Fishers of Men

Throughout my life I have heard conversation after conversation about the misfit disciples, and why in the world Jesus chose the particular group of men that he did.

Don't ask me about the tax collector and the politicians. God hasn't revealed that one to me yet, but I think I've got somewhat of an understanding of the fishermen.

For so many years I have envisioned these fisherman as something like this:

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 Or this:

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So peaceful and nice (and a little boring). These men must have been so calm and patient, right?

Nope, I am pretty sure these images are all wrong. 

I have come to view Simon Peter, Andrew, James, and John in a whole new light. Because in reality, fishing wasn't a hobby for them or a peaceful retreat. It was work. The manly rough dangerous kind of work.

The kind of work that requires passion, courage, loyalty, heart, and maybe even a little recklessness.

The kind of work that requires someone like these guys:



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 Or these guys:



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Sure they may be a little rough around the edges, but Jesus sought the kind of guy that was loyal to the point of getting pissed enough to cut off someone's ear.

When I think of the disciples this way, I totally get it. I mean, life with these guys would be a little wild and unpredictable, but so was Jesus.

The Death of the Doggy Paddle

I recently had a conversation with one of the wisest women I know. We are starting a Bible study with what has become the most diverse group of women you will probably ever find gathered in one room, which is exciting.

But as we have been searching for a study, we have been more than frustrated.

The words that keep coming up are surfacey, shallow, fake, fluff, polished.

These are words that should never be found regarding anything referencing my Christ, and it's ticking me off a little.

And it's not just in the Christian literature. It is an overall theme within our culture. Why is there so much striving to make Christianity seem easy, comfortable, clean and safe?

In a nation full of Christians doing the doggy paddle in the shallow end, I want to do more than simply stay afloat.

I want to go deeper.

Immersion.

More of Him and less of me.

I don't want to live the easy way or the clean way.

Gritty. Grimy. Dirty. Bold. Uncomfortable. Untamed. Wild. Radical. Crazy.

And I sure as heck don't want to be safe.

I want to lay hands on lepers and dine with outcasts. I want to live outside the camp.

Because my Savior died for my freedom. And freedom means more than a comfy pew and air conditioning in my Sunday best.

In a church culture that tells us to be careful, let us pray for reckless abandon.
 

"Woe to the person who smoothly, flirtatiously, commandingly, convincingly preaches some soft, sweet something which is supposed to be Christianity." - Soren Kierkegaard

Bloggy Awards, Shout-Outs, and Confessions part 4

So, I've been chosen a couple times recently, and not so recently, for a versatile blogger award. Before you go thinking I am cooler and more popular than I really am, it's basically a shout-out that someone likes your blog, mixed in with an about you type thing like we use to do on Myspace back when that was cool. Then I realized that cheesy about me lists are basically what I've been doing in my confessions posts, so we're gonna kill two birds with one stone here.

Anyways, I would like to say thanks to KEZ at Sinner Following Jesus and Selena at Shimmery for thinking I'm cool :)

With that said, when you recieve said bloggy award, you are invited to share 7 things about yourself, and then give shout-outs (bloggy awards) to 15 bloggers you think are shout-out worthy. So here goes.

Confessions part 4 (a.k.a. 7 random things about me):

*Yesterday was the first day of fall, and although still 100 degrees here, the Christmas music is cranking.

*In college people liked to play pranks on me. I had my car soaped, floured, and fished, my dorm room moved and set up in the lobby, as well my car "stolen" and being relocated, just to name a few. Okay, so sometimes I guess I deserved it ;)

*I have been a bridesmaid 11 times, and number 12 is coming up.

*I hate ants. I have many bad ants stories. One includes me peeing on an ant hill that was hidden by a tree, and then me flailing around the woods half naked (I literally had ants in my pants). To make it worse, I read One Hundred Years of Solitude, and now I fear being carried away by ants in my sleep while being eaten alive. Moving on...

*I have the cutest dog in the world.

*I used to squeeze my head between small spaces and get it stuck...like all the time. Usually in things like chairs and railings. One time I got it stuck in the gate at Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk.

*Last, but definitely not least, I dream of Haiti and Bangladesh. I have jars and jars of change in my closest that I will not touch until it helps me get to one of these places.

Shout-Outs (a.k.a. bloggy awards...in no particular order):
15 is a lot, so I have included short descriptions to help you determine the ones you deem click worthy.

1. April at Two in Blue. Either April or her now husband were involved on one side or the other in all the pranks listed above. She was the best roomate ever, and is now an amazing mommy to two of the cutest boys in the world.

2. Katie at Ristow's Wife. Katie was also a partner in crime back in college. She has lived gracefully through some of life's most challenging and heartbreaking moments, and writes about them with equal amounts wisdom and grace.

3. Cathrine at Life is a Lyric. I think of Cat as my internet soul mate :) She's pretty awesome, and Dave Ramsey thinks she is funny.

4. JD at Compassion Can. JD is a Compassion International advocate, as well as advocating for children entrapped in the slave trade. In November she will be going to Ghana to work with some of these children. I hope you'll check out her blog, as well as her upcoming journey and how you can help!

5. Jill at Compassion Family and Daily Bread. At Compassion Family Jill writes about child sponsorship and how to make it a family event, as well as inspires us all in becoming more involved sponsors. She also writes at Daily Bread about her family's lifestyle of simplicity.

6. Mark at Conspiracy of Hope and Musings and Miscellanies. Mark is a warrior in the battle against Human Trafficking. He writes about the battle at Conspiracy of Hope, as well as more personal insights and various other musings at Musings and Miscellanies, Oh My.

7. Melissa at Beautiful Feet Global Outreach (BFGO) and Melissa Writes. Melissa is my Zimbabwe sister, and she writes about her ministry for orphans on her NGO blog, BFGO. She also happens to have a beautiful heart and family, and she shares some if this beauty at her personal blog, Melissa Writes.

8. Michelle at Restore Innocence. Michelle is a friend from college, who is now on a journey with her husband to open a home for women who have been victimized by sex trafficking. Follow along on their journey of opening the Cinderella House and ministering to the hearts of young women.

9. Carly at Ryan, Carly, and Crew. Carly is another sweet college friend who writes about her amazingly beautiful and fun family. They are currently in the process of adopting their second child. Through adopting God has given Carly a heart to help people manuever through the sometimes difficult adoption process, so if you have questions, I'm sure she'd be happy to help :)

10. Michele at From the Unpaved Road. Michele is a missionary in the newly established country of South Sudan. She is mamma to over 100 orphaned, abandoned, and displaced children. She lives love and writes about the beauty, miraculous, and faithfulness of our Savior.

11. Katie at Imperfect People. Katie loves to encourage people to get real with eachother. On her blog you will find testimonies of many amazing yet real people, as well as glimpses into her own heart and life.

12. Leah at Leah in Romania. Leah is a friend from college (have I mentioned that I have some amazing college friends?). Leah has been a full-time missionary in Romania through Youth with a Mission (YWAM) for 6 years now. She rocks.

13. Morgan at Mrs. Priss. Morgan is a real life friend, who apparently has become rather famous in the blog world. She has won many blogger awards...the real kind. She is hilarious, crafty, awesome, and so so honest. I promise if you read her stuff you will be laughing so hard you snort and or pee.

14. Megan at Zip Tied. Megan is a friend from Youth for Christ, and is a missionary to a part of Fresno locals call "The Devils Triangle". She is full of life and laughter and love, and recently began blogging about all of this, as well as her knack for creativity.

15. Megan at Blessed with a Burden. This is a new favorite blog about a new favorite ministry. Megan is the founder of Respire Haiti, and with much love and determination she is empowering the shaken community of Gressier, Haiti in bringing change and hope from within.

Not That I'm a Super Hero or Anything...

But I think I have discovered my super power:

Finding children.

Today I found a little boy. No bigger than a chicken nugget. Wandering the streets alone. For reals.

Thankfully his mom was eventually located, and it was nothing more than a case of a curious three-year-old exploring the world while his mom was taking a shower.

But it made me realize, this kind of thing happens to me a lot. Not like everyday a lot, but I have found several lost, abandoned, runaway children in my life. And according to people I know, its not really a normal thing to just find a child. But sometimes it just happens.

I even got to name one or them.

My rambunctious little Ruthie Nothando,  4 years after we found her.

Maybe it is just being in the right place at the right time, but I'd like to think that maybe us mere mortals do have real life super powers. Not the kind that can burn holes through buildings with a concentrated glare, but the more practical kind.

I think I like mine. My only complaint is that they never let me keep the children.

What is your super power?

Confessions part 3

*The movie Signs scarred me for life. To this day, sometimes when I walk downstairs at night to get a drink of water, I swear I'll catch a glimpe of an alien through the sliding glass door.

*I use to be boy crazy. One time I ran into a sign and got a black eye 'cause I was, well, distracted. By a boy. Yep, very very boy crazy. Now I'm just crazy.

*That reminds me. I got my first black eye while chasing a snowflake...right into a pole. Sometimes I run into things. Which is why my dad's nickname for me growing up was Lumpy.

*Sometimes I use a fork to scratch my back. But only when I'm really really desperate. And I almost never put it back in the drawer. (Mark, that one was for you.)

*The Wizard of Oz always has and always will give me nightmares. Tornadoes and flying monkeys...it's a lose lose situation.

*I have probably burned more calories in my life dancing to Tubthumping by Chumbawamba than by all my other workouts combined. Yes, I know it is a horrible song. That's what makes it a confession.

*On a more serious note, this girl has been on my mind constantly lately. I was even praying about finding another job so I could afford/qualify to adopt her myself. Then I realized that to adopt from her country, you have to be married. So, Bob, if you're out there....

P.S. If you haven't read the Bob saga, you really should. It's good stuff.

The Way She Laughs

Because I can see her running through the park, giggling as the kite chasing behind her soars through the air.

I can see her swinging and asking to go Higher! Higher!

I can see her being tucked into bed at night and dozing off to words of her favorite book.

I can see her sitting at the dinner table, holding hands with her family, bowing her head and saying a prayer.

I can see her playing hide-and-go-seek with her brothers and sisters until they have exhausted every last corner and closest.

I can see her at school, waving her hand and hopping in her seat, eager to answer a question.

I can see her playing hopscotch and jumping rope, doing cartwheels and learning to rollerskate.

I can see her twirling excitingly and nervously through the living room, and hearing her dad tell her she is beautiful as she leaves for her first date.

I can see her learning to drive and bagging groceries after school to save every penny for a car.

I can see her graduate highschool.

I can see her in college.

I can see her become a nurse or a teacher, a social worker or a scientist, a doctor or a business woman, a missionary or a school bus driver- whatever she wants to be.

I can see her getting married.

I can see her becoming a mom.

I can see her having big dreams.

I can see her delighting in life.

And I can hear the way she laughs.

This is why I ask, can you help me find this little girl's family?


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Thank you to all of you who have helped spread the word already. For those of you who missed my last post about Bethany, or intended to share her on your blog or facebook but haven't yet, I would be so grateful if you could help me get her picture out to as many people as possible.

Because she is waiting  for her family. Because God has bigger and better things planned for her than she or I could ever imagine. And somewhere out there, her family is searching for her.



I am linking up with Forget Me Not Friday over at Flight Platform Living.

Helpless...

As mamas watch hunger devour their babies and daddies dig their graves.

As I carry a weak little boy up the stairs to the doctor...the HIV assisting the tuberculosis in ravaging his lungs.

As special needs orphans lay hopeless in institutions, without hugs or love or acknowledgement of being human.

As I pray over a man dying of menongitis, his eyes bulging in agonizing pain.

As grown men claim women and children as belongings, inflicting on them all the agony one can withstand, and even more.

And this week, as one of my sweet girls mourned while the baby inside her went to be with Jesus. As I sat beside her at the hospital, and they sent her home to wait, because they too were helpless. As the doctor said her body rejected her own child, and her heart broke.

Helpless.

It's a desolate way to feel, and a hopeless way to live.

It is a burden. And it is a lie.

But as much as I try to lay these burdens down, they cling to me like leeches.

Confessions part 2

*One weekend about four years ago I was housesitting and had the rare treat of cable television. There was a bigfoot marathon on, and I watched it for 24 hours straight (this is one of the reasons why I should never and will never have cable :) Thus, I am now obsessed with bigfoot (and tornadoes, but that's a whole 'nother cable marathon experience).

*I add water to things like liquid soap, shampoo, conditioner, lotion, ect. to make them last longer.

*I almost always write ect. instead of etc.

*The circus scares me.

*My summer pajamas are a pair of boxer shorts that I bought from Old Navy in 1997. They are plaid. They have a hole on the right side that is so big I stick my leg through it while putting them on about 59% of the time. I think it's time to let them go...but I just.can't.do.it.

*I like fried spam sandwiches and biscuits with chocolate gravy.

A Special Day for a Special Girl

See this gorgeous girl here? (Not me, the other one ;)

She has been in my life for what seems like forever.

Together we have been through lots of ups and downs, laughter, tears and hair colors.

I've given her talk after talk while she crosses her arms and rolls her eyes.

From baseball games to pizza nights, pumpkin patches to coffee dates, she has been a wonderful blessing in my life.

Today is a big day for her, a day that makes me feel old, but proud of the beautiful young woman she is. Won't you join me in saying

Happy 18th birthday Bobbiann....

You are so very loved.

A Day in the Life

Today I...

Lectured a student about not peeing outside (atleast not at school) until I was blue in the face...and for good reason.

Witnessed a sweet eight-year-old girl with autism comfort an upset classmate (which is huge, by the way). She wrapped her arm around his shoulder and hugged their cheeks together and just held him- and he didn't pull away. After sitting like this for a few moments she turned to him and oh-so-gently began cleaning out his ear with her finger. Oh well. It was sweet while it lasted.

Climbed to the top of the jungle gym to help one of our students. When I started to go back down a little boy (who is not in our class) held my arm and asked me if he could help me down. He walked just in front of me and guided me down step by step- because apparently I am too elderly and frail nowadays to get my senile self off the jungle gym ;)

I live the sweet life.