You're Never Too Old

“You’re never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream.” C.S. Lewis

Seeing  that quote as a footnote in a friend’s email made me smile. For the past few months, I’d been feeling pretty creaky. And not just in my cartilage-depleted knees. With a milestone birthday approaching, I was really feeling my age. Or was I?

Milestone birthdays have a way of doing that – making you feel old. But when I stopped to evaluate the big picture, I had a realization. I might look old, but I sure don’t feel old.  I’m doing more now than I’ve ever done.

Where Feet May Fail

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The first of the sun’s rays had yet to break the long exhausting night. What should have been an hour boat ride now stretched into a 6 hour nightmare.

Jesus had instructed His disciples to board the boat and meet Him on the other side of the lake. All night, a strong wind blowing against them caused the delay. From the mountaintop, Jesus saw them straining at the oars and walked out on the water to them.

Thinking they were looking at a ghost added terror to their exhaustion. But Jesus comforted them immediately, “Take courage. It is I. Do not be afraid.”*

And impulsive Peter replied, “Lord, if it is really You, then call me to meet You on the water.”*

Why, I wonder, did Peter say this?

Occupy YOUR Street

The salesclerk asked a simple question - one I answered easily every year. But this year, I hesitated.

“Would you like to add on ‘Thanks for Sharing’?” Smile. Slight head tilt. Credit card please?

Every year at this time - for a $25 enrollment fee that goes to charity - Macy’s offers their customers an opportunity to earn 10% back on their purchases through the end of the year. Since I usually spend at least $250 at Macy’s during this time, it always made financial sense to enroll.

But because of my growing awareness of human trafficking, slave labor, injustice in the world, and poverty, my spending patterns have changed. I no longer spend as much money in Macys, but shop for gifts in catalogs by World Vision, IJM, Fair Trade vendors, etc.

And so I stood there mute, not moving a muscle while my brain raced away.  

As the clock ticked and the awkward silence grew, I knew I had to say something. So I said the truth - that this year the question is not as easy to answer as previous years because things have changed.

I chose to explain to the salesclerk WHY I was hesitating. I told her about Advent Conspiracy, Justice Network, Charity:Water, and how God is directing me to make my spending be intentional in both fighting poverty and injustice and building relationships with family and friends.  

She stood there dumbfounded at first, but then she shared with me that her mother watches the 700 Club and often asks for prayer. “Is that similar?” she asked. And then I was able to enter into a deep conversation with her. I gave her my business card inviting her to read my blog. She asked about my church, and I was able to tell her not only about church but more importantly about God and what Christmas is really about for me and my family, and could be for her too.

I am, by nature, an introvert. My natural inclination is just to say “No thank you” or “Sure sign me up” and leave it at that. But that night, God impressed upon me to speak up, and He gave me the words to share. (Col. 4:6)

When I came home and told my daughter Lauren about the conversation, she said, “Way to go, Mom. That’s what Pastor Carl would call – 'occupying your street'.” Her pastor, Carl Lenz of Hillsong NYC, used the Occupy Wall Street movement as an illustration to apply the phrase to our Christian lives. He exhorted us to make an impact for Christ in the immediate world around us - our street, our workplace, our family, our friends, our church, even our local Macy*s cosmetics counter. 

Lauren's favorite quote among the many she recorded from his message, “Shock people with the dream in your heart, and impact them with your dedication to what’s in your hand right now.”

What was in my hand that day? My credit card.

Well I'm not dedicated to my credit card, but God used it just the same. I may never see that salesclerk again, but I will look for her on my next visit to Macy’s.

And I decided to go ahead and purchase the $25 Thanks for Giving program. Whether it makes financial sense or not, the money goes to charity so it makes perfect sense. 

“For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost. …

And he called his servants… and said unto them, Occupy till I come.” Luke 19:10,13

In what way can you occupy YOUR street in the months to come?

Something That Matters - Part One

This afternoon, my daughter takes off for Hillsong International Leadership College in Sydney, Australia. One giant step closer to realizing her dream.

It seems like yesterday but 20 years ago, Lauren took her first dance lesson starting a lifelong love of dance and all things "arts". Middle school spirit team introduced her to worship dance.


In high school, she started teaching others what she had learned. Mission trips expanded her understanding of the world and increased her compassion for those in need.


This month, she graduated college earning two degrees - a BFA in dance performance and a BA in dance education. And now she's off to study Leadership in Dance Ministry at Hillsong in Sydney.

Why?
Why study more?
Why so far away?
Everyone asks these things [especially her dad wondering why she wants to go to the other side of the world for a year - and possibly meet some nice young Aussie gentleman - horrors!]

She smiles when she responds. Actually she more than smiles. She glows.

She has a dream, has had it for years. It sprung up from seeds planted and has grown and developed in unimaginable ways.

Her mission trips have taken her to remote undeveloped areas of the world. And she wondered what she can bring these people whose basic needs of water and food are barely met. Don't you need to feed them before you can share the gospel? Yes. But she discovered something else. Through her dance and the arts, she was able to communicate love, and everyone needs love. Dance and art transcend language barriers. They connect different cultures.


Here is Lauren last year teaching preschoolers in northern Uganda, a region slowly healing after the world's longest civil war: http://tinyurl.com/74dye2r 

Lauren's dream, in a nutshell, is creating an Arts Center - a place for students to hang out, learn dance, art, acting, all varied ways of expression. But there's more...

In 2006, a young man named Blake Mycoskie founded a shoe company with a new premise: "With every pair you purchase, TOMS will give a pair of new shoes to a child in need. One for one." Blake traveled to Argentina, saw the disease and the dire need for shoes for the children there, and founded a company that would provide a quality product and also meet that need.

Lauren wants a "One for one" program for her future Arts Center with a "sister school" in Africa. Every student here will support a student in Africa. Lauren has the vision. Her studies this year will provide the leadership training she'll need to bring it to fruition.

Our family asks for your prayers as Lauren takes this next step of her life journey. You can follow her throughout at the year at:
Blog: laurenpanzica.wordpress.com
Twitter: twitter.com/laurenpanzica
YouTube: www.youtube.com/LaurenElizabethDance

I'm traveling to Australia with Lauren, spending a few days helping her get established.

My next post is a review of Blake Mycoskie's book Start Something That Matters. As part of the review, I will be giving away 2 copies. It tells the story of TOMS shoes and inspires us all to purse something that matters. Keep tuned!!

While You Were Waiting...

I’ve read it a hundred times. OK maybe not a hundred, but a lot.

The Book of Acts, one of my favorite books in the Bible, full of drama, history, theology.

Chapter 17, one of my favorite chapters, where Paul delivers a powerful message in Athens.

Our adult Sunday School class is studying it. Paul fled to Athens because those Thessalonian rabble-rousers started to agitate the Bereans. Silas and Timothy stayed behind in Berea until Paul’s other travelmates came back for them.

And there it was:
While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was greatly distressed to see that the city was full of idols. So he reasoned in the synagogue with both Jews and God-fearing Greeks, as well as in the marketplace day by day with those who happened to be there. Acts 17:16-17

While Paul was waiting…. The 4 little words screamed for my attention.

How many times had I read the inspired sermon that follows these verses and missed the fact that Paul was alone as he wandered around the city, waiting for his fellow workers to join him to begin ministry in this new locale.

“God’s Waiting Room.” I’ve heard the term, even said the term myself. It’s that period of time spent waiting for our life to begin anew.

“When this happens, then I will…”
“When I get a job, get married, have a baby, then I will …”
“When the chemo is over, then I will…”
“When I discover my gifts, then I will…”

Years ago, I heard Elisabeth Elliot share, “We should wait on the Lord the way a waiter waits on tables.” How does a waiter wait? Serving. How may I help you? What can I do for you?

That’s what Paul did. “Paul was waiting . . . So he …” He was distressed with what he saw (idols everywhere) and “so he reasoned with” whoever was around. He didn’t lament that his companions weren’t with him. He didn’t wait until his team was in place. He saw and he served right where he was.

In my husband’s chiropractic office, we have what some call a Waiting Room. We don’t; we call it a Reception Area. There’s a tv monitor that has streams facts about our amazing bodies. The reading materials are about health or about the Lord. Our intention in that room is that while the patients are waiting, they are being prepared to meet the doctor or meet their Maker (not in the fatal sense of the phrase!)

The “waiting room” can be a place of worry or anxiety, a place of uncertainty not knowing what the future holds. It can be a place of preparation for that future. Or like Paul, it can be a place to (cliché alert) “bloom where you’re planted.”

In the allegory book, Hinds Feet On High Places, the character Much-Afraid is on a journey to her Shepherd. At a lonely severe rugged spot, she meets a tiny flower nestled among the rocks. It’s name: Acceptance-With-Joy. The Shepherd later tells her, “When you wear the weed of impatience in your heart instead of the flower Acceptance-With-Joy, you will always find your enemies get an advantage over you.” Her enemies are our enemies: Resentment, Craven Fear, Bitterness, Pride.

On Sunday, our dear friend Irene was in the Sunday School class. She spent most of last year alone in her apartment, exhausted from the chemo she regularly received. Now that her strength is slowly returning, she eagerly makes the long drive to church each Sunday. I asked her about her time spent waiting. Her answer: “It was so difficult, but I got so close to the Lord during that time, I wouldn’t change it for anything.” Irene faithfully leads our prayer ministry and fills the role of “prayer warrior” more than anyone I know, yet the Lord used that time of weakness and waiting to strengthen her in ways beyond her imagination.

But those who wait for the Lord [who expect, look for, and hope in Him] shall change and renew their strength and power; they shall lift their wings and mount up [close to God] as eagles [mount up to the sun]; they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint or become tired. (Is. 40:31 Amp V.)

Are you in “God’s Waiting Room?”

Do you wait as the Amplified Verse says – with expectation, looking for the Lord, hoping in Him? There lies the key to renewed strength and power, run and not being weary, walk and not becoming tired.

Dear Lord, I pray for those who are waiting. That they may sense Your indwelling power. That they will be strengthened to serve You right where they are. And that in the serving they would become more like You.

Break my heart for what breaks Yours

A dear friend, Lynn Mosher, over at Heading Home has been doing a wonderful series, How To Behave Like a Christian, based on Romans 12:9-21. She graciously asked me (and other bloggers) to guest post. So today and next week, I'll be sharing over there. Please check out today's post on "sharing with God's people who are in need" based on Romans 12:13a, and leave Lynn a comment.

“distributing to the needs of the saints,” Rom 12:13a NKJV

My 2 children have traveled the world on various short term mission trips for the last 9 years. This year’s trips have had perhaps the most profound impact of all their trips. After seeing a school in Uganda without a blackboard, my daughter’s team decided rather than simply purchase one, they’d try to raise awareness in their community of friends. The goal was to raise $100. They raised over $1000. Another girl, after seeing the bleeding feet of barefoot children, is working with Tom’s shoe company to donate shoes to children in Haiti. My son wants start a ministry to raise support for impoverished children to attend school. These youth have been called to “distribute to the needs of the saints.”

Since their trips, I have found myself “accidentally meditating.” A lyric from a favorite worship song, Hosanna, is just stuck in my head. “Break my heart for what breaks Yours…” Over 60 years ago, Dr. Bob Pierce prayed similar words: “Let my heart be broken by the things that break the heart of God.” In 1947, as a war correspondent and evangelist, he traveled to China with Youth for Christ, and his heart was broken by the needs of one little girl. Pledging a monthly sponsorship for her, Dr. Bob Pierce began World Vision to help children orphaned in the Korean War. In the decades that followed, World Vision has fulfilled the calling of Romans 12:13a “Share with God’s people who are in need” by providing global relief using clean water as an entry point into communities, following with other activities that create change and ultimately bring transformation through the gospel.

Last Christmas, our family participated in the Advent Conspiracy and substituted gifts for each other with the purchase clean water, sewing machines, a stocked fishing pond and a flock of sheep for those in need overseas. And closer to home, we take part in our church’s homeless ministry that meets the needs of men from a local Christian shelter.

All these ministries seek to meet the needs of those in need. But there are many NON-Christians who also care for the poor, who sacrifice life and limb to live in impoverished nations, who serve in the Peace Corps, the military, the inner cities, Indian reservations, homeless shelters, safe houses for abused…

As my meditation continued on what breaks God’s heart, I began to realize some other things, some personal things that break His heart. I silently but loudly heard His question to me: You can love people around the world, but can you love the person sitting next to you?

What breaks God’s heart? Not just children dying in Africa. I realized that it breaks God’s heart when my attitudes and actions represent the enemy more than they represent Him. While we need to care for the “least of these,” we ought not to do it out of obligation and then have Him say, “I never knew you.” (Matt.25) It grieves God when His people act like they don’t know Him. He’s not as grieved by sinners who act like sinners as He is by Christians who act like sinners. If we meet the physical needs of the poor, but are judgmental, critical, envious, prideful, angry, or filled with false Pharisee holiness, we are not obeying His call to holy living.

If we truly want to love our neighbor as ourselves, that includes loving the unlovely. “If all you do is love the lovable, do you expect a bonus? Any sinner does that. … In a word, what I'm saying is, Grow up. You're kingdom subjects. Now live like it. Live out your God-created identity. Live generously and graciously toward others, the way God lives toward you." (Matt. 5:48 MSG)

As Christians, we must “share with God’s people who are in need.” And we must do so with the assurance that as we do, we are ministering to Jesus Himself. “And the King will say, ‘I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to Me!’ Matt. 25:35-40 NLT

My prayer today is found in the surrounding lyrics of “Hosanna”:

Heal my heart and make it clean

Open up my eyes to the things unseen

Show me how to love like you have loved me

Break my heart for what breaks yours

Everything I am for your kingdoms cause

As I go from nothing to

Eternity

May it be your prayer too!

Get Wrecked

Normally, I'd never suggest getting wrecked in any way. But yesterday the youth shared about their mission trips with us, and after sharing about his time in Haiti, Alex's closing comment was "God wrecked me for the ordinary." WOW - now that’s statement worthy of repeating repeatedly! I even used it for my facebook status. 

The youth were anything but ordinary as they shared their experiences on the mission field and since their return.  James and Dave were in Ireland developing relationships with the Irish youth and establishing drop-in centers where they will continue to serve as safe hangout places throughout the year. One highlight for James was an Irish teen that remembered him from last year and sought him out to further grow their relationship. It was a confirmation, not only that God wanted James to be there, but that the work that began last year bore fruit and would continue to increase.


Chanel was a team member on the trip to the Bahamas that AJ led. At 13 years old, she “knew it was time for me to go.” Oh, that we adults would have such assurances from the Lord, and that we would act on them.

Bahamas seems like an idyllic spot for a missions trip, doesn’t it? But the team there (all junior high-ers) did back-breaking heavy-duty construction work for Camp Bahamas, a camp for inner city children from Nassau. On Eleuthera, there is no fresh water supply, so the young teens had to descend into a huge “pit,” a giant cistern to capture rainwater, and use jackhammers to level out the bottom to prepare it for cement. It was 15 degrees hotter down there than the 100+ degrees on the surface. Idyllic? Not so much. They also did hard landscape construction work. Then, in the afternoons, they ran a VBS for the local children.


AJ is planning to write a post himself regarding his experiences, but let me just share his closing remark - “I’m trying to structure my day so that at the end of the day, I'm not embarrassed to talk to God.” Again, the Lord mightily used a youth to minister to us “wise” adults.


You’ll be hearing lots more in a later post regarding Lauren’s trip. So much to share! But for now, this was her closing comment regarding the Christians and the church in Uganda - “Instead of trying to move God, they let God move them.”


O Lord, please keep me from trying to persuade You to my feeble desires. Help me to sense Your leading and be obedient to it. Please move me that I might align with You. Move my spirit to complete dependence upon You.

In one of the slide show pictures, I spotted a child in a t-shirt that read JUST DID IT. As I listened to the testimonies, I thought that it was so appropriate. Nike says “Just Do It.” These teens DID it! I wanna do it too! Do you? Do you want to get wrecked for the ordinary?

Shower of Blessing

To celebrate our anniversary, Tony and I spent 2 lovely days at the Jersey shore. After a day of salt, sand and surf, my time in the shower was awesome, not just cleansing, but revitalizing. My thoughts drifted to Jesus describing Himself as "living water."

As the water poured in a steady stream, my thoughts drifted some more. I thought of my daughter, Lauren in Uganda using a bucket for her shower, and how much more will she enjoy a "real" shower when she gets home.

And then I thought about the people she is serving, the people who live there permanently and will only ever have bucket showers. My daughter's team is small part of a year-round ministry to provide these people with a new well (as well as a sustainable farm and a vocational training center). How much more do these people know what the term LIVING water really means. Their lives depend upon the life-giving water from the well.

When Jesus met the woman at the well, He told her "whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life."   John 4:14

Thirst is a craving - drinking water quenches our physical need. Jesus, of course, is talking about providing "water" that quenches our soul's needs. Too often, we seek after earthly means to meet those needs: work, relationships, food, drugs, entertainment. But, as Jesus said, these do not satisfy. We will thirst again and again. Only He can truly satisfy our deepest needs.

As with the Samaritan woman at the well, God comes to us where we are. He meets our needs and arouses in us a thirst that can only be quenched by Him. May we respond as she did, "Sir, give me this water so that I won't get thirsty..."






To support the life-giving work in Uganda, contact www.ttwuganda.com.

Hazy, Hot, and Holy!

I haven't fallen off the face of the earth. Really, I haven't!
But I have been super-busy.


From my last post, you may remember that God miraculously provided for my daughter's mission trip to Uganda. Well, since then, we've been in a flurry of activity getting both her and my son ready for their trips.


AJ is leading a large group of middle-schoolers to Eleuthera, Bahamas. Lauren is leading a small group of high school/college students to Kampala and Gulu, Uganda. More on that later.

They left for 3 day leadership training last Wednesday, June 30th. Then, on Friday night, my husband and I joined a small army of volunteers for Touch the World's 5 day training camp. Tony did grounds crew, while I taught the teens how to teach Bible stories to children on the mission field. It was grueling. Getting up at 5 am, working all day in over 100 degree weather, serving in the dining hall. Yet at the end of the 4th day, we felt as if we had been on a retreat!


The worship and teaching were awesome, ushering us right into the throne room. But beyond that, there was a sense of being part of something bigger than ourselves. These young people are the future of the church. To see them sacrifice weeks of summer fun to minister to needy people in the U.S. and across the globe was inspiring.




I’ll be sharing some testimonies in the days and weeks to come. But for now, I’m requesting prayer for these youth out on the mission field. Many got quickly and violently sick on the last night just before they left for the airports. A few teams stayed back until all recovered. Some traveled while sick. At this point, most are at their destinations or soon will be.


Please pray for their swift healing. Pray that God is glorified in the lives of these teens and their leaders. Pray that the teams are unified in Him, that they accomplish much for the kingdom, that they will be effective in their mission. And please pray for the staff at Touch the World. They work tirelessly, especially when the youth are out on the mission field.


As for my two-


Lauren is in Kampala, the capital of Uganda, for the beginning of her trip. TTW has a permanent ministry there, and Lauren and her team will be leading VBS for over 300 children who live in an orphanage there. The second half of her trip will be 6 hours to the north in Gulu where her team will minister to the residents of the displaced persons camp and help with construction of a Dream Center, which will provide a sustainable farm and vocational training to the residents, many of whom were child soldiers abducted into the former rebel army. Check out the ministry at http://www.ttwuganda.com/.


AJ is in the Bahamas, but far from a resort experience! In the early morning (before the temps hit 110 degrees), he and his team will be doing construction at Camp Bahamas, a Christian camp for inner city kids. Then in the afternoons, they’ll provide a sports camp and VBS for the local children. AJ’s team is comprised of 5 leaders and 18 junior high students, so he’ll be ministering to the youth on his team as well.
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Thank you in advance for your prayer support. The teams will return on July 18th, 25th and 29th.


 

MISSION is POSSIBLE

Jesus replied, "What is impossible with men is possible with God."
Luke 18:27

This morning in church, our pastor prayed for the youth who are going on mission trips this summer, including my son and daughter who are going as youth leaders.

As part of his message, our pastor shared that with the Lord, all things are possible. Of course, we need to do what we can, yet trust the Lord to deliver what we cannot do on our own. He then had us write our impossible situation on an index card. Individually, we wrote our cards and laid them at the altar, giving our situations to the Lord.

I didn’t know it at the time, but on her card, my daughter’s impossible situation was that she had to raise $1300 in the 10 days remaining before her trip to Uganda (she needed to raise $3800 in total.)

After our family Father’s Day celebration following church, Lauren spent 2 hours on facebook, contacting 60 college friends to whom she had not sent support letters, informing them about her upcoming trip. She asked for a donation amount equal to cost of a cup of coffee. 18 seconds after she logged out, she received the following email:

• Prayers are answered, the Mission Team has voted to give you the entire amount. $1,300. If you still need that much, if not let us know what you need. I'll need your address so we can send the check, or if you prefer you could pick it up at the church office or at my home. Please let me know. Sorry it took a little while but we needed to contact the as many team members as possible.

The sender: First Reformed Church where Lauren was invited to share a liturgical dance as part of their worship service last fall. Then twice in the spring, she shared her gift of dance with them again. Knowing that they are mission-minded and that she was short of her goal, a few weeks ago, she asked if she could share about her upcoming trip with the congregation and possibly raise support. The initial reply said that many teens from the church were going on trips and have been doing fundraisers, but they’d see what they could do, if anything. And then she didn’t hear back from them... Until 18 seconds after she logged out of facebook tonight!

Despite giving her impossible situation to the Lord, despite singing “All Things Are Possible” this morning, despite her conviction that the Lord was calling her to Uganda, Lauren doubted. And she wasn’t alone. With so much money to raise in so little time, and with the people who contracted malaria on the recent Uganda trip, Tony questioned whether God was closing a door. This most unexpected email with this abundantly generous gift erased our doubts and confirmed much more than just a mission trip experience.

While at first, Lauren thought that she shouldn’t have sent out those facebook messages, perhaps bothering her non-Christian friends, she further realized what Pastor Steve had said. That we must do what we can. We ought not to slack in our efforts and claim that we are waiting for God like a deliveryman. The added benefit to her actions is that she now has opportunity to share what the Lord has done and will do in her life and on her trip. Any extra money raised will be donated to Touch the World Uganda and will benefit the ministry there.

Lauren’s conclusion:
“It’s Father’s Day, and my Father gave a gift to me.”

Do you have an impossible situation? Can you trust the God of the impossible?