A Long Expected Journey

 

      To overcome adversity, to stand and face the challenge, to look boredom in the eye and make a change, to step outside of our comfort zone and walk into a calling can be easier said than done. For Annabelle, it was something she longed for but never felt achievable. She dreamed and longed for adventure but to have an adventure meant she would have to leave behind what she was used to and take steps of faith towards something new. But what if she failed? What if she couldn’t do it? What if all she had dreamed wasn’t all it cracked up to be?

       But what if it did turn out? What if it was exactly like her dream? At the age of 24, Annabelle had spent most of her life dreaming. Each season had a different dream, sometimes a Princess, sometimes a Warrior, sometimes an Elf, but something. Something not mundane and boring.  Then one morning, something changed. It called beyond the Hobbit Hole she was used to and whispered, “Come with me.”  

      It didn’t come from the man with the long grey robes and pointed hat. It didn’t come from an uncle who had traveled the earth and returned with a whole new perspective, it came from a little voice inside of her that said, “Step beyond the Shire”.

        So she did. It wasn’t a shortcut to the mushrooms. It wasn’t just a trip to the Brandywine Bridge, but it wasn’t a trip to Mount Doom either. Instead, it was a leap of faith towards Rivendell.

     The elves were different from her. They spoke a different language, they moved differently than her little hobbit legs. They ate similar foods but not really. But there she found freedom. She saw beyond what she was and saw what she could be. She may never unite the whole of the world but she could make a difference. She couldn’t be an elf but she had a different perspective and not just physically. It was once she gained her courage to speak out truth something changed in the atmosphere.

     A family took her in. They taught her how to move within her new society. They encouraged her. They didn’t find her strange. They saw her dreams and stood behind her. They let her try new things. When she broke down into tears, they put their arms around her and walked with her.  

     Annabelle had moved beyond boredom, moved beyond what was expected of her, and stepped out in faith. She made a new home. Sure, she went back to the Shire for visits but it no longer felt like home. Despite all the challenges growing up, she realized that without growing up in the Shire, she never would have made it to Rivendell. If she had found a nice hobbit to settle down with, she wouldn’t be staring at the Elves in all their magnificence today. Ever step had brought her to this moment. Any earlier and she wouldn’t have been prepared or been in a state of mind that could have handled it. But now, she was ready to step into her calling to the Elves. Was she frightened? Without a doubt. Did she think she was good enough to be with them and learn Elvish? Of course not. The language was foreign but so beautiful. So she pressed on, enjoying every moment, knowing this was where she needed to be. Anything less, would leave her with a sense of disappointment.

     Step into a calling. Step into a destiny. Step outside of the box. Annabelle did. What’s your next move?  

God's light in Middle Earth

My heart breaks inside of me

Knowing all that they see

People have exalted them

Far above mortal men

They’re asked only to give

But all they want is to live

I see in their faces

They want to be in other places

But they must smile

And go the extra mile

Give all they are

Because people raise the bar

They must be kind

They must not mind

People yelling and telling

And people selling

It seems they put their minds to sleep

So the demands won’t touch as deep

As we stand, we pray

That God can touch them in some way

Heal the pain

Get rid of the shame

We pray God will be so real

And they will know how to deal

That the industry will begin to transform

That they will be reborn

To go forth in light

And in the strength of his might

I’ll never forget that night

When we decided to stand up and fight

For those who need to see

All that God has called them to be

Let Middle Earth know

That God’s hope he will show

As we stand and pray

God will come and make a way

 

 

 

To Bristol with Love

     Bristol; a city once a gateway for slavery to the world but today a haven for artists. It’s an open and inviting city housing a university, John Wesley’s chapel, Christmas markets and amazing art with people who are passionate about what they are doing. As our team has a calling to the arts and ministry, Bristol was a perfect place to step into for a week.

      Amongst the worshiping, praying over the city and performing covers in the street, we wanted to get to know the people of Bristol and share God’s love and truth with them. The amazing thing about stepping out in faith is sometimes God can surprise you when you let him lead. One of the days as our team went out, we found God brought people to us rather than us approaching them. In the course of twenty minutes, we had three different people ask us for directions, one of which was older gentleman who needed help to walk up the road which we did. God was teaching us the truth of 1 John 3:18: “Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.”

     In that week, we saw how truth and deed can transform a place. Food and coffee was given to people on the streets, churches were cleaned, places we walked were transformed as we brought God’s presence with us.  God gave us his truth to speak into the lives of musicians, dancers, and visual artists we met. I don’t deny there are strongholds of rejection, inferiority, and depression residing over the city but we felt the atmosphere change and people come alive with God’s truth in practical ways. Sometimes, simply smiling seemed to change their demeanor. Only with God and by his grace can these things happen.  When we fix our eyes on him, he will direct us to those people who need to hear his words of love.

     Bristol was an amazing time of evangelism and worship. Meeting people in the city and seeing the heritage in Christ they have been graced with was incredible. God has big plans for Bristol and I’m very thankful our team got to join God in what he’s doing, planting seeds and pursuing the people of the city to draw closer to him.  

The day I thought I had Ebola

  Yep. It was true. I had the Ebola virus and I was going to die. However, if it wasn't Ebola, it was meningitis. If not meningitis, then it was appendicitis. If it wasn't appendicitis, it was another foreign illness I was going to die from. Okay, an exaggeration perhaps but sometimes when I get sick and no one I know has been, I forget the fact I take the bus almost daily and my mind goes crazy places. But alas, about a week and a half ago, I was sick. I mean, sick! I'll spare you the gory details but let's just say food was a no-no and a bucket was next to my bed for the whole day.
     The worst part was that it wasn't a free day. In fact, it was a day of teaching, of preparing for outreach, and a love fest with amazing food, dressing up, and teaching! If I was to get sick, I would not have picked that particular day. Ever. Although, I had amazing roommates and housemates who prayed for me, made me toast, offered to make me other food, went to the corner shop and got me 7-Up, got me water and just checked on me in general. But still, being sick sucks.
    In truth, I spent most of the morning frustrated with myself. I don't like being sick, I thought I was dying. I kept on looking up symptoms of the worst diseases. I feared my family would never see me again in this life. I hate not being able to do things for myself. I hate feeling weak. And I. Hate. To. Rest.
     When one of my roommates asked me how long it had been since I really took a day to rest, I think I gave her a blank stare. Weekends are for doing what I want and keeping busy, right? But I had forgotten something important. God wants us to rest. I mean, yes, we can rest in him and enjoy his presence while we are busy but he's also pretty firm with the Sabbath rest thing as well. In other words, taking time and just being and really resting in God. I'm rubbish at it to be honest and I think God sometimes forces us to do just that. He forces us to rest. It's not that he wished me sick but rather he allowed the sickness to overtake me for a bit so that I would be forced to rest and not do a whole lot. In fact, I did nothing but pray for the entire afternoon and sleep.
     One of the verses I had read a few mornings before my Ebola scare was Psalm 116:7 which says "Return, on my soul, to your rest for the Lord has dealt bountifully with you". But instead of resting, I said "Thank you, God", felt a peaceful feeling, and continued to be busy. The peace is great but I've learned that God is actually serious when he says rest. Sometimes that rest can be just resting in him but other times it means to physically rest. Not just at nighttime when you go to bed but actually take time to chill out. God has dealt bountifully with us so as a thank you back to him, why not take time just to rest in that and chill?
     I admit I'm a bit thick to be honest, because God has allowed sickness to happen to me three times when it was absolutely inconvenient for me to be sick. But all three times, there's been a reminder; slow down. So I encourage you to slow down, chill, spend a whole day watching movies, reading a book or just being. God wants us to rest in him and take time to recharge. Often times we live in a society that is so Go-Go-Go, that we forget that sometimes God is only asking us to Rest-Rest-Rest. And as I've learned, if we don't do it on our own, sometimes we're forced to. So I'm slowly learning thanks to my Ebola-Meningitis-Appendix day, take time. Rest. Be with God and he will direct your path. He has blessed us so let us bless him in return with resting in that truth.