Out of the Ashes

Today, as I sit and reflect on the safety & survival training I had the past few weeks. I am flooded with emotions. One moment I am fine, listening to music and eating my breakfast as normal. In another moment, I am angered by other’s ignorance and complaints at normal daily life. “If you only knew what others have to go through for the sake of the gospel…what others have to do just to stay alive, you would never speak the complaints your tongue has just uttered.”   I think it, but I don’t say it aloud. In another moment, I see my shoe rack and am excited to be back to my normal life and have my favorite shoes to wear. In the next moment, I am disgusted that I would even think such a thought.   I realize my time in “captivity” was very short lived and nothing in comparison to those that have endured the real thing. How prideful, how ignorant, how selfish we can be as Americans. I realize that when you have tasted and seen another way, it changes everything. It...

Definition: des-tined (of a person's future) developing as though according to a plan. certain to meet (a particular fate). intended for or traveling toward (a particular place). Some days you just have to wonder.  What is it that I was destined for?  How on earth will this all work out?  Some days you know the call and the plans, but it seems far stretched to get there.  I was reminded today that before I was even born the Lord gave my mother the name she was to call me. My name literally means "Christian" or "little Christ".  After I was born, the Lord gave my mother a song to sing over me.                   "Didi Adara" Precious Gift from God.                   "Didi Adara" Precious Little one.                    Born to live in God's World.          ...

Each week I am blown away at God’s love as I minister to broken people in need of truth and healing.  He takes our cracks, our wounds, even our fleshy stupid choices, and as we surrender them to Him, He uses them to make us into something new- something with lasting beauty. Kintsugi is an art form used by Japanese.   It uses broken pottery pieces and mixes it with a lacquer and powdered gold or silver to create a piece of art. As a philosophy it speaks to breakage and repair becoming part of the history of an object rather than something to disguise.   I think the same is similar with genuine healing in Christ. Once Christ, as the Master artist, places His truth and healing into the cracks of our life stories, he is able to make a truly genuine vessel to shine his brilliant love. We then attract others to us. Instead of hiding in shame, we can boldly proclaim the truth. We are set free to set others free.   I believe Christ longs to heal our brokenn...

I am blessed to see God's work and the forward motion taking place as I get ready to move to Eurasia. It's truly a work of God, and I couldn't do it without His Spirit at work.  I hope to use this blog to keep my supporters updated with prayer requests and testimonies of what the Lord is doing, now and as I live and work in Eurasia. You, my supporters, are vital and needed for the work God is calling me to.  I need you to stay informed and know how to pray specifically. I am a writer and journal every day.  My hope is to not bore you, but to engage you, make you laugh, make you think and reflect, and cause you to be led to pray. So to start, here are a few prayer requests: -I am praying for 6 more services between now and the end of February. -I am praying for God's continued wisdom and words as I speak and share my heart all around NY State. I was reminded today that when we hold on to control, we are unable to receive the Lord's help and all He longs to gi...