Africa update.

Today, things changed. As you may know I have been very excited about all that Agape has been doing in Kenya and I've been working towards a trip to check it all out.

Today I found out that there are some delightful new missionaries coming to work with Agape. Decisions are needing to be made about who will be where and doing what and when.....logistics. In the process of all that is happening, it looks like there just may not really be a need for me long-term at this time- something my heart has been wondering about and considering. They have welcomed me to still come for a short-term trip, and I have gladly taken them up on the offer. I know that no matter WHAT the future holds, I will glean wisdom and learn valuable lessons to take into the future.

I will be going to Kenya from June26-July13th. I trust The Lord has some incredible plans. Please be praying for the the trip as well as the future. My heart does indeed ache to serve long-term in Africa. Somehow. Somewhere. And soon. Thank you to all who've been such an incredible support.

alertness.

If in my head I quickly list some of the people I believe to be extraordinarily powerful and influential, I come to a disturbing discovery. Almost every person who's been called to a deeper and crazier life, a life of teaching and equipping others, has at least one loved one who suffers from some form of life-controlling addiction or battles some form mental instability and hardship. As I think of all my favorite pastors, missionaries, teachers, speakers, authors, musicians, and friends who are in the trenches of a foreign country working endlessly on behalf of the kingdom, I can list what almost all of those people's families deal with. On pretty intense levels. Now, maybe this is just coincidence and the truth is that a large majority of families today happen to be dealing with these issues. But to me it seems like there just might be someone roaming around, hungry, looking to devour. And I think this lion is pretty smart. So I think we need to be smarter. More aware. In tune. In prayer. This is a bloody and messy battle. He goes after those who have influence because they're a threat to him. We need to get more dirty and be in the trenches with each other way more often. Let's stop trying to make our lives look so grand on social media and just be raw and real and honest. Can you imagine what would happen if we talked about what was REALLY going on rather than our political agendas and opinions and pictures of our lunch or walk? Revolution would happen. Fresh, healing, unique, irresistible changes would take place. People wouldn't stay far away from worship on Sundays because they'd no longer fear hypocritical Christians and their judgement against them.(Did you know that's the #1 reason people don't attend a worship gathering?)And this world would not be able to deny the wave of Jesus that would be crashing down every bit of every one of the enemy's strongholds. A Tsunami of radical young people unlike anything seen before. Taking this world by storm. Who are some of your favorite influencers? Let's begin praying faithfully over their families. Over THEM. Standing boldly in truth without being deceived isn't easy.

This spot.

I recently was made aware of the fact that I'm actually EMBARRASSED by a lot of what my life looks like right now. A few former employees of one of my jobs asked me "you still working THERE?" with a sarcastic laugh. That made me really begin to become bitter against a whole array of things. And want even more than ever to get into a new stage. A new place. With new everything.

As I mulled this over for a while, I realized something important. I have been treating everything about this stage of my life as if it's just that. A stage. Nothing more. Something I have to put up with until things get better. Until Jesus lets me move on.

Then I was severely convicted yesterday. During a conversation with a co-worker who doesn't know The Lord, I was told that I am different in a way that makes her think about Jesus. And I realized in a flash that I am the only piece of Jesus she knows at this point. The responsibility and honor of such a situation is something that I most certainly don't want to just "put up with."

So I'm on a mission. A mission to become passionate about wherever I may be in this moment. Even if it's the last place I WANT to stay. Even if others think I'm a loser because of where I work and what I'm doing and how it's not "successful."
We can fall flat on our faces and passionately pray over any spot we find ourselves in. Like it or not. And that is precisely what The Lord WANTS from us. Perhaps I am stuck where I am just to learn this important lesson. A lesson we should all learn.