Beauty From the Broken

Preface:: When the world revolves around us, we become
unaware of the worthless impact we have on the world.


There is an enemy whose name is Selfish. The army of Selfish conquered the world and through its deadly weapon of "self" the world became distorted and tainted with evil. The world was stripped barren and Loneliness was left to comfort those who were broken, clouding their hearts and minds with an impenetrable darkness.

There is a Creator who gently and lovingly formed every person, and He loves each because He has shaped each in His image. He made all people uniquely different and created each for His purpose. Every person, every soul, was His perfect creation, flawless... until the army of Selfish and their ally, Self-Independence, conquered the hearts of men, thus destroying The Creators perfect creation.

Do we understand or even comprehend how many hearts and lives are shattered everyday? And with every fracture the God of love and justice weeps in sorrow, for His children have been deceived by the enemy. Heartbreaking sobs stream down from heaven. A sacrifice needed to be made; a perfect and beautifully flawless sacrifice needed to be brought forth. The One who is holy and righteous was brought down to earth from heaven. The Creator looked down and saw His one and only Son hanging from a bloodstained tree- the Holy Sacrifice. And the Holy Sacrifice had only one desire: to defeat the army of Selfish and rescue His people from bondage, bringing them into an eternal relationship with their Creator.

The enemy whose army is named Selfish destroyed the world, but Truth prevailed over Selfish through the powerful strength of Love. The Creator's most precious creation whose hearts and lives have been shattered are now being gently pieced back together. This is the Creator's magnificent salvation story for the world; all He asks is for His creation to accept His offer of eternal life.

The army of Selfish has been forever defeated, but the destruction it left behind became known as Selfishness and Blindness. We can no longer see our Creator, but picking through the rubble is the army of Truth. All the Broken need to do is trust that their Creator will hear their cries.

We as Christians need to be on our knees praying daily for the lost and broken. Think about the hundreds, thousands, and millions who are condemned to hell. How can we possibly sit back and bask in the goodness of God and never tell someone about Jesus?
Open your eyes to reality.


"Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son." (John 3:18)

Faithful Spelunking

When I was a child, my father used to take me on excursions to a National Park nearby which was dedicated to preserving natural caves.  Our mission was to explore each cave and see where it would lead us. I was young and would incessantly cling to my father's hand as we approaching the mouth of a pitch black cave.  My mind would race with visions of terrifying monsters dwelling in the depths of these underground passageways we were about to explore.  As we stepped inside, the light from the opening would shine through, but soon, after venturing deeper into the cave, we no longer had the ability to see anything- even if we put our hand directly in front of our face. There was a sense of complete hopelessness and despair. As a young child, panic would creep into my heart as my mind was yet again filled with beastly creatures roaming around in the black abyss.
-------
But this is sometimes how I feel as I continue to walk with Christ.  There will be moments of peril where I feel as if i have wandered into a sea of blackness where i can no longer see in what is in front of me. My mind becomes clouded with doubts.
What if I have lost the path that God has set before me?

"Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me?"  (Psalm 42:5)
-------
My dad would reach out and firmly grab hold of my hand once more, beckoning me to not be afraid. Then he would turn on the flashlight, which instantly swallowed the darkness and consumed  the beasts of my imagination.  Suddenly, it became clear that which surrounded us-  the magnificent stalactites that reached from the ceiling towards the ground were suddenly brightly illuminated.
-------

"Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path."
-Psalm 119:105
-------
With my father holding tightly onto my hand, and the flashlight faithfully sheding its light, we would continue our journey as we followed the small path through the cave until we were able to see a pinprick of light ahead.  Our hearts would race because we knew that we were almost to the end of our journey through the cold, damp, dark cave.  We kept the flashlight beaming in front of us until it was no longer necessary; and the light of day was able to creep in, illuminating the mouth of the cave yet again.  Breathless and weary from our journey, we would scramble out of the opening and enter yet again into the sunny reality of the day.
-------

"...for the LORD will be your everlasting light, and your God will be your glory." (Isaiah 60:19).

At times, the Lord will continue to guide us on our journey with Him by illuminating only one step at a time. But obedience is what He desires of us, not a foreknowledge of the divine destination.

"By day the LORD directs his love, at night his song is with me— a prayer to the God of my life." (Psalm 42:8).

But hope does not despair

I was raised in the beautiful and rustic state of Oregon, surrounded by mountains and woodland.  I was taught a white, middle class, evangelical worldview accented by eight years of private Christian schooling.  My parents both love each other and have raised me in a God-fearing home.  I am a white girl whose blonde hair and blue eyes have always helped me get whatever I strive for.  I was raised with a solid background of Bible-based Christianity geared toward suburban ideology.

Then God pulled me out and placed me in one of the largest cities in the country where he is preparing me for an intense, lifelong calling in one of the most dangerous and crucial parts of America: the inner city.  Where prostitution thrives, addictions kill, and gangs reign.  The education has quit educating, the idea of family is foreign, and dreams have died and sunk deep into the black pit of hopelessness.  This is no game. This is no amplification. This is now, and this is violently real.

How come God called a white girl from the backwoods of Oregon to be His representative in one of the darkest places on earth? I don’t know.  All I know is that my heart breaks violently inside my chest for the lost.  I long to scream in agony when compassion fills my soul.  I cry at the depravity and wince in pain when faced with the overwhelming statistics of urban suffering.  Babies are born with no fathers, young men fight to have an identity by pledging allegiance to a gang, and young women are thrown into prostitution in order to stay alive.  Pimps watch over their territory; women are their possessions.  Middle-aged men have given up the fight to stay alive and have instead resorted to a life of numbing addiction.  Single mothers struggle to provide for their children and cry out to an unknown God to keep their babies safe from the evil that surrounds them.

This is where I am called.

How it rings true when Isaiah writes,

The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me,
because the LORD has anointed me to preach good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim freedom for the captives and
release from darkness for the prisoners,”

I have come to the haunting realization that even after a lifetime of ministry, I may not even make a dent in attempting to solve the problems of the inner city.  But hope does not despair.

Many churches sit back and watch this epidemic unfold, too afraid to intervene and not knowing where to start.  So instead, the state steps in.  Politicians, instead of Christians, attempt to grapple with the issues of inner city poverty, family instability, violence, and moral decay.  Housing projects are formed and welfare is implemented; yet this does nothing.  People can never be reduced to a project.  Welfare has only promoted destitution and hopelessness, not improved it!

Why am I called?  What can I do? Nothing about my upbringing, my gender, or my race qualifies me to minister in the inner city.  I lack street smarts, I grapple with sin, and I wrestle to find identity.  Yet in the city I have found my place.  I long to follow Christ to the broken, to the hopeless, to the unloved, and to the sinful; because they are none of these things to God. To Him these people are precious, the Almighty God loves them, and they are each uniquely created in His image. God has instilled in each person a longing for purpose and identity that can only be found in Christ.  I rest knowing that when God calls someone to leave everything comfortable and familiar for a place of poverty and brokenness, obedience to the calling is what He requires, not a feeling of adequacy.

Never grow up

My life has become hectic.
It is crammed with balancing homework, classes, work, weekly ministry, appointments, all while still attempting to keep a sane social life.
I have no time to relax, sit down, and read a novel for pleasure.
My days have become so jam-packed that it would almost be silly to even attempt to read a book for fun. (I promise-- I've tried.  And not only did I not find the time, I also got fined $3 at the local library for not returning the book on time).

If you can relate to what I have just described, I have the perfect solution! It is so simple and ordinary, it will change your life, I know it did mine...

Children's books.
Yes.
Children's books.


It is the perfect solution--a quick read with colorful pictures and an entertaining storyline which is sure to evoke fond memories of your childhood. 
I, for one, never will completely grow out of loving to read children's books. It is a simplistic pleasure that cannot be replaced.
Try it. You're world will forever be changed!

If you need suggestions check these out. They are a few of my favorites:
http://www.pigeonpresents.com/pals-pigeon.aspx
http://www.skippyjonjones.com/