The Journey so far...

I John 3:16-18
This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.

Without really knowing it, Jes and I have been on a journey for several years now. I'd like to share the highlights with you and then let you in on what God is up to (at least the small part that I can see from here).

March 2007: Jes went to Venezuela (first global mission trip for either of us). He was broken by the poverty he witnessed, devastated for how some people have to live. He came home and said he was "physically ill" coming into our large, luxurious home. Realized that many people he just met live in houses that would fit inside half of our garage. He waited patiently for me to "get it". He had a rather long wait.

November 2008: I went to Guatemala. Starting to "get it". Heartbroken. It was also at that time that I first understood what it meant to really seek God. I came home “addicted” to living for God’s glory. I came home and told Jes I’d rather take a mission trip than a vacation to the beach. He smiled and agreed.

Fall 2008: We read the Treasure Principle (Alcorn) and became overwhelmingly convicted that we were not being good stewards of our money. We began to completely see possessions differently and even began to be truly disgusted with the things we had wasted money on. Why were we spending money on temporary, superficial things when God had blessed us to bless and serve others…to make an eternal impact... to bring Him glory?

Fall 2008: Our pastor challenges us with the Radical series. If you haven't heard it, I beg you to check it out at
http://www.brookhills.org/media/series/radical/

We were challenged with the words of Jesus. Jesus says that in order to be a true follower we are to give up everything for His sake. This Christianity is not comfortable or easy but it is the Christianity of the Bible. It is not routine religion. It is outright devotion to follow a Savior who never accumulated wealth and did nothing for selfish gain but lived a life of compassion and sacrifice.

We put our house on the market.

Spring 2009: We began to beg God to make our lives count. Our conversations totally changed. Our goals and dreams started to drift away from wealth and possessions to God’s vision for our lives. God was changing us.

Fall 2009: By this point we were desperate. I was so excited to go to Guatemala but frustrated that it was only for a week. Jes was so disappointed that he hadn’t been able to go to Honduras (thanks to a military coup that shut down the country). God was breaking us.

Fall 2009: Jes attended a Men's Discovery Weekend. He was convicted that he had not been trusting God. God told him, nearly audibly, "I am faithful. I am faithful. Trust Me with everything."

Fall 2009: We began doing Angel Food ministries where we delivered food to needy families once a month. We loved it. We loved spending our day serving others, building relationships, sharing God's hope and love, and living out the gospel. We began to say, “once a month is not enough” “One week a year is not enough”. I was frustrated but Jes was confident. He said over and over, “God is preparing us for something”.

Fall 2009: I came across a blog by an incredible young woman who has given up everything to serve orphans in Uganda. THAT'S the life I want! A life poured out for the sake of others. A life that follows the example of Jesus and brings great glory to God.
(http://kissesfromkatie.blogspot.com)

So we started to joke about packing up and moving to Uganda to take care of orphans. That didn't seem like a likely route for us but we were yearning to be called to something bigger than ourselves. I started researching international missions, pleading with God to SHOW US SOMETHING.

Mar 5, 2010. Jes and I get a night away. We spend the four-hour drive, dinner, and the rest of the evening having the same conversation we'd had for months. That night I tearfully told Jes that I physically ache to live a life of complete devotion to God. I’m hurting to see God’s glory in my life – it’s a yearning I can’t describe. Jes shares my heart, my longings. So we pray, once more, together, submitting our lives to God, begging for direction.

Mar 7, 2010. We go to church and our pastor presents information on East Lake, part of inner city Birmingham. One of the poorest areas. Staggering statistics on unemployment, orphaned children, single-parent homes, suffering right here in our own city. He challenges us to pray about moving there to serve, be community, be Jesus to the hurting and lost of Birmingham. Something stirred deep within me – to the core of my soul. I couldn't stop weeping, tears flowing down my face. I wrote across the top of my worship guide IS THIS OUR UGANDA?

I will admit that I was scared. I didn't want to go (see previous post What is my Egypt?). I was terrified. Jes was not. He didn't hesitate to commit to praying about this possibility. We even went back and sat through the service again to process all that was said. After several days of praying, Jes realized we were no longer praying "God, tell us if we should go". We were praying "Tell us if we should not" and we could not come up with a single reason. What legitimate reasons do we really have to not go? What is more valuable to us than a life lived out for God's glory?

Joshua 1:9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened and do not be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.

So here we are. Waiting on the house to sell. Trying to be patient but feeling like we will not be living out our calling until we are living in East Lake. We trust fully that God has all the details and all the timing worked out. So we wait. Begging God to use us TODAY to live a life worthy of the calling. Would you pray for us?

2 Thessalonians 1:11-12: With this in mind, we constantly pray for you, that our God may count you worthy of his calling, and that by his power he may fulfill every good purpose of yours and every act prompted by your faith. We pray this so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ