Jan 25, 2012

signs of the kingdom

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Been doing some highland wandering friends on unpaved roads in Wales that lead through the wild places where the wind blows free and the quiet spaces where you can hear the rhythm of the tides.  And remember we were made to have an ebb and flow too.  This castle signpost made me laugh. It stands in the middle of a field off any beaten path without so much as trail to its name and not a castle in sight.  I relate just a bit.  Which way the Kingdom?  Aren’t we all looking for a sign, a pointer, a map, gps directions… something?  I know some days I do.

But then those are the days I need reminding of what Jesus said: “Nor will they say, “See here!’ or ‘See there!’ For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you.” (Lk 17:21)

So if God’s Kingdom is within then maybe we {you and I} are called to be His signposts pointing lower, deeper, wilder, quieter, bolder, simpler to the breath-taking beauty beyond of His grace and His astounding mercy that still kisses a broken world in love.  Today may you know His kiss deeper than ever before.

Filed Under: daily journal, everyday epiphanies ·
Jan 15, 2012

we’ve never been this way before

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I walk the old cobbles and the narrow, winding lanes wandering through the maze of history that is this city in the south of Spain.

Amidst the ruins of bygone eras, on the well worn ancient paths I hear a whisper echo.  A dare to embrace a different journey on a trail leading reverently, boldly, even absurdly into the wild unknown places of grace.  Truly we have not been this way before (not in this generation at least.)

Where are the brave pioneers that will look at the so-called “edge of the world” as an invitation to explore uncharted depths?  Dangerous, fearless love drawing us farther out beyond the safe confines of buildings and programs and systems and circuits.

What if the next 3 years brought a shift so dramatic it could only be described as tectonic in nature?  And what if that shift started in us?  What if this revolution was silent in its fury and Jesus comes once more riding on a borrowed donkey to wash fishermen’s feet and the empires of men cannot comprehend this kind of royalty and miss the One they seek all over again?

Beloved, we have not been this way before.  True success is being redefined and the choices before us are not first decided in ballot boxes.  What if we are looking for a king who rules and shapes world political systems while Jesus is offering us a King who comes to serve and defy any system that would try to contain… or commodify Him?  What if Jesus is coming as a King with an upside-down, inside-out, high-is-low-and-low-is-high reality that cannot come through politics or policy?  What if His platform is still a cross and ours an altar?

A company saturated in the supernatural, living loved and loving without expectation’s tangled strings, drawn again to the untamed spaces where reformers are shaped; a people who could care less for fame or popularity or success or stages or spotlights.  Content with waste places and seeing heaven come to those desperate enough to put their need on display, instead of their accomplishments.  What if the measures are changing and all we thought we knew with them?  Will we be willing to let it all go?  Will I be willing to let go of the known ways to choose a road less traveled and embrace His invitation to explore the edge of the earth?

Faith lies beyond what we can see with our eyes.  So which path will you choose, my sweet friend?  No choice is indeed a choice in days such as these.  May you embrace the wild untamed reaches of His heart moment by moment every day.

You are loved, so very loved.  May His love define your world as never before and lead you far out beyond the edges of its safe, known horizons.

Loving Him and you-Michele

Filed Under: daily journal, everyday epiphanies, prophetic encounters & insight, upside down kingdom ·
Jan 12, 2012

time to exhale

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I sit curled up in a lovely little flat in the south of Spain near the coast taking time for long walks, lazy mornings and sidewalk cafes. Taking time to breathe deeply and have even deeper conversations with some precious friends on this journey. The world spins on quite happily without me in other places as I take time out to exhale.

Time to eat fresh Spanish olives from the market and drink espresso brewed on the stove top, watch good movies and wander through the streets and squares of history that surround me, even as I ponder my own.

I pause, words echoing in my mind from last night’s movie: Downward is the only way forward.  I am drawn to the hidden paths, the unknown ways, the wild places out of which reformers are birthed from the heart of God. There is a longing too profound for words stirring inside of me.  And I am struck by the irony of how often the best things in life must be crushed to be enjoyed.

Again, I am reminded: the most important journeys always start deep inside of us. In this new year, may you embrace the beauty only found in crushed places and on secret, silent paths.

From this unpaved road-Michele

Filed Under: daily journal, everyday epiphanies, living beyond the edge ·
Dec 12, 2011

it’s the small things

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Sometimes it’s the small things that make the biggest impact. I am reminded of this three weeks ago at 5:20 in the morning.

It is the small uneven ledge on the sidewalk that catches the thin lip of my shoe sole and sends me spilling across cement and grass.  It is the small end of my crutch handle that lands on the smallest finger of my right hand and ricocheting pain brings tears to my eyes.  It is not small.

I travel on two planes nursing a swelling hand and little finger.  Hard to do when point a to b necessitates using BOTH hands to get there.  My finger demands to be noticed the whole way turning colors I normally love on canvas.   I begin to realize how completely oblivious I have been to its importance and how such a small part of me could make such a BIG difference.  And it isn’t just true in my body. What about HIS Body?

What would happen if pinkies of the Body of Christ were fractured?  Broken, injured, missing?  Or simply unnoticed and unappreciated in their precision and functionality?

I land and travel the maze of emergency room corridors, just to be told: see a specialist.  One that specializes in the small things like pinkies that can become big issues.  A few states later, I do.

I find out my fractured little finger is sporting three breaks, not one.  I can’t see them even when pointed out to me in painstaking detail.  A miniscule break I couldn’t even SEE in an overlooked place I never noticed that would dislodge sleep and schedule for the next three weeks.  It seems absurd.

I never noticed how I typed, carried, balanced, sorted and did a sundry of other things all with this one small appendage.  Needless to say I am much more grateful for my pinkies, one of which is still splinted a world away now back in Africa. And yes, it is the reason I disappeared.  Again.  Healing is coming and now is the time of regaining motion, aka making your finger do what it screams not to!

Thank you for grace.  I’d love to say I am back.  But this is more of a I’m still alive and on the planet post.  Tomorrow I head into South Sudan where I will have more limited than usual access to internet from now until Jan 3 and more visitors than usual too.  So you might not see too much of me.  I will try to share as I can, but you know my first few days will be spent catching up with my precious kiddos not chasing down an internet connection.

Are there small things perhaps we have overlooked in this busy season and holiday rush that need remembering?  Any “pinky people” in our paths that could use some encouraging and a well-placed thank you or a surprise plate of Christmas cookies? It really is the small things that can make the biggest difference!

A HAPPY GIVING ANNOUNCEMENT…

Speaking of making differences…

For all my friends from overseas and for those from the USA not needing a tax deduction, my personal paypal link is now functional again on the sidebar to the right and you can give personal support there.  Yippee!

My non-profit organization, Nema International, now ALSO has a giving link (see the bottom left hand corner of the linked page) if you want to give to our work in South Sudan and beyond.  We are working on our charitable, tax-deduct status and hope to have that sometime early next year. Please pray for this too: favor and acceleration!

Tax deductible options (for the USA) are still available over on my giving page and through Iris Ministries.

 

Filed Under: daily journal, everyday epiphanies, living beyond the edge ·
Oct 30, 2011

washed in white

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The sky cracks open and spills out grace.  And in a season when the world wears black and exalts darkness, God sees fit to wash it all in white.  I wrap up warm and skip the morning sessions to go and stand in wonder and be washed too.

Here I am with several hundred word weavers in a conference about writing life, serving fresh bread and laying down on the only platform Jesus ever embraced: the cross.

It is a time when revelation falls like unexpected snow.

In the midst of an event filled with meetups and business cards, I find I really am an introvert.  I crave hiddenness and deep connection. One-on-one coffees fill my soul, but buzzing rooms empty me out.  And. that. is. OK.

Even like a fish trying to swim in sand, stretched out, laid bare, I find permission.  To be.  To immerse myself in Him Who IS the Word so that my words hold and offer Who He is.  I can only give what I have.  I find permission to live internally even in an external world of social media and twitter strategies.  To skip sessions to stand beneath a sky split open reminding me of Him Who bleaches my scarlet places in love.

In this community of shared journeys and interwoven stories,  I marvel at His creativity.  A room filled with daughters as unique as the frozen lace hanging in the trees around me.  And tonight when all is being packed up and processed for transit, I too am chronicling the love letters from Papa’s heart to mine this weekend, ever grateful for space to see through to Him in the cracked places that pour out heaven.

Filed Under: daily journal, everyday epiphanies ·
Sep 28, 2011

when we run

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We bounce over the rainy season ruts, the three of us: our base manager, our head mama and I.  I am so grateful for “girl time” and my real down in the dirt family here.  To say I love these ladies would be a major understatement.  They are sisters of another echelon.

We rejoice that our jewel who ran has been recovered this morning.  And I ramble about what I am learning from the Father’s heart through it all with happy tears.  He teaches me more every day on these rutted trails and muddy meanderings.

I don’t think I truly knew His heart until I came here… not the burning hot reality of Who He is.   Not really.  He is not theory to be contained in a book.  And days like these teach the most.  I find His heart searching for the treasures of darkness, royalty hidden on the dusty roadsides of life.  And then when one I love so much runs in fear or pain or anger, a piece of my heart goes with her. I would brave any night to bring her home.

And this is Papa’s heart.  When we run in fear or pain or anger, when we hang heads low in guilt or shame: He is not waiting to scold us.  He is waiting to embrace us, to welcome us back, to wash our wounds, to speak soft and straight right into our pain and our fear.  And when He forgives, He does not hold the record for future reference.  He erases it as if it never happens.  What grace is THIS!  What love!

Thank you for your love and prayers for our sweet jewel.  She is home.  Her bed is no longer empty and our family is whole again.  It was broken without her.  It ached without her, just like Papa’s family aches when we run away from Him.  She is staying for a while at our senior leader’s home where she will receive a little more one-on-one mentoring from his loving family.  I am again grateful beyond words for the ways Papa answers our heart cries and prayers here.  As always, thank YOU for journeying with us and being part of His amazing grace on these roads unpaved.

Much love,

Michele

Filed Under: daily journal, everyday epiphanies, stories from south sudan ·
Sep 22, 2011

seeds

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A few weeks ago I decide to plant a garden.  City girl that I am, I had never planted anything before now.  Yes I know it is hard to believe but I missed that part of early childhood education somehow.

Planting from seeds is a slow process indeed.  I brought in 20 or more variety of seeds from my last trip out and with the help of our grounds keepers we dug the earth together: them with their big hoes and me with a small hand spade that made them laugh.

Isn’t that what love and family is all about, digging earth {together}?

My little garden has begun to sprout and grow and I think we might actually have cress and radishes and zucchini and spices and a few other bits that dare to put roots down in this war torn patch of earth.  I never knew growing something would be such a joy…

But these are not the only seeds growing here: there are many others…. seeds of dreams long waited for, seeds of new things springing up, seeds of hope and grace.

Thank you for your prayers these last few weeks.  We are so appreciative of them and you.   The children for the most part are all healthy and happy now.  {SIGH of relief from all of us here.}  We look forward to all Papa is going to do in these next months!  And here you are a world away watering the seeds so lovingly with with your prayers.  We are so humbled by that.

With hugs of gratitude from us all on this unpaved road in South Sudan,

Michele

Filed Under: daily journal, everyday epiphanies, inside-out transformation ·
Jul 26, 2011

love looks like something

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Love looks like…

safe boundaries.

not being left to cry alone.

bandaging open wounds until they heal.

someone to color with.

seeing beyond what is visible to what is true.

being willing to be chalk covered and so tired you mix three languages and speak nonsense.

making time and space for each others special needs (we ALL have them).

grace for those who fear what they do not understand.

rainbows on paper and cement and us.

patience in the waiting.

taking time to guard a gate to a world that might bring harm.

hugs and smiles when you feel more like a good cry.

like laying aside the necessary and the pressing for the eternal that outweighs them all.

trusting Jesus really does have a plan for getting done that which needs getting done. He really, really does.

those who have been forgiven much, rescued from life’s deepest pits coming tenderly to the rescue of this one still struggling to find the light.

sitting on a mat on a hot July afternoon with some of heaven’s greatest treasures.

Love looks like lessons in Mercy.

–

The comments are open on this post.  I have given up on linking parties for the moment due to poor internet connections here.  Simply slip the link to your post, if you have one, into your comment and we will all enjoy each other that way.  Remember we are talking about the practical raw real down-in-the dirt supernatural love of God in this season and all comments are moderated.

Filed Under: everyday epiphanies, upside down kingdom ·
Apr 6, 2011

poetry in stone

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Walking around Cardiff today, I stumble across poetry etched in stone.  I am reminded of the timelessness of arcs and lines that form the words I write, the language I live, the artistry of life waiting to be found, to be seen.

I see this monument and stand to gape.  It could not more perfectly describe the One I love, the King Who has captured my gaze.  We follow a King who gives us dreams and songs to sing.  What amazing grace is this?

I love reminders of His goodness on this journey, His whispers all around me if I only have eyes to see and ears to hear.

I want to walk in the reality of being royalty from another realm who gives all those around her permission to dream and songs to sing!

Filed Under: everyday epiphanies ·
Mar 5, 2011

a life in focus

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He takes my camera in hand, places view finder to eye, depresses shutter half way sending lens whizzing into place and snaps.  A moment forever captured in pixels.

“It works perfectly,” he says.

“Oh you are supposed to look through the view finder not the screen on the back, really?  Oh, that is what those dots are for?  You mean I don’t have to hit and miss with manual focus- it will do it automatically?!?!?! “

He smiles and tells me to try it.  Offers a few basics.  Lens whirs effortlessly into place in my hand and captures light’s imprint.

He explains that what I am holding is not a point and click camera, but a single lens something-I-can’t-remember camera.  {I am terrible at details and trivia, sorry Papa Rolland}  I listen intently as he explains about mirrors and lenses and refraction and settings and all I can think of is the analogy this moment contains and how much I appreciate the lesson.

“WOW, it is so much simpler than I was making it!”

He smiles shaking his head, ducking inside to tackle his Mt Everest sized inbox as I run off with camera in hand to practice my new trick, letting the camera work for me.  Works pretty well.  My little Light (Noora) above left quite a focused impression.

This morning I take him to the airstrip and he laughs saying God brought him to help me get my life into focus.

I laugh too, but only because it’s true.

The Kingdom is supposed to be effortless.  Life lived in auto focus. The price paid at the cross, the work already done. But when I don’t  know what the auto focus setting is or how it simple and effortless it can be, I wrestle with my lens and work hard in manual focus with not nearly the results.  Isn’t life so much like that at times?

Jesus, let me live in the grace of clarity without stress or strain or working hard to achieve what YOU already paid for.  Let me live a life of effortless joyful focus in You.

***

These last four days have been an amazing gift from heaven.

Rolland Baker, international director and co-founder of Iris Ministries and a spiritual papa to me, came for a visit, taught in our bible school and all around brought buckets of joy and love to our family here.  It is such a blessing to be part of a beautiful family like Iris.  We would not be seeing the fruit we are here, if not for the spiritual momentum he and Heidi have laid their lives down for decades to see. I am extremely honored and humbled by that.

Among many other things, Papa Rolland is probably the most gifted photographer I know.  To see his pictures is to be in the moment they capture.  He freezes time in frame.

Thank you Papa Rolland for the lesson on my lens and my life!

Filed Under: everyday epiphanies ·
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