "the state of having little or no money and few or no material possessions." We in America are richer than 95% of the rest of the world, yet we know that poverty exists in our own communities. So is poverty relative? The answer is probably yes if we are using strictly financial/monetary criteria to define it, but I believe that criteria not only limits our definition but also our understanding and ability to help our neighbors in need. What about relational poverty? Certainly this type of poverty is not limited to certain socioeconomic categories; we see it in lives all around us. But what happens when relational poverty is added to financial hardship?

We think sometimes that poverty is only being hungry, naked and homeless.
The poverty of being unwanted, unloved and uncared for is the greatest poverty. We must start in our own homes to remedy this kind of poverty. --Mother Teresa

The video below from a Dallas urban ministry blog provides an interesting take on the question, "what does it mean to be poor?" It doesn't tell the whole story but I think it speaks to a basic, relational piece to solving poverty. As you get to know your neighbors in need as people and not just as a category known as "the poor" or "the homeless" or whatever, be prepared because everything changes, including your heart. When Jesus began his public ministry by proclaiming liberation from poverty, debt, and oppression, He was speaking to all of us. Mercy triumphs over judgment.

[Jesus said] “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, for he has anointed me to bring Good News to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released, that the blind will see, that the oppressed will be set free, and that the time of the Lord’s favor has come." (Luke 4:18-21)

Hearthcakes and still small voices

2008-11-07T18:54:00.016-06:00

Bethlehem ~ Angel above entrance to the Basilica of the Nativity

Has anyone read Traveling Mercies by Anne Lamott? I discovered this book 3 or 4 years ago and have re-read it several times. Written by a woman with a very "colorful" life story and a convoluted but growing walk of faith, Traveling Mercies is funny, profound, moving, reverent, irreverent, and painfully honest. I love it. So ok, go read the book already and I'll get on with my current topic...

Lamott writes about a lot of life issues that I can relate to. This past week our family has walked through a time of crisis, fear, and difficult decisions, culminating in victory and the restoration of hope. Yeah. We're pretty tired. But today as I reflected on all that has happened, I was reminded of one of the chapters of this book and I reread it yet again.

In the chapter called "Hearthcakes" Lamott writes about a health scare involving her young son Sam and how she made it through a long week of waiting for test results. She sat on the floor of her bathroom and prayed a lot. She treated her son to special foods. She "hung out in ordinariness", playing with Sam and doing household chores. She relied on the presence and love of friends. She wanted to be in control but everything instead felt uncertain and frightening, like they were hiding from someone in a cave. She writes,

"I suddenly remembered the cave where the prophet Elijah hung out while waiting to be either killed by Ahab or saved by God (see 1Kings 19). An angel had come to him earlier as he sat in the desert under a broom tree, and the angel had given him a message. First the angel told him he should eat. This is one of my favorite moments in the Bible, God as Jewish mother: Elijah, eat something! The angel said he should eat, and then rest, and then retire to the cave and wait for further instructions. The angel promised that the Lord would be passing by there soon.

So this is what Elijah did. He ate hearthcakes and drank a jug of water and then went to wait in the cave for the word of the Lord...first he heard a howling wind, and after the wind an earthquake, and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in any of those things. After the fire came a still small voice. And when Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. And behold, there came a voice to him. The voice told him God's will for him, what he must do to save himself and God's people, and this of course is exactly what Elijah proceeded to do.

So after awhile I got up and took Sam's hand and we ate. You really do have to eat, anything at all you can bear. So we had smoothies, with bananas, which I believe to be the only known cure for existential dread....I spent the next few days taking care of us, eating muffins in lieu of hearthcakes and drinking lots of water. I prayed a lot in the bathroom. People called and came by and sometimes they sat with me. I felt safe in the cave with God and them.

It would be great if we could go in and out of this place of safety without [needing crisis or disaster] or Ahab on our trail. But mostly it seems like we can't do it when we have our act together because we can't do it when we're acting. I have learned that most of the time, all you have is the moment and the imperfect love of people. Our friends' love turns out to be the sound of God at the mouth of the cave, a breeze to sustain and help guide us."

Amen to that! We give all the glory to God for answered prayer and for walking us hour by hour through this difficult week. We also thank God for our family and friends whose love and prayers and calls and presence continue to sustain us. Thank you for your whispered prayers and still small voices of hope. There is much that lies ahead. But like Elijah, we have been nourished and strengthened and restored by the grace of God for the journey ahead.

A day in Wimberley, Texas

2008-11-02T21:25:00.012-06:00

Who says South Texas doesn't have any seasons except "summer" and "not summer"?? We discovered a beautiful display of fall colors on our day trip to the eastern Texas Hill Country this past Friday. I took these pictures as we drove along the Blanco River in Wimberley. Kevin likes to call it "God's palette". Hope you enjoy these pics!

Intertwined Bald Cypress tree trunks on the riverbank

There is nothing new under the sun

2008-10-28T12:03:00.001-05:00

"There is nothing new under the sun" ~Ecclesiastes 1:9

("en kol khadash takhat ha-shamesh"*)

*thanks to Dr. Monte Luker, Professor of Hebrew Scriptures and our trip instructor, for this translation

Nothing new under the sun, indeed....crass commercialism is alive and well in the Holy Land just like everywhere else. Not much difference since Jesus' day when he drove out the moneychangers and those selling sacrificial animals from the temple for taking advantage of the "tourists" (pilgrims to Jerusalem) and charging unfair prices for their services. Not that there's anything wrong with a businessperson trying to make an honest living selling trinkets to the tourist today, especially in Palestine where unemployment exceeds 70% due to oppressive state policies. It is against this very kind of oppression and exploitation that Jesus directed his anger. "Then [Jesus] taught them by saying, "Scripture says, 'My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations,' but you have turned it into a gathering place for thieves." (Mark 11:17). Honest and equitable commerce can co-exist with reverence for God because all of life is His, not just an hour or two on Sundays. It is the manner by which it is conducted, along with resulting consequences, that will either be pleasing or angering to God.

"What has been is what will be, and what has been done is what will be done"...timeless wisdom indeed from the book of Ecclesiastes. The pictures below are not judgments. Some probably border on exploitation, some are humorous in their ridiculousness or perhaps a testament to the resourcefulness and creativity of man - use your discernment. These abilities are gifts from our Creator, also...enjoy!

W.W.J.T.B. say??

ummm, guys, you can get all the free "holy water" you want from the Jordan River if you bring your own water bottle...

In Cana - apparently there is still some wine left over from that wedding 2000 years ago and it's for sale!!

An oasis in the desert?? Mickey D's visible from atop historic, ancient Tel Beth Shean

Moneychanger's booth in the Old City, not too far from the temple mount

Bunnies and doves for sale in the marketplace

A reminder that in the midst of the tourism frenzy, there is still much respect and reverence for God's house of prayer:

Illumination - Hunger

2008-10-22T21:34:00.015-05:00

"Thirty-five million people in the U.S. are hungry or don't know where their next meal is coming from, and 13 million of them are children.

If another country were doing this to our children, we'd be at war." ~ Jeff Bridges

photo by Kim

He tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young. (Isaiah 40:11)

Jesus says, "If you love me, feed my lambs" (John 21:15). God has a plan to feed the hungry, and we are part of the plan. Today may we each become the hands, the heart and the love of Jesus to someone who is hungry.

Mission Under the Bridge

2008-10-18T18:45:00.009-05:00

Saturday morning coffee and conversation under the Commerce Street bridge

Lord God Almighty, look on those to whom the world is dark; send a ray of light to gladden the lonely and sad-hearted, the forsaken and forgotten, the sinful and miserable; and teach me how to comfort them with the comfort You have given me. (from Daily Prayers, F. B. Meyer, 1847-1929)

I just discovered this prayer and it reminds me of our church's Mission Under the Bridge ministry. While at first we might read it and think the prayer is about "them" (our homeless brothers and sisters), it's really about all of us, because everyone's life is broken in some way. Who among us hasn't known loneliness, sadness, grief, misery, or "forgotten-ness"? The more we enter in to relationship and get to know people, the more we understand our connectedness with one another and our common joys and struggles. It grieves me to hear one of my friends downtown call himself and the other street people, "subnormal", as if they are not worthy of the same grace, forgiveness, and mercy that God lavishes on each one of us.

Another reason I like this prayer is because of the words of the last sentence: "teach me how to comfort people with the comfort You have given me." This reminds me that I do not have *it* all figured out, nor am I capable of doing much good on my own. We need one another and we need God to instruct us. We do not go downtown to "take Jesus" to anyone - Jesus is already there, waiting for us to show up. As much as I desire to serve my homeless friends and spend time with them, there is much that the Lord has for me to learn there. As I follow, He teaches. It's that simple (and yet not simple at all).

If you have read this far I will assume you care about the plight of the homeless and the poor in our communities at least a little. If so, I highly recommend this post from one of my favorite blogs, Love Wins: click here to read "What Being Homeless Means". I just had a conversation this morning with a man who told me that nothing is secure when you are homeless - shoes get stolen off your feet and glasses pulled off your face. What are your thoughts and what has God taught you through your experiences with the homeless and poor?

San Antonio Metropolitan Ministry (SAMM) Homeless Shelter

I-35 Commerce St. overpass, next to SAMM Shelter

Where is your Emmaus?

2008-10-15T21:24:00.001-05:00

First, a short history lesson before we get to my question: the pictures in this post were taken at the Church of the Resurrection at the Benedictine Monastery in the town of Abu Ghosh. The town is thought to be one of four possible locations of Emmaus, where Jesus appeared along the road to two disciples right after the resurrection (see Luke 24:13-35 ). Abu Ghosh is about 9 miles east of Jerusalem along a well-travelled ancient road. It was known as Kiryat Ye'arim in the biblical period, where the Ark of the Covenant was kept for 20 years before David had it moved to Jerusalem. The current church was built during the Crusader period in the 12th century AD. Beautiful medieval-style frescoes decorate the inner walls and ceiling. If you look closely at the photos below you will notice that most of the faces in these frescoes have been rubbed out. This was the work of Muslims in the 14th century when they turned the church into a mosque for a time. The decoration became too much of a distraction so they built a new mosque nearby and used the church as a horse stable. It was finally purchased by the French and rededicated as a church in 1907. Benedictine brothers continue to maintain the church and monastery today. This church is where our group celebrated the closing Eucharist (Holy Communion) at the end of our 16 days in Israel. During the service we were invited to share where along our journey the living Christ had opened our eyes and revealed Himself to us. In other words, where was our personal Emmaus?

As I reflected on this question, I found it curiously appropriate that in the frescoes around me the face of Jesus is not visible or recognizable. He is there but I can't "see" him - I think I can figure out which one He is among the many figures but it takes time....and there is much that remains mystery. When we don't have all the facts it is tempting to ignore what we can only partially see, waiting until we have more proof. Jesus didn't force himself upon the two men walking along the Emmaus road nor did he try to win an intellectual argument with Scriptural proofs. He spoke to their hearts through their shared experience and in the breaking of bread. It was at that moment of communion with the living God that they recognized him and understood the magnitude of the sacrifice that had been made on their behalf. They asked one another in retrospect, "Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us along the road and opened the Scriptures to us?"

Our experience is no different today. I don't believe it is possible to go away unchanged when you have been in the presence of the living God; his love is not just a nice warm glow, it is a consuming fire. When Jesus said "he who has eyes to see, let him see", he meant the kind of sight that affects both our hearts and minds, changing how we respond and who we become as our eyes are opened. In that verse, which is repeated many times in the gospels, Jesus used two different words with two different meanings for what translates in English only as one word, "see". In the Greek the first word, blepo, means simply the activity of the eyes, the physical capacity for sight. The second word, horao, has a much deeper meaning: it is to recognize the significance of something or encounter the true nature of a thing. In other words, it is to be in the presence of something and be affected or changed by it.

Do we have the capacity to truly see (horao) Jesus in our midst, in the people around us even though, just like in those fresco paintings, it's not a complete and perfect image? Or do we simply see (blepo) and walk away unchanged? Do our hearts burn for peace, justice and righteousness as we walk humbly with our God? These questions are heavy on my heart because my Emmaus experience occurred during the breaking of bread at the Mount of Beatitudes. It was there on that beautiful hillside overlooking the Sea of Galilee that Jesus first revealed the countercultural nature of the Kingdom and taught what it means to pursue it and embody it to others (Matthew 5:1-12). During our worship time these words came alive to me once again in that place and I was changed. I rededicated myself to follow in his footsteps and serve where he would have me serve. May you have eyes to see and ears to hear as you travel along your own Emmaus road.

Does this look like the face of a man who should have an AARP card??

2008-10-12T15:31:00.019-05:00

Of course it doesn't, but they sent him one anyway! Happy Birthday to my love, 50 years young today.

We let The Boy chauffeur us to dinner

The extended fam celebrated with endless shrimp! (blurry pic courtesy of our waitress)

1958 was a very good year!

Hook 'Em Horns!!

2008-10-11T15:35:00.012-05:00

Kevin gets an early birthday present -

No. 5 Texas Stops No. 1 Oklahoma in Dallas, 45-35! NIIIIIIIIICE!

Illumination - True Love

2008-10-10T20:43:00.011-05:00

Sedalia, Colorado

We are here to learn to endure the beams of love. ~ William Blake

And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord's people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
~Ephesians 3:17-19

Today, may you experience the brilliant beams of divine love, grace and peace.

Food, glorious food

2008-10-05T22:26:00.029-05:00

This one is for my foodie friends - a "taste" of some of the vast array of foods available in Israel. It wasn't so much that there were a lot of new and unfamiliar foods to try because Israeli cuisine is just a blending of Mediterranean, Middle Eastern and traditional Jewish food (with the occasional Big Mac and KFC thrown in for the Westerners)...what struck me and my traveling companions was how fresh the fruits and vegetables tasted and the plentiful supply. Everywhere you look on the sides of the roads, across the mountains and valleys, you see food growing: fruit orchards, grapevines, date palms, banana trees, olive groves, fresh herbs, tomatoes, and on and on. I suppose the Israeli people can't afford to be too dependent on their neighboring countries for their food supply so they have mastered the art and science of sustainable agriculture. We in the U.S. could learn a lesson or two from them.

Ginormous produce!

Lush grapevines are everywhere

Delicious olives right at their source

Even McD's was kosher in the Tel Aviv airport - burgers and falafel served on pita bread instead of buns

Every meal was kosher, which means all dairy foods are eaten only at breakfast, and lunch and dinner are the "meat meals". Fresh vegetables and fish were offered at breakfast along with cheeses, yogurt, pudding, and cheesecake (yes!). Delicious hummus and homemade pita bread was available at every meal. Fresh yogurt and homemade granola with date honey (which was most likely the honey referred to in the references to the Promised Land as "the land of milk and honey") was my favorite breakfast, topped off with the cheesecake of course!

In keeping kosher, breakfast is the "milk meal" in Israel. No dairy is served at the other meals.

yes, this is part of the breakfast buffet...

mmmmmmm, cheesecake for breakfast....

This was one of the more unusual foods that Kevin tried (but not me!) - St. Peter's fish with a Diet Coke, of course

Palestinian beer and homemade Pita bread in Bethlehem...now that's what I call lunch

We sampled some pretty great adult beverages during our trip as well. Taybeh (Arabic for "delicious") is a Palestinian beer that tasted great in both dark and light varieties. We also highly recommend the wines from Yarden vineyards in the Golan Heights. Unfortunately it is very difficult to buy any here in the U.S. But we enjoyed it several times in an outdoor garden bar at the American Colony Hotel in Jerusalem.

Garden bar at the American Colony Hotel, Jerusalem - mazel tov!

There was also an abundance of food available in the suq, the open air market, in the Muslim quarter of the Old City. It was a little unsettling to my sanitized-food-safety sensibilities to see everything displayed so uncovered and out in the open. I could only imagine how many children had longingly handled the candy and pastries that were out on display but it made for a colorful feast for the eyes in this vibrant market. The pictures below were taken throughout the marketplace.

Waging Peace

2008-09-29T17:11:00.021-05:00

"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God" ~Matthew 5:9

"Making peace makes us God's children—and kin to each other." ~Michael H. Crosby, Spirituality of the Beatitudes

This is Hamsa, a young Palestinian boy we met in East Jerusalem. He really wanted me to take his picture and when I did, he flashed his big smile and double peace signs. Notice the poster behind him featuring PLO leader Arafat. Childlike hope and harsh reality collide all the time. Contrast and tension exist everywhere in Israel and it becomes particularly visible in Jerusalem. The photos in this post are only two of the many that I took to capture that contrast. Jesus taught that the kingdom of heaven is "at hand" and also "to come". It is already here and yet not fully; we live in the tension between the already and the not yet. The idea that another world is possible, right alongside and in the midst of the present world. That peacemakers are not just blessed, but that waging peace by seeking justice and living in that reality is the way by which the kingdom is revealed and made known to others.

Love and faithfulness meet together; righteousness [justice] and peace [shalom] kiss each other. (Psalm 85:10)

Hail to the Redskins!

2008-09-28T22:44:00.007-05:00

Washington Redskins 26 - Dallas Cowboys 24....in Dallas...SWEEEEEEEEEET!

C'mon, sing along with me, you know you want to:

Hail to the Redskins
Hail victory
Braves on the warpath
Fight for ol' DC!
Run or pass and score we want a lot more
Beat 'em, swamp 'em, touchdown, let the points soar
Fight on, fight on, til you have won
Sons of Wash-ing-ton - RAH! RAH! RAH!
Hail to the Redskins
Hail victory
Braves on the warpath
FIGHT FOR OL' DC!

Stepping over a beggar in Nazareth

2008-09-20T10:09:00.040-05:00

Yep, I did it. In Jesus' hometown of all places. Intent on my destination, seeing but not immediately comprehending what was right in front of me, I stepped over this scruffy-looking man in shabby clothes, sitting in a doorway blocking the sidewalk we were walking on. The sidewalks of Nazareth are so narrow that you have to walk single file in order to stay out of the street. He certainly was planted in a good spot to take full advantage of the tourists going by. In the brief moment I did look down, just to avoid tripping over him, I noticed a large meaty-red open wound covering much of his lower right leg. His hand was outstretched in a silent gesture of need. The group I was with was walking at a fairly fast clip and I didn't want to get behind, so without much thought I started to step over him. But in the time it took to complete the stepping-over action, I was struck by the ridiculously convicting thought that I was INTENTIONALLY IGNORING A NEEDY PERSON IN JESUS' HOMETOWN!! If I hadn't been cringing so severely I might have laughed out loud at the irony of it. Kevin was walking a few people behind me; as I turned back around toward him and the beggar, we caught each others' eye and without a word we both reached into our pockets for a few shekels for the man on the sidewalk.

What was my destination? I was walking with the rest of my study tour group through the streets of Nazareth, dutifully following our professor to the next church/shrine/basilica on our tour -- man-made structures attempting to memorialize some of the significant, sacred moments of Jesus' life and ministry. More irony: on my way to a "holy place", I almost missed out on a holy moment. Even worse than not really seeing the beggar was not seeing Jesus in the beggar...Jesus himself taught this in the parable of the sheep and the goats: "The King will reply, 'Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.'" (Matthew 25:40)

How often in our daily lives are we so intent on reaching our sacred destinations that we miss the opportunity for sacred moments that are all around us? How often do I avoid eye contact with someone because they have "that look" that makes me think they'll approach me for a handout? What about that guy with the sign at the busy intersection, hoping for some spare change from drivers stopped at the red light? What is it that sometimes makes me so reluctant to part with some change, or a dollar, or maybe just a bottle of water? It "costs" me very little but to the person receiving it, it might as well be a small fortune...and perhaps, I hope, a small reminder and moment of re-connection with the God who loves them deeply. Am I responsible for how they spend that money, or even if they are scamming everyone and they actually have their own apartment nearby and make a decent living off the handouts they get? Which concerns me more: possibly being taken advantage of or possibly missing an opportunity to share what is ultimately from God to begin with, and to serve my neighbor?

This is how I have settled it in my own mind and heart: I am called to be obedient to what God commands (be generous to the poor, give freely and cheerfully) and I am accountable for my response. How the other person obtains or uses that money or gift, as well as how they share with others, is between that person and the Lord as well. There is nowhere in Scripture where I find Jesus discouraging generosity, but there are plenty of occasions where he condemns its lack. I would love to hear your thoughts on this. I think that how this response works out in each of our lives will look different, but the point is to work it out--wrestle with it and wrestle with God over it...that's where the blessing lies.

"There will always be poor people in the land. Therefore I command you to be openhanded toward your brothers and toward the poor and needy in your land." (Deuteronomy 15:11)

Beautiful in its time

2008-09-13T10:22:00.049-05:00

An update on Kevin's "baby", the Community Garden:

The vision for the garden has taken root so to speak; it is budding and thriving and beginning to literally produce fruit. His task for the last year and 3 months has been to plan and create a 5-acre Community Garden for the Food Bank and he has poured his heart and soul into this endeavor. This project literally began with a divinely-inspired vision: after he was hired but before he had started the job, Kevin was awakened one morning at 3am and immediately was given the complete plan of how the garden was to be laid out...he could visualize the beauty of what it was to become. But before it became a garden of beauty it was just a giant field of overgrown sunflowers and weeds next to the main building. When Kevin started the project in June 2007, all of the rich topsoil was gone and the ground was full of rocks and strewn with chunks of concrete leftover from building construction. Since that time he has worked diligently with a staff of one (himself) and the help of some dedicated volunteers in the blistering South Texas heat to bring the vision to the beautiful reality it has become today. The garden is already producing a variety of fresh herbs, blackeyed peas, corn, spinach, tomatoes and peppers. Everything is organically grown. In the not too distant future there will also be a bountiful harvest of apples, citrus, okra, melons and much more. Those of you who know him well will not be surprised that he also worked his miraculous "Kevin's deals" skills with many area businesses, obtaining donations of everything from fertilizer and mulch to decorative block and boulders to a $17,000 tractor! Yes, all for free, and all for the cause of fighting hunger in our community.

But we also know that "to everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under heaven" (Ecclesiastes 3:1) and Kevin's "season" with the Food Bank will soon come to an end. The Lord makes everything beautiful in its time. Kevin knows that the garden is postured to thrive and flourish in the right hands and he will leave on Sept. 22 knowing that he has laid a solid foundation for years to come. He can confidently declare the words of the apostle Paul, "I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith." (2 Timothy 4:7).

I too will be leaving the Food Bank at the end of this month; it is time to move on. Will you please pray for us as we mourn the ending of this season, as we transition back to "semi-retirement" for a season of rest and prayer and consider where God would use us next? Take a moment to look at these pictures posted below that show the amazing and divinely-inspired progression of this little piece of earth...

March '08 - Kevin receiving keys to donated tractor

April '08 - 5 acre field is cleared of rocks and weeds

May '08 - initial construction of infrastructure begins - 1st raised beds

August '08-view from rooftop - volunteers at work

Sept '08 - Kevin and I at the entrance to the Community Garden

Sept. '08 - Kevin in the completed herb garden

Sept. '08 - View of the raised beds, growing all kinds of organic fruit & veggies

Sept. '08 - future grape arbor built from cedar posts

Sept '08 - and the work continues....

Passageways & Sacred Spaces

2008-09-06T12:25:00.034-05:00

Ceiling of St. Peter Galicantu (The Rooster Crowed) Church, Jerusalem

There are many beautiful churches and sacred places to photograph throughout the Holy Land, but I am drawn especially to the beauty of light streaming through doors, windows and other passageways. To me they are entry points to a different reality. They speak of possibility, movement and eternal perspective. They are visual reminders of the "marvelous light" that God calls us into and the light He shines into each life, piercing darkness and shadows.

Church of the Nativity, Manger Square, Bethlehem

Church of the Nativity, Bethlehem

Church of the Holy Sepulchre, Jerusalem

Bethpage Sanctuary (aka The Donkey Church), Mount of Olives

Dominus Flevit (Our Lord Wept) Sanctuary -
view of the city of Jerusalem from Mount of Olives

Entrance to a garden tomb in Jerusalem

Byzantine-era monastery window, Masada

Illumination - Grace

2008-09-02T21:14:00.015-05:00

Man is born broken. He lives by mending. The grace of God is glue.

~Eugene O’Neill

Grace teaches us that God loves us because of who God is, not because of who we are. We are called simply to love and thereby heal one another, and in the process we also are healed (see Isaiah 58:6-10).

photo taken along the Via Dolorosa (the Way of Sorrow), Old City Jerusalem

8/26/79...

2008-08-29T18:45:00.011-05:00

...and 29 years later...

Who are those two currr-azy kids in the first photo? And who recognizes those two currr-azy middle-aged people just below them?? I can just see my kids shaking their heads in disbelief right now...which makes this even more fun!
I recently found the first picture as I was going through some old photos. "8/26/79" is written on the back, taken in one of those old black & white photo booths (there weren't any other kind in 1979) on the boardwalk at Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. Kevin and I were 20 years old, hanging out at our favorite East Coast beach the summer before we got married. Is it my imagination or do we look like we're about 13 years old there?! I still had braces on my teeth for Pete's sake!

The second picture was taken this week, 8-25-08 to be exact, also in a photo booth at the beach, this time at South Padre Island, Texas. We just couldn't resist being cheesy and silly and re-living some old summer memories, twenty-nine years later, both of us about to turn 50. Senility does that to you, I guess--you just don't care. So the simple moral of this story is that you're never too old to take silly pictures in a photo booth...maybe we'll even pose for our 50th wedding anniversary photo there as well! Stay tuned for more blasts from the past...

Love Wins. Always.

2008-08-21T23:08:00.008-05:00

"Loving people is an act of prayer."

This is a thought-provoking post from a blog I really like. I can relate because I have these conversations with people all the time:

Thoughts on the homeless and following Jesus
If you spend any amount of time talking to the homeless and more than three people know about it, inevitably someone will tell you that you are enabling them instead of helping them. I have been told I was being taken advantage of, been told that if I did not help them they would have to face reality and had people who claim the name of Jesus as their Lord tell me the poor or homeless should just get jobs... read more

A hunger for justice

2008-08-20T22:43:00.012-05:00

“Lord, to those who hunger, give bread. And to those who have bread, give the hunger for justice.” ~Latin American prayer

Mission Under the Bridge - serving our brothers and sisters under the Commerce St. bridge, San Antonio

"Justice is what love looks like in public" ~ Cornel West

When I gave food to the poor, they called me a saint. When I asked why the poor were hungry, they called me a communist. -Dom Helder Camara

The Wall

2008-08-16T09:45:00.026-05:00

Men's and women's sides of the Western Wall are separated by the fence - and the men get way more room!

Sign reads, "The Divine Presence never moves from the Western Wall"

On Sunday, June 15th I had the incredible experience of praying at the Western Wall in Jerusalem. I had been looking forward to this prayer time even before we left for our trip. I had written a prayer list of all the special people in my life (and there are many) to leave at the Wall. I also brought the most recent page of prayer requests written by our homeless brothers and sisters from our Mission Under the Bridge ministry in downtown San Antonio. Most people bring scraps of paper to the Wall but, overachiever that I am, I had two full-size sheets of names to offer up!

At the Wall we cleared security (yes, they search your bags and walk you through a metal detector, just like at the airport) and walked toward the plaza. Because it is a remnant of the retaining wall of the Second Temple built by Herod in 20 BC and destroyed by the Romans in 70 AD, the Jews revere the Western Wall as the eternal dwelling place of the presence and glory of God on earth. A sign near the entrance reads, “The Divine Presence never moves from the Western Wall”. There are separate prayer areas for men and women in keeping with the Orthodox Jewish tradition. All kinds of people were praying there - armed soldiers, peaceful Jews and Hasidim, tourists, schoolchildren, you name it. My plan at the Wall was to offer the names and situations on my prayer lists to God’s care and provision, resting in the fact that he knows what we each of us need before we even ask. However, I wasn’t prepared for what happened as I approached: my knees and arms began to tremble involuntarily and for a moment I wasn’t sure I could hold myself up. My heart was pounding—I wondered if this is what it means to experience “the fear of the Lord”, that term we hear about but usually misunderstand. Not literally being afraid or fearful, but more like being overcome with a sense of wonder, awe, and reverence for all of who God is.

As my mind and body began to quiet down, I put my hands on the cool stone wall where the roughness has been worn smooth by so many prayerful hands over the centuries. It is there that the realization becomes clear that I am a part (as we all are) of the continous unfolding story of God through the ages. I rested my forehead on the wall as I prayed and reflected. Maybe it is true in some sense that the Divine Presence doesn’t move from the Wall, and yet I believe it does…Colossians 3:17 says, referring to Christ, “He is before all things and in him all things hold together”. The Spirit cannot be contained or confined; it is the purest and truest part of who we were created to be.

Soldiers placing their prayers in the Wall - you can see how many are already in there!

Before leaving I slid my two tightly-folded prayer sheets into a low crack near the wall’s foundation and simply prayed Psalm 134:3 over them, “May the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth, bless you from Mt. Zion”. I have since learned that all of the prayers left at the Wall are collected twice a year by a rabbi and his staff and buried on the Mount of Olives overlooking Jerusalem; none are ever destroyed because they are sacred to God. If you are reading this then you were in my prayers and your name remains in Jerusalem forever.

can I please brag on my daughter for a moment??

2008-08-14T22:49:00.010-05:00

Kim has a true gift for photography and an amazing eye for composition. I guess she gets it honestly because my mom was a gifted artist and my dad has had the photography bug and talent all of his life (he still uses only film!). It’s amazing how Kim takes the most ordinary things and give them a fresh and unexpected perspective. OK so maybe I’m a *tad* biased ‘cuz I’m her mom but take a look at these short slideshows and decide for yourself – click on the links below:

From our backyard paradise

Abstracts and black & white

Illumination - Holy Ground

2008-08-10T00:50:00.017-05:00

Thistle flowers, Upper Galilee

"Earth's crammed with heaven, and every common bush afire with God; but only he who sees, takes off his shoes - the rest sit round and pluck blackberries." ~Elizabeth Barrett Browning

In a great chorus they sang, "Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory." ~ Isaiah 6:3

"Going Up to Jerusalem"

2008-08-09T23:23:00.021-05:00

Jericho is the oldest and lowest city on earth. Part of the occupied West Bank, the “modern” part of the city looks very much like what you see on the TV news: war-torn and impoverished. After visiting the historic areas (dating to 8000 BC) and shopping at some of the pottery stores, we prepared to leave Jericho and travel to Jerusalem for the final six days of our trip. But first, in order to leave the occupied territory we must pass through an Israeli checkpoint. We as Americans are able to pass without difficulty; however, no Palestinian male under the age of 25 is allowed to leave the occupied area and any Palestinian over 25 must have a permit stating the explicit reason for their need to enter Israel. Permits are usually granted for employment reasons, but only for a maximum of 3 months at a time, and it remains the discretion of the Israeli soldiers whether to grant access. There are times when ambulances carrying critically ill people are delayed at the checkpoints while permits are scrutinized, and on occasion a woman has died in labor due to delayed care. For a variety of reasons, many tour groups stay away from the West Bank or spend very little time (or money). The combination of limited travel outside Palestine and limited incoming tourism has created high unemployment and a very poor economy in this area, along with a sense of hopelessness and despair. Because our professor has lived and taught in Israel for over 20 years he has established contacts and credibility with both Israeli and Palestinian authorities and thus our group was able to experience firsthand the harsh realities of this two-tiered society. Interestingly, it was in Jericho and along the way to Jerusalem that Jesus taught his followers about mercy, compassion, liberation, who is our neighbor, and what it means to inherit eternal life (which doesn’t mean the afterlife but Kingdom life, here and now). The injustice and oppression we witnessed still returns often to my mind and I am praying about what God wants me to do with that—more on that later.

Entering Jericho

Palestinian man at Elisha's Spring in Old City Jericho

On the ride to Jerusalem, our professor read aloud the Psalms of Ascent, 120-134, echoing the same songs of praise sung by pilgrims for thousands of years traveling to Jerusalem for the major festivals. The meaning of the phrase “up to Jerusalem”, repeated often in scripture, came to life as we ascended 4000 ft in altitude, from Jericho (1300 ft below sea level) to Jerusalem (2700 ft above sea level). It was not lost on me that we were going up to Jerusalem during Shavuot, the Jewish Pentecost (Acts 2, anyone?). The Holy Spirit had been stirring and revealing for many days already so Kevin and I approached Jerusalem with great anticipation. Words cannot describe what it was like to come out of the long highway tunnel and behold a sweeping view of the city of Jerusalem—it took my breath away.

When we arrived at our hotel, we opened the window and just listened and watched the street scene four stories below. As a cool breeze blew in, I thought about the first believers receiving the Holy Spirit at Pentecost in this very city. They had come from all over the ancient world to gather in Jerusalem to worship God. But they were also sent out from this place, filled with the Spirit, to “the ends of the earth”. I began to understand that Jerusalem is not just a place of going, but also a place of sending. A pilgrimage is not a static thing—a journey is by definition about movement. To make an actual pilgrimage is wonderful, but I realized that we take this journey each time we gather in His name to worship and sit in His presence. God instructs and then He sends us out. “He will teach us his ways so that we may walk in his paths. The Law will go out from Zion, the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.” ~Isaiah 2:3

Shabbat (Sabbath) prayer at the Western Wall of the Temple Mount, beginning of Shavuot (Pentecost) 6.14.08

Learning to Listen

2008-08-04T20:18:00.023-05:00

“The call to come to Israel defies rationale or logic. There are quieter countries with scenery more lush and political situations more stable. The call and desire to visit this land comes from deep within, from a ‘still, small voice’ that speaks to an inner part of our souls. Coming to Israel will teach you how to listen.” ~ from The Heart of A People by Moshe Avraham Kempinski

During our trip to Israel back in June, Kevin and I were blessed to make the acquaintance of the man quoted above, a warm and humble Orthodox Jewish shopkeeper/teacher in Jerusalem’s Old City. We visited Moshe’s shop several times over the course of our stay in Jerusalem and each day he had something new to teach us or speak over us. The shop is called Shorashim (Hebrew for “roots”) and over time it has evolved into, as Moshe calls it, a modern-day “Tent of Abraham”, a place open to seekers and sojourners who want to learn and have conversation about the ancient roots and story of our faith. Shorashim was just one of the many places in Israel where we learned to listen and see and hear.

Another man we met, Elias Chacour, Archbishop of Galilee and a self-described Palestinian Arab Christian, challenged us with this question: “Did you come to the Holy Land to see some ‘holy stones’ and an empty tomb, or did you come to meet the living stones of this land and walk with the Risen Christ?” On our journey through the Holy Land, we were privileged and blessed to be able to do both. Though we learned so much from our excursions to ancient sacred sites accompanied by our teacher, a seminary professor of Hebrew Scripture, we also learned deep and lasting lessons from the people we encountered, the "living stones" described in 1 Peter 2:4-5. What an incredible experience to meet men and women who taught us Biblical truths and spoke divine messages in the most unexpected places! I will write more about these amazing people in a separate post.

These pictures were taken at sunrise on the Sea of Galilee in Tiberias in June 2008.

Where to begin to capture the rich and profound ways in which we experienced the presence of God in that place? God has a way of meeting us right where we are in our journey of faith, walking along the road with us a bit, and if we will listen, opening our eyes to a larger reality and an elevated perspective. I could write volumes but will summarize some of the most meaningful events here and possibly expand on them in future posts:

Kevin and I reaffirmed our wedding vows in Cana (place of Jesus' first miracle at a wedding, turning water into wine)

I reaffirmed my baptism at the Jordan River (not in the river as I originally wanted, mind you, but that's another story and God worked it out just fine)

We worshipped and took Communion at the Mount of Beatitudes beside the Sea of Galilee. It blew me away to be at the place where Jesus preached his Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7) and taught us how we are to live and become in the Kingdom of Heaven

While staying in Tiberias, the two of us woke up on two different mornings to watch the sunrise and have some prayer time at the Sea of Galilee; I heard John 21 as a personal expression of love

Hiking in En Gedi Nature Reserve in the Judean Desert near the Dead Sea, encountering "streams of living water in the wasteland" at En Gedi waterfall; understanding "the new thing" from Isaiah 43 in a fresh and personal way

Also in En Gedi, God powerfully impressed the Shema (Deuteronomy 6) upon Kevin's mind and heart through a dream

I "received" my name, Deborah, and learned its prophetic meaning, "Word of God".

The recurring theme (if you want to call it that) was experiencing the amazing love that God has for me as well as the love and care He lavishes on all of Creation. I could also hear the soul cry of the people for justice, restoration and peace. We met with true peacemakers on both sides of the conflict. As we stood at the place on the Mount of Olives where Jesus entered Jerusalem on a donkey, and we could clearly see the barrier walls separating Israelis from Palestinians, I could imagine His sorrow as he wept over the city...

“As he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it and said, "If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace—but now it is hidden from your eyes. The days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment against you and encircle you and hem you in on every side. “ ~ Luke 19:41-43

There is much that is still stirring around...

Best place to celebrate an August birthday:

2008-08-04T19:04:00.025-05:00

...in the pool, where else? The 100+ degree heat didn't faze us as we celebrated Steven's 25th birthday on Sunday. Swimming (well, more like floating...), cool beverages and grilled delicacies were enjoyed by all. And to top it all off, our beloved Redskins had a great Hall of Fame day AND a pre-season win over the Colts. Hail to the Redskins! Let's hope this bodes well for the season.

Much love and happy 25th birthday, Steven!!

Grilled stuffed jalapenos, mmmmm....