Merry Christmas!

Hmmm.   It’s been a while since I’ve posted!  I was enjoying posting regularly (and having a regular readership  . . anyone left out there??).  Doing lots of “Mr. Mom” time along with work/ministry and life has kept me busy, and I guess blogging wasn’t high enough on the priority list.  Anyhow, time to refresh the blog!

If you’re a part of the SOCC family – you’ve found the right place!  This is where regular posts will be happening during 504 to discuss what we are studying in Revelation together.  I’m looking forward to our time as a family calling out “Come, Lord Jesus!”.  I know it’s going to be very special. 

To any others reading, Merry Christmas.  What a wonder-inspiring time of year this is — and not just for kids!  How can you not WONDER about God, Almighty Maker of Heaven and Earth, bowing SO low to become one of us, a human — taking on the very nature of that which HE CREATED!  Not only that, to go so low as to subject His divinity to being found in the form of a baby.  A helpless, tiny, speechless infant. 

What was He thinking?  What was God saying in all of this??

Love.  God SO loved US.  That’s why. 

He wanted to make it clear that He was NOT just a God far away.  He wanted to make it clear that not only does He care about us and what’s happening here, but He’s willing to put Himself right in the middle of this mess we’ve made! 

It’s unthinkable!  But it forever deals with lies that many have believed:

“God doesn’t care about me.”

“God doesn’t understand.”  Yes, He does!  He’s been there, too! 

“God’s not involved with life on earth” (aka the “agnostic” view)

He is near.  And, that’s a good thing.

Come, Lord Jesus!

 

update on life…

Do I have any readers left out there in blog-world??  Hope so!!!  Life has been crazy for us.  Many parents tell me that it will kind of always be like that now that we have baby… but, i have to believe it won’t always be like THIS (I’ll explain more in a minute).  But, first, for those who avidly follow this blog JUST for the baby stuff… I posted a little something on the baby page that you will enjoy: www.jessiestill.wordpress.com/the-baby, just a snippet of life from the Daddy diaries….  lol. 

So, here’s the brief version of life since Chloe:  the Beautiful One arrived on April 16th — 2 weeks  before expected, and just as well, two weeks before Erica could finish her semester in Med School!  So, we take a week with us three holed up in the apartment, trying to figure life out.  Erica pokes her head above water the next week to try and catch up on EVERYTHING she missed (finals and all!) from the last semester. Finally able to wrap most of that up by the end of May.  Then, Erica dives head-long into studying for BOARDS, which were on June 15.  Day and night studying for her = day and night baby care AND Mommy care for me (cooking, cleaning, feeding, diapering, shopping…)  Boards happen on June 15th, ALL DAY — and worst day for Dad alone with baby ever (she wouldn’t take the bottles….).  The following weekend, Erica has to go to an all-day seminar/training for Advanced Cardiac Life Support (Saturday the 21st) and then take the certification exam (Sunday the 22nd) = more Dad and baby alone time… but this time was a little better.  As Erica arrives home sunday afternoon, I’m packing to head off to Discipleship Traning school (week-long conference for high schoolers that I help run).  Mommy and baby are doing alone time for the whole week, the first time Erica has “off” ever.  One caviat, though… we’re supposed to MOVE on the 29th/30th!!!  So as all of this is going on, we’re packing up 7 years of life in our little apartment!!  On the 28th, I arrive home from DTS, exhausted and beging the final stretch of the packing marathon.  On the 29th, we’re packing up as soon as we get home from church.  A few sweet friends come over to load up the Uhaul with as many boxes as possible and we get them into our NEW HOME (!) at about 9:30pm.  Back to the apartment to finish packing what we can… till the wee hours of the morning.  We wake early on the 30th (we have to be out of the apartment on this day!) with the baby and pack up all the kittles and Chloe in the car, with all of their parephenalia, to get them secured in the new home before the moving frenzy begins at 10am.  9:50am, a car full of young college dudes arrive, ready to get to work (yay!  thank you Jesus, and thank you guys, i love you!!!!).  Furniture begins to move out of the apartment at an alarming rate.  Other church friends continue to arrive and go to work.  Beve Place goes to work cleaning up the whole place and taking care of last minute details.  The apartment is empty in about an hour and a half, AND CLEAN!  It takes a while longer to actually pack it all into the Uhaul — and EVERY bit of space is used.. . um, we have more stuff than I ever dreamed.  We carpool over to the new duplex, where Erica has lunch ready to go, and her sister Christina is enjoying taking time with Chloe.  The moving crew digs in appreciatively, but swiftly moves into unpack action, and the truck is completely empty in about 40 minutes!!!  Unbelievable!! 

Now, here we are in a great new home… it looks like a bomb went off, though!!  Baby takes total priority over the unpacking/organizing… but it’s slowly coming together.  And, we’re trying to take a breath… could it be true that we might soon settle into to some sanity and be able to just live life, be a family, etc.?? 

Life is an adventure!!  

 

IJM

I’m on a role with three-letter acronym titles (FYI, VOM, now IJM).  

I feel kinda bad about this…. my last post was all about persecution and human rights violations, plus I’ve got another page totally dedicated to the nations, yet, in all of this, I haven’t mentioned the International Justice Mission (IJM) once. 

This all hit me yesterday as I was talking with Sam Young after church, and he mentioned reading my blog regularly (thanks, Sam! ).  . . . How does all that connect, you ask?  Well, Sam WORKS for IJM today, and in my early years as a youth leader, he was one of the best student leaders — and now a young man who I greatly esteem.  Not only that, last month, there was a huge initiative at Michigan State University called the “Price of Life” that partnered with IJM to expose the campus to the reality of human trafficking — an initiative that I helped (in a small way) sponsor!  It was talking to Sam, about IJM, the initiative, and a passing reference to my blog, that made it hit me:  why haven’t I said anything about IJM?!?! 

What is IJM? 
I could hardly do them justice, but I will try.  You will be best served to go to their website and see for yourself.  Thier mission, from the website: 
IJM exists to protect people from violent forms of injustice by securing rescue and restoration for victims and accountability for perpetrators, ensuring that public justice systems work for the poor.

I would describe it like this (in my VERY limited knowledge of them).  IJM is a non-profit social justice organization, working all over the world to free people from unjustices and human rights violations.  They work with different national and international governments to bring criminals to just and bring an end to crimes that are many-times ignored in third-world regions (one of the biggest problems: child sex slavery).  The things they see and the stories they tell will 1.) turn your stomach  2.) make you wish you never heard them  3.) motivate you to do SOMETHING to change the situation.  I can tell you, I have had all three reactions . . . and still do. 

IJM is an amazing organization.  They’ve only been around 10 years, but have gained a huge amount of respect, money, and power because what they are doing is honest, excellent in every way, and willing to take lots of (very necessary) risks.  Sad to say (but true), one of the most impressive things about IJM, is that although they are a faith-based organization, they don’t use heart wrenching pleas for money, nor do they operate on a shoestring, barely-getting-by budget.  Their mentality is: fight for justice, and do it right;  no cutting corners or playing “unfair” with people’s heart strings.  I love it. 

About Sam Young. 
I have to write this part, and not just because he may read it .  Many of you don’t know him, but he’s the kind of guy that you WANT to know.  Sam grew up in a big family (6 kids),  went to church all his life (Dad was/is an elder in the church), played lots of sports in high school (noteably, co-captain of the football team), and was well-liked by everyone.  When he graduated, he attended the University of Michigan and recieved his degree in Criminal Justice.  He also got married soon after graduation.

So, here’s a guy, who, in most people’s opinions has everything going for him.  Raised in a good home (not without it’s own problems, though), earned a degree from one of the highest ranking Universities, well-liked and talented.  What does a guy like that do, as he looks ahead at life, and thinks “how can I really make a difference?  how can I best use my life right now to impact the world?”.  He goes to work for IJM!!  How awesome is that?!  And, it’s not like they gave him some prestigious position in the organization.  No, he so believes in justice — the real kind (not some of the shady things that go down in other areas of the legel arena) — that he’s willing to move himself and his new wife and start a new life in Washington, D.C. (far away from both families), with a job at the lower end of the totem pole. . . because he believes, IT’S WORTH IT.  and, I AGREE!  I give my standing ovation to Sam today!

More thoughts on why I love this guy . .  though he was raised in the church, the son of an Elder, he never seemed to get “jaded” with the whole “church” thing.  He was always the “perfect” kid in the youth group (and not just because he wanted to be the youth pastor’s pet; he was the real deal!).  If I got discouraged about other people or what was happening in the ministry, I always knew thinking about Sam and his pure heart for God and love for people would encourage me to keep going.   He never tried to be fake, but was always genuinely interested in others.  He was popular in school and probably could have dated almost any girl, but chose not to waste too much emotional energy on relationships until he felt he was ready to invest in someone special (which didn’t happen until college).  He was a blessing to me because he was always respectful toward me and always seemed to have a good attitude.  He went on to college, and instead of looking to “be free” and live crazy, being out from the watchful eyes of his parents, he continued on the path of integrity, becoming a leader on campus, persuing the best in every area of his life.  Today, I believe he’s very happy.  He’s reaping the rewards of living a life of faith and purpose.  I would guess that he feels fulfilled, knowing that his life is making a difference, and that every choice along the way was worth it.  And, he’s only just begun!

Here’s to you, Sam!  I love you!   

 

Unity- Part 4

Really, I hoped to not be so “serious” and “spiritual” all the time on this blog . . . I’m just taken with this topic right now… someday soon (hopefully) I’ll have a “just for fun” blog…

Part 4:  We go farther together. 

This is one of the biggest hurdles for us in the Western world.  We live individualistic lives in pretty much every area; we really don’t even have much of a grid for having any kind of “corporate” identity, wether it be in a family, a church, a community, whatever.  We value our independance and personal journey.  There is a reality to a personal journey and our relationship with God.  However, it can’t just be “me and Jesus”. 

See, there is ONE Body.  And, the Father is preparing a Wedding (see Matthew 22) where there will be ONE BRIDE.  Our identity will be so intertwined and connected with one another, that we can truly be called “one”.  There’s no reference to the “harem” of Christ (heard that once and it stuck with me . 

So, one person may speak of amazing personal revelations and experiences they have in the Lord.  However, if that cannot find an expression that impacts others and draws all of us into more of the “fullness of Christ”, there’s a problem.  As they say, “no man is an island”, I think the same concept is reflected in our life in the Spirit.  Don’t get me wrong, we should ALL have a personal, private history with God.  We cannot live off of another person’s pursuit of the Holy, some how siphoning spiritual reality when we haven’t pressed in ourselves.  On the other hand, people who find no need for the corporate expressions of worship, and feel hindered because they just want to “go” in God, and others “just don’t understand” are missing out on the greatest blessing of all. 

We ARE called to love God in the most extravagant personal, all-consuming way possible (first commandment: love God with everything).  We are ALSO called to love others (second greatest command!).  Our relationship to the Lord is intricately connected to the life and love we share with others. 

God has a desire to cause us to attain to the “fullness of Christ” — to somehow grab hold of ALL that Christ is– but, it only happens in relationship to one another!!  (see Ephesians 4:12-13, “. . . that the Body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the.. fullness of Christ).  This is amazing, stunning, and challenging all at the same time! 

Let me throw out a few of the most startling Scriptures related to this:

Paul prayed…”that you may be able to comprehend together with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height — to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge;  that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.” Ephesians 3:18-19 

Paul prays that we would comprehend the great love of God — and be filled with the fullness of God — but only in the context of “wiith ALL the saints”.  We get it TOGETHER. 

 the commanded blessing: “See how good and how pleasant it is for brothers and sisters to dwell together in unity! It is like the precious oil upon the head, running down on the beard ……. for THERE the Lord commands the blessing — life forevermore.” Psalm 133:1-3 

Not only is it GOOD and PLEASANT (that means God really likes it!), it says that He COMMANDS a blessing…. there’s a blessing that cannot be stopped, because it is commanded by God Himself!!  It is an ETERNAL blessing, and powerful blessing:  “life forevermore” — could that mean the RESURRECTION LIFE and POWER of Jesus?????  We are supposed to have His POWER in us!  So what could this commanded blessing and “life forevermore” contain??……. 

This promise seems to be partly fulfilled in the book of Acts: “They were all with one accord in one place.  And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house …. then there appeared to them tongues of fire, and one sat upon each of them, and everyone present was filled with the Holy Spirit…” (Acts 2:1-3) “And when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness.  Now the multitude of those who believed were of one heart and one soul; neither did anyone say that any of the things he possessed was his own, but they had all things in common. And with great power the apostles gave witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all.  There wasn’t anyone among them who lacked; for all who were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the proceeds of the things that were sold, and laid them at the apostles feet; and they distributed to each as anyone had need.” (Acts 4:31-35) 

Wow!  Obviously as the people came together in Unity, great power was released!  It’s awesome!   

“And through the hands of the apostles, many signs and wonders were done among the people.  And they were all with one accord at the Temple area known as Solomon’s Colonnade.”  Acts 5:12… and more and more people believed and were brought to the Lord — crowds of both men and women…… Crowds came in from the villages around Jerusalem, bringing their sick and those possessed by evil spirits, and they were all healed.”  Acts 5:14-16

I could happy to love Jesus in my little corner of life.  But, He has SO much more for us!  How could we not come together, and find out what the reality of knowing the FULLNESS of God is??

 

We’re All Connected

I love the nations!  As a child I was fascinated by different cultures and people that seemed exotic in some way.  I had a certain sense of pride in being friends with those who were “different” —  ethnically, or otherwise.  

Today, that fascination has grown into a life focus.  I’m committed to not getting too caught up in my little middle class, white, Midwestern life experience.  I’ve been on several trips to different nations of the world, and it has opened my eyes.  We may have a lot of wealth, materially in the US — and that’s nice, because how else would someone like me get to travel all over the globe?? —  but the true riches of life seem to be found in abundance once you reach the shores of other lands.  I’ve come to realise how very bankrupt I am in the things that really matter, although, on most days, I feel like I have pretty much everything I could need or want.

Life never happens in a vacuum.  Whether or not we realise it, what happens to Sergei, Chen, Alfonso, and Paulo in their parts of the world affects you and me.  Our futures and destinies are tied together.  Eternity will show that our lives have always been connected, and though we feel like it’s easy to get lost, or to hide (depending on your personality)  in the “sea” of 6 billion people on the planet, we are all connected.  Your life affects mine, my life affects yours, and on and on from person to person all over the world, the reverberations of our lives have impact in the destiny of us all. 

In light of this, to keep from becoming some sort of “political” blogger, I started a new page on this blog dedicated to specific nations that I have a keen interest in.  You can keep tabs on it if you want. 

Maybe Disney was prophesying when they came up with the “It’s a small world after all . . ” song…

 

We all long for freedom

“There is hope, but we fear to hope,” she said. “We still dream of rearing our children in a country where everybody would have equal chances at opportunities.”

This is a quote from an article I just read about Myanmar’s current unrest (Yahoo news got  this one right, thanks to the AP).  Pray for the Christians in Myanmar/Burma, too.  The media like to focus on the monks, but they are not the only ones terrorized by a militaristic government.   

And, don’t be fooled.  Although North Korea finally admitted to having nuclear reactors/plants (who did they think they were kidding anyway?) and have agreed to “cooperate” with peace-seeking nations in a disarmament plan, they are not suddenly good.  I hardly consider this breakthrough.  While thier loftly leader Kim Jong Il is trying to look good in the face of the global pressure, the people of North Korea are literally dying every day!  Oh, you didn’t know?  I’m not sure why the media doesn’t tell us about the fact that there are many in prison workcamps, and that there’s been a country-wide famine in North Korea for many years, causing the death of thousands every year.  . . . .  [if you didn't notice I linked to several of the words above, if you want to find more info on any of this stuff, just click them and follow the link] . . .

I could go on for a while about the burdens that many counries carry, but I won’t belabor the point – we all want to be free!  Our founding fathers were right (not that America is perfect or that those men were, either):  ”We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” 

So, what is the solution to all the ills and burdens in the world?  Should we come in with military might and fight for the freedom of those who are oppressed?  Maybe.  Or, we could appeal to the High Court of Heaven . . .

Because “if the Son [Jesus Christ, the Son of God] sets you free, you will be free indeed.” From the Bible, book of John, chapter 8:36. 

Sounds simple.  that’s because it is.  Real freedom — freedom of the soul and spirit– is paid for already,  and can’t be regulated by any human government.  and, it’s what we were all made for, and it is what we all long for — to truly be free. 

 

I want to burn

well, after spending time laboring over the last two posts, with little response (though I know people are reading, since my blog stats tell me so…), this time I’m just going to post some great quotes I copied and from someone elses site….

 these are the words of John Wesley; a great man of faith from the early days of our nation… and lest we think his words would be “out of date”, I find myself STIRRED today, reading them… oh, to be more like this . . .  (we’ll see if these generate any feedback)  

” Do all the good you can, in all the ways you can, to all the souls you can, in every place you can, at all the times you can, with all the zeal you can, as long as ever you can”

” Catch on fire with enthusiasm and people will come for miles to watch you burn.”

” When I have money, I get rid of it quickly, lest it find a way into my heart.”

” When I was young I was sure of everything; in a few years, having been mistaken a thousand times, I was not half so sure of most things as I was before; at present, I am hardly sure of anything but what God has revealed to me”

“Once in seven years I burn all my sermons; for it is a shame, if I cannot write better sermons now than I did seven years ago.”“Give me 100 men (or women* [my addition]) who hate evil and love good, and I care not one whit whether they are clergy or laity, with these men I will change the world and usher in the kingdom of God in one generation.”

“Mr. Wesley with so much to do in a day how is it that you can find time to pray four hours a day? Wesley response, “With so much to do in a day how can I not pray four hours a day?”

 

Who cares about Kiefer Sutherland’s DUI?

[two posts in one day!  making up for lost time, i guess] 

Let me just make the confession upfront: I get a lot of my news from the Yahoo! home page. 

I hardly watch TV, and don’t get any newspapers… but I DO like to know what’s going on in the world now and then, so I browse the headlines when I go to check my email on Yahoo! 

So, the page pops up in my browser, and what is the headline?  “Kiefer Sutherland arrested for drunk driving”, or something like that.  SO?!?!  I mean, sure, I’m against people getting drunk and driving around.  But, it’s national NEWS??  This is the important news that millions need to know about??  While on the other side of the globe children are explioted, forced into the army, enslaved in the sex trade, monks are fighting for democracy in Myanmar, and troops are still fighting (and dying) in Iraq…. the main headline that I “need” to read about is some movie star getting pulled over?

Newsflash:  Kiefer Sutherland, Paris Hilton and Lindsay Lohan are all just people.  Messed up people, just like me, you and your neighbor.  They just happen to have a lot of money and a prettier face.  I didn’t get an email the last time the guy down the road got pulled over, I don’t see why I need to know about the “stars”.

Yes, I wish the stars would be more responsible and all, since so many people watch them and look up to them (especially young poeple).  I sure am glad that my EVERY mistake and move isn’t advertised on national media!  Can you imagine??   

Maybe I’m secretly jealous.  It was my dream and desire for many years (when I was younger) to be an actor and to be famous. 

Eventually I came to my senses, tho’… i think.

so, that’s my rant.  nothing too serious.

 

Big things

Why bother believing for big things?  Why do we long for impact?  Why do I want to be apart of something big, great, impactful? 

Is that somehow written in our DNA?  We are created with a desire for something bigger than us, for transcendence – to touch something beyond us . . .  I have heard people say that, and I believe it. 

 

Ultimately, we all want to touch God.  We look for fun and thrills in life, but really, what is more thrilling the experiencing the Almighty Creator of the Universe, touching your weak, human, made-from-the-dirt frame?  I know for some people that doesn’t even connect in your brain.  For some people, the thought of God is far from thrilling.  “Boring” or “irrelevant” might be the words that more easily come to mind for them. . . I won’t bother defending what I believe is the Truth:  that God is the MOST thrilling thing there is, and He is the very reason people enjoy being thrilled and excited!  Roller coasters, thrillers, mysteries, movies, sports, all forms of dare-devil stuff, most entertainments, video games – these are all things we love and enjoy because we are CREATED with a  capacity and a desire to EXPERIENCE joy, pleasure, etc… It’s there because God put it there, and because ultimately, there is no higher experience of love, joy, pleasure, excitement than touching God.  FOR REAL!  That’s the truth!  If you can’t believe it, it’s because you haven’t experienced it.  I invite you, “taste and see that the Lord is Good”.  You won’t be disappointed, because if you truly seek, you WILL find (God).     

 

However, that’s not really what’s on my mind.  J

 

What about the deep seated desire to have IMPACT, to make a difference in the world, to be the “one” who changed things??  This burns so strongly in me.  But, I feel so frustrated, because, well, I don’t feel like it’s happening!  I do what I feel I can/should to impact my part of the world, and well, sometimes I feel like it’s doing much… 

 

But, as a person of faith, I’m supposed to believe and ask God to do GOD-sized things.  So, I have no excuse to live in the mundane, ordinary, easy, possible/plausible/logical world.  And, I don’t want to.  So.. what am I to do?  What are YOU to do, if you feel this same frustration?   

 Possible conclusions: 

-Believe for big things,

-intercede,

-act in faith,

-work with diligence,

-don’t lose heart . .

-and leave the results up to God.

 

My challenges:  I’ve never been a part of anything that really seemed “big”; no big church, no big outreach/ministry/movement… at least nothing that like exploded and continued on.  I have been a part of, and helped do some big one-time events.  But, I’m always believing for a big, sustained move of God, where people are being added (saved), even daily, and where the supernatural power of God is transforming hearts, lives and physical bodies.  I feel like I have read of some things like that, and heard people talk about some things, but in some senses it seems unreal, almost fictional because I don’t know if I’ve ever actually seen and touched it, you know?

 

I could be wrong on that – there is a very REAL, explosive move of God in Brazil – supernatural things happening, many saved, delivered, etc…. and I have been in that twice now on two summer trips.  It’s wonderful and amazing, but at the same time, it feels very natural, unforced…. It’s just God, it seems.  But, where does it come from?  Does it just fall out of the sky?  Is it the three fiery intercessors who pray diligently and daily for years and years….?

 

In some situations it seems there is that one leader who seems to drive the whole thing . . . they have a strong, charismatic, inspiring personality that draws a crowd, and people follow.  But, I don’t think that could ever be me.  I don’t want people to follow me.  I don’t even believe I have that “crowd-drawing” charisma, anyway.  So, that kind of thing doesn’t seem possible. 

 

So, I’m asking more questions than giving any answers. . . but, that’s what this is for… let’s talk. J  Let the comments roll.   

 

Humility

Well, I can see from my blog stats that many of you are actually sticking around and checking back (Thanks!!), so, I figured I should blog something SOON, so you don’t leave me after I got you hooked with the baby stuff!  I’ve got some (other) thoughts I’m working on, but didn’t want to put it up until I thought it through completely – so look forward to more postings!! 

For now, I’ve been thinking about humility.  What IS humility?  Well, in it’s poetic/theoretic form, we all think this a beautiful, wonderful, desirable, admirable character trait that some possess, and which we should all aspire to live out more. 

Perhaps you think you are humble?  Maybe there are those who you think are humble.  The trick is, once you think you’ve seen it (in yourself or others), you probably lost it!

 

I think true humility, when it is lived rightly is nearly invisible.  You may be standing next to the most humble person in the world, but you wouldn’t know it.  And, I believe, true humility is rare and even painful to cultivate in our own hearts. 

My definition of humility:  (and Jesus Christ is the ultimate example of these)

-To make yourself nothing, to refuse to cling to power or position, for the sake of building up others, lifting them to power, giving your power and position away to benefit others.

-To live, act, and give as if every one you meet is better and more deserving than you; to consider others and what they are doing as more important than what is in your heart (even if you know what is on your heart is right, perhaps even from God!). 

 What humility is NOT: 

-Hating yourself, criticizing yourself, or always telling people how “bad” you are.

-Refusing to do anything of consequence, for fear of being recognized, or becoming proud. 

-Refusing thanks, compliments, etc. 

-Rejecting positions of leadership (especially when you are needed and gifted in that position!)

 What it is:

-Serving because you want to and enjoy it, not just because you should

-Not looking for rewards from others

-Being confident of who you are and what your gifts and calling are.  Being so confident that you don’t have to prove yourself, and confident enough to move into a position when you know your gifting is needed in a situation (not shying away in false humility). 

 

I feel like God is trying to build humility in me.  I’m sure he is in all of us.  But, the problem for me is this:  it’s hard!  And, it hurts to let go of selfishness!!  I never understood how much desire for recognition and longing for “fame” I had in me… until recently… and….well. . .  I’m just not there.  But, I want to be!  When I look at Jesus and see that He took THE LOWEST place, the God of the Universe bending down to serve US, those whom He MADE out of dirt; Perfection serving the helplessly flawed; Love, loving the unworthy.  It makes me love Him and see how beautiful He is – and I want that! 

 

Your thoughts?