Portland!

Matthew had an almost week long business trip up to Portland and I got to come along! 

The Christian and the Beggar

Our city is full of homeless men and women. There are beggars everywhere. It is quite normal to see them on nearly every street intersection, no matter where you are in the city.
Matthew and I have been thinking about them lately. God has been making us uneasy just sitting in our comfort watching them.

Sure, we can give to the poor in other countries but is there anything to be done here in America?

It's easy to think "Well, the poor in America are just looking for an easy 20 to spend on their addictions..." or "They just don't want to work" I realize how true this might be, and am aware of the statistics of the corner beggar.

But one afternoon last week Matthew came home for his lunch break and said to me,

"You know, something struck me this morning while I was driving to work..." 

"Oh yeah? What's that?" I love it when he tells me what's on his mind! It's usually the beginning of a great conversation.

"Christ doesn't command us to give to only the "good" poor, or care for only the "good" widows."

Hmm, yeah, I never really thought of it that way! Do we really get so caught up into "what's wise" that we don't do "what's right"? How often do we use the "what's wise" excuse to actually do nothing? Have we used that as a smokescreen for our own indifference?

While we need to be wise that doesn't take back Christ’s commands or make them only conditional. We are not told to love only our good neighbors or love only the lovable. So why do we only give to the poor when it is convenient and when we know for a fact that they are honest people?

We want to be Christ to all  men, everywhere... unconditionally. 

"If you pour yourselves out for the hungry and satisfy the desire of the afflicted then your light shall rise in the darkness and your gloom be as the noonday." Isa. 58:10

Photos from our trip

on the plane to India

we were the second row from the back

Valley of Vision

somewhere over scandinavia

dropping down into Mumbai

flying over India somewhere

getting ready to land

our balcony

auto rickshaw

A Life Taken

Everything was normal a few months ago.

We were excited about our anniversary coming up- 1 year! Can you believe it?! We had a simple honeymoon when we got married so we were pondering some place special we could go off to together. Of course, I wanted to go to all the far reaches of the earth.  So one morning, Matthew, overwhelmed by my indecisive excitement, finally said "Okay, find one place that costs {this much}, I don't care where it is, we'll go."

Later that morning, I had it.

India.

I was able to find a great deal on flights to India and I had it all planned out-  what city, who we would stay with...it was perfect. We were both excited. Though I think I was more thrilled than Matthew since I had been wanting to go to India for years.

As we prepared for this trip materially God was preparing us spiritually.

One Wednesday night at church we were told about a book called Radical by a man we'd never heard of. Our pastor highly recommended it and so about a week later we had our copy in our hands. We were told it would revolutionize our lives.

That Sunday afternoon, sitting on a bench at the pond near our apartment, we began reading it. I was humbled by the first chapter. You couldn't help but be taken aback. "What? I thought I knew these things!" Yes, I did know them. I had heard them all my life. We then realized we hadn't applied them to ourselves. We hadn't applied what Jesus said to those who came to him with excuses of why they wouldn't or couldn't follow him. They wanted comfort now, they wanted family, they wanted peace. Christ has come to take all of these things away and to replace them with HIMSELF!

The Parables and words of Jesus came alive. They hit us and knocked us from our comfort zone. What did it mean when Jesus wanted a man to "let the dead bury their own dead"? Or when the rich young ruler came and was told to sell ALL that he had and give to the poor? Do we really believe Christ wants everything from us? Even our lives for His glory in whatever way He wants?

One simple question also kept coming up: "What were we doing with Christ's last command to His followers to make disciples of all nations?"

Many things were weighty on our mind as we prepared for India but that didn't keep us from being giddy and excited about a new adventure!

We had planned on staying with some friends of ours while we were in India but by God's providence they weren't able to be there. So we stayed with a group of believers we had never met before- which turned out to be a great blessing in itself.

Once in India everything felt like a dream. You didn't really comprehend what was in front of you or that you were actually in India. We kept wanting to ask ourselves, "is everything we see and do really happening?" America not only seemed like the opposite side of the world it felt like another planet.

Affluence and the sterile, orderly nature of America was gone. Here people worshiped different gods, in different ways. Religion was everywhere and people were engaged in it constantly.

The week went by like a blur. Sometimes I would just sit and watch the people below our balcony. I wondered what their lives were like. Most of all though I wanted to know what they thought. I wanted to get inside their heads. What did they know about God? Had they heard of the straight and narrow way? Had they heard the sweet name of Jesus? What were their fears, what did they pray for, what did they aspire to?

Often as I sat in the balcony there looking out during my morning devotions I would think of Christ. I would think of the Savior who wept over the city, or had compassion on the crowds that were like sheep without a shepherd. Do we weep over lost souls? How often do we quickly reference them in our prayers and then with ease of mind go away feeling like we have done our duty? Christ wants more! How much did He give for the lost? Surely, our Savior did not hold back.

God has been visiting us lately through His word and through many of these recent things. We have not come away unchanged.

What are we going to do with this life of ours -or rather how will God use us? Where does God want us? What does God want us to give up for His namesake? How does He want to use us for the nations?

Our hearts ache for the lost more and more. As He teaches us more about Himself and the beauty of the gospel we long more that men might know Him!

Our life has been taken and we do not want it back!

Go, labor on: spend, and be spent,

Thy joy to do the Father’s will:

It is the way the Master went;

Should not the servant tread it still?

-Horatius Bonar

It's been too long!

I've been away for much too long! I can't believe how the months go by. I'll be back soon with a post about everything that has been happening lately. It's a lot and God is working and showing Himself to both Matthew and I in ways that we never before have experienced. It is amazing to see Him working so obviously in your life. I can't wait to share some of all of His wonderful works. May all the earth praise Him for His great goodness! Blessing to all my dear readers!