In the bleak mid-winter

Winter can be a hard season. Though so far (mercifully) this winter has been fairly mild for Michigan, it snowed today and I used a snowblower for the first time...ever. So I am feeling very winter-y and mindful of how things can feel cold and barren and lifeless in the winter, both in natural seasons as well as seasons of life.

The other day as I was driving along I-96 and looking at the trees - we have a lot of them in Michigan - I was thinking how bare they are and how I still think they're pretty and about the amazing changes they go through every year. When the snow melts and the temperatures warm, they will spring to life with buds and blooms of celebration. But right now, they are silent and still. They are dormant...sleeping.

I was reading about trees, and it is actually possible to keep them from entering into dormancy by keeping them in a warm place and by controlling the light source, "however, this is bad for the tree." That's what the article said. When trees aren't allowed to go through their seasons it dramatically shortens their lifespan. The season of dormancy - of quiet, non-activity - is a needed and natural part of the life cycle.

It can be hard to navigate a winter season, whether professionally, spiritually, emotionally or otherwise. If you're like me, you like it busy and productive with lots of obvious fruit. But the truth is, we need both seasons. So embrace the interim of your winter and let its work be done - whether restoration, preparation or something else entirely - embrace it, for spring will surely come.

"There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity...He has made everything beautiful in its time." Ecclesiastes 3:1 & 11

Waiting on the world to change

“We keep waiting. Waiting on the world to change” – John Mayer

Everybody, I believe, somewhere deep inside wants to be a world changer. We all have that dream of a utopian existence where everyone gets along, and children are well cared for and nobody goes hungry and the hope of every beauty pageant contestant is finally realized: world peace. The truth is, though, that this vapor of a dream is as far out of our reach as Neverland. Jesus spoke often of the conflicts and calamities that keep us looking for a better place, and it wasn’t good news. He said, “You will always have poor people, brother will turn against brother, loss will continue, and good will always be opposed by evil.” I’m paraphrasing, obviously, but it’s all there in the red letters. So while we might like to think that if we just wait things will get better, the truth is that things don’t just get better. Someone makes it better. This is ultimately why we need Jesus, but it is also why Jesus needs us. He came and did the heavy, eternal lifting, but as his followers, it is our job to represent him here on the earth. If things are to change – if hungry children are to be fed, and the oppressed find justice, and peace and love are to be spread among humanity – I contend that the followers of Christ ought to be (at least among) the ones doing it.

One Saturday as I was getting ready to head down to the southwest Detroit neighborhood where the Good News Gang buses in kids and ministers to them every week, I had a realization. Changing the world is hard. I know that sounds like an overstatement of the obvious, but I don’t think it is. It’s not hard because it’s big. I think it’s hard because it feels small. Sometimes you do it with little or no help and it’s generally inconvenient and rarely recognized at the time. But if you want to change the world, this is how I think it gets done. You get up, you go out, you get your hands dirty, you alter your schedule and you get busy. That’s what I’m going to do anyway. So on Saturdays, if you are looking for me, you’ll find me in southwest Detroit, hanging out with a few other world changers and a couple hundred inner city kids. One week at a time, one child at a time, we’re doing our best to change the neighborhoods, change this city and change the world. 

For more info visit www.goodnewsgang.org. You can also click the link to the right to support me as a World Indigenous Missions missionary to Detroit. Thanks for joining the journey!

When God calls you home.

I realize that title sounds like a lead in to an obituary, but I don’t mean it metaphorically. After 24 years of living in other places, God is literally calling me home…to where I grew up, in southeastern Michigan. Being called home may not be a familiar concept to some, but I remember when moms used to call kids home for supper. That was a different time. As kids, we would be playing outside (remember “outside?”) until the streetlights came on. We used to go around the neighborhood and call for our friends in a sing-song fashion outside their houses. “Jim-my, Jim-my!” I may be sounding like an episode of Andy Griffith, but I swear to God we did this! I think we were old souls.

Fast-forward, and I haven’t kept in touch with any of those kids from Hilldale, my little street in the Detroit suburbs. I’m sure, like me, they’ve scattered to the corners of the earth and created life stories as varied as the colors of the rainbow. It’s not hard to imagine because that seems to have been the theme for the Detroit area: leaving. I remember when I was a teenager, our neighbor Shelley, a retired autoworker, had a refrigerator in his garage covered with bumper stickers. One of the stickers read, “Will the last person leaving Detroit please turn the lights off?” That was from the first exodus, back in the 60’s and 70’s. In the last ten years or so, there has been another wave of desertion and desolation—this one of almost apocalyptic proportions. Jobs have been lost, homes abandoned, buildings burned. A simple Google search will bring up pictures of Detroit that could easily pass for a post-war country. But the war there is still raging and that’s what draws me.

The metro Detroit area has not only lost economic stability, it has lost a lot of faith. In the wake of the myriad difficulties that have befallen these precious, hardy people of the north, there has been an influx of messages leading people away from the gospel of Christ. Hundreds of churches have closed their doors due to lack of funding, lack of people, or both, while mosques, Buddhist temples, and other alternate places of worship have been on the rise. While some churches have experienced growth and are seeing good results, far more have been struggling. Many of these churches are led by good people who love God and love their city, but these people are battle-scarred and weary. The harvest is ripe, but the laborers are few. 

Then comes the call.

I left the Detroit area right after high school and, after returning only briefly, thought I would forever live in other, more appealing, warmer places. And for the most part, I have. As I have endeavored to follow the call of God it has led me to some beautiful places: Florida, Tennessee, Texas—just to name a few. Having settled for the last five years on the Texas coast with the beach practically at my front door, a move back to the north was the furthest thing from my mind. But when God is calling you might as well respond because happiness and fulfillment will not be found anywhere else. The need is great and I’m just one person who senses a call from God to go and serve and help and make Christ known, but that is what I must do. I don’t know exactly what my part in rebuilding and rebirthing will look like, but I will give it all I have. Right now, I only know it’s time to go home.

“I am only one, but I am one. I cannot do everything, but I can do something. And because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do the something that I can do." 

- Edward Everett Hale (often attributed to Helen Keller)

A crazy week of peace

Next week is our summer kids' program, traditionally one of the craziest times of my year. We've been preparing, announcing, planning and dreaming up crazy big things that will only be pulled off by the grace of God! We are excited!

Strangely, this Saturday beforehand, I find myself calm and meditating on the goodness and faithfulness of God. This is a huge personal victory for me.

If you are a "Type A" personality, like me, you can relate. There are some people who are just naturally peaceful and at ease. I am not one of those people. In fact, when I come across one of those people, I sometimes want to slap them (but I don't).

My normal bent, especially 2 days before a large event kickoff, is to be wrought up, anxious, and "in control"…or at least trying to be. But lately I have been discovering (finally) the amazing freedom that comes from being out of control. Here is the self-talk that leads me to this amazing mountaintop of victory: it's not my ministry/event/(insert your thing here) anyway. It's God's.

Every detail is never going to be perfect. Every person is never going to do what I think they should do. (Thank God.) My mission is not and never was to control every detail. My primary purpose is to exalt the person of Jesus Christ, and to celebrate and live out his goodness, mercy and love in such a way that others are drawn to Him. 


When I get the order right, the peace comes. 

"Each time he said, 'My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.' So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me." 2 Corinthians 12:9

Now I better get back to work! ;-)

Issues. We all got 'em.

Some call it "pushing their buttons." For others it's "a sensitive subject." If you're tuned in to counseling buzzwords it's most likely baggage or, let's say it, issues.

One person may have "rejection issues" while another has "control issues." And while a lot of women have terrible self-esteem because they are overweight, I have actually talked to several gals who were self-conscious about being too thin!


Whatever you call it, it's certain you've got one (or perhaps, more realistically, a few.) I know I do. And yet I find it strangely comforting that every single person I meet, no matter how well adjusted, sharp, successful and, yes, beautiful, has at least one area that they are insecure about. I know that may sound almost sadistic that I take comfort in that fact, but hear me out. It's not that I'm rejoicing at their pain, but rather that I find it to be a sort of camaraderie.


From the very beginning one of the tactics of the enemy of our soul (aka Satan) has been isolation. It's the tactic you see every predator use. Make your victim feel helpless and alone and they will be taken down much more easily. Isn't that what happens? The thought comes, "nobody understands you" or "if anyone knew what you're really like..." Whatever lie it takes to bring isolation and separation and then, BAM! He's got you.


But the truth is, you're NEVER alone. In the Bible we read, "The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience." (1 Cor. 10:13, New Living Translation) Now we can read that and think, "Well, okay, but that's talking about sin. What about my insecurities?" What are insecurities really, except believing someone or something else more than we believe God. Wouldn't that be sin? Tricky devil.


The goal of these "issues" or insecurities is to keep you focused on your weaknesses - keeping you self-conscious - so that you won't notice the amazing greatness of God at work within and around you and become God-conscious. While we hate our weakness and even try to hide it from others, God says, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” (2 Cor. 12:9, NLT)


So whatever your "issues," take heart. We're all in this together and here's the good news:

"...I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns." Philippians 1:6 NLT

Maybe along the way, we should extend a little grace for each other's issues. We'll most likely need a little in return.  :-)

Tunnels of Transition

It has occurred to me that life transition is like a tunnel. It can be a dark place, and when you first step into it, what is behind you is much easier to see than what lies ahead. Keep moving.

As you move forward, it actually gets darker. Let your eyes adjust, though and you will see things you couldn’t make out before. You will likely find it’s not nearly as scary as you thought it was. Keep moving.

As you move through the tunnel the light coming from the other end begins to grow and is actually now clearer and easier to make out than the light behind you. Keep moving.

As you emerge into the light you find yourself in new surroundings beholding things you couldn’t possibly have seen from the other side. You find yourself once again standing in the full light of day, with the sun warming your face, able to move in any direction you please.

The tunnel of transition can at once be thrilling and terrifying but it is in fact the ONLY way to arrive at your intended destination. Don’t fear it; embrace it. As you take that first step into the darkness you can do so with the knowledge that no matter how long this tunnel may be, and no matter what snakes or spiders may be waiting in the darkness, you will emerge on the other side to a bright new day…if you don’t stall in the tunnel. So goes the journey. Keep moving.

Play Beyond Your Limitations

How often have you dreamed of doing something and thought, "but I just don't have what it takes." You dream of doing something great for God and immediately your mind goes to the reasons you can't.
Today I want to encourage you to take the limits off. Don't let the dream that God drops into your heart come to a screeching halt at the thought of what you don't have. Consider this most basic of examples. The song, "Bohemian Rhapsody" by Queen, was written to be performed with a full choir, orchestra and band. Whether you're a fan or not, you've no doubt heard it and would have to admit it's a moving piece of music. Now consider Jake Shimabukuro who plays this intricate and complex song on a 4 string ukulele. Impossible? Listen...



I want to challenge you (and myself) to no longer allow dreams and visions to be stalled with, "it can't be done." Instead of surrendering to what we don't have, let's respond with courage by offering the little that we do have to the One who makes something from nothing. With some inspiration and creativity, that thing that we never thought could happen may just turn out to be the performance of our lifetime. Remember, God's words to you...

"My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness." 2 Cor. 12:9

To God be the glory.

Leading Greatness

I love sports movies. That might seem a little odd, since I'm a girl and I can't tell you what offsides means or explain a 2 point conversion. That said, what I love is the inspiration, the discipline, the determination...the process of attaining greatness. Sports movies boil down situations that take years to play out in real life to a microcosm of success and failure.

More often than not, the hero of a sports movie is the coach. Have you ever noticed that? Hoosiers, Miracle, We Are Marshall, Remember the Titans...great stories that happened not because of great players, but because of great coaches. Leaders who dare not focus on the talents of one or two star players, but rather seek to unite a TEAM and bring out the very best that each individual has to offer.

Every person holds within them a measure of greatness. The task before us, as leaders, is to help bring it out.

Do you have a job or a ministry?

Not that one is necessarily better than the other, but clarifying can clear up and prevent frustration. If you have a job, that's fine. But if you have a ministry and approach it like a job, you do a disservice to yourself and the ministry.

A job is at your choice; a ministry is at Christ's call.

In a job you expect to receive; in a ministry you expect to give.

In a job you give something to get something; in a ministry you return something that has already been given to you.

A job depends on your abilities; a ministry depends on your availability to God.

A job done well brings you praise; a ministry done well brings honor to Christ.

~James N. Spurgeon

Longshots

Let's face it. In America, we love an underdog who gets their day. Hoosiers, Seabiscuit, Rudy, Rocky...the list goes on and on. These are movies that cause otherwise rational and reserved people to cry, applaud and cheer in public. I am not ashamed to admit that I am one of these people.  And so it was, as I was watching the Disney movie, Dreamer, that I had an epiphany. Every amazing "longshot" tale begins with a situation that looks utterly hopeless. 

Think about it. Before there can be the cheers of victory there has to be a very real threat of defeat. After all, if there were nothing to overcome in the first place, the experience would have no element of struggle. And it's in the struggle, uncomfortable though it be, that the victory is being shaped. Indeed, the struggle is directly proportionate to the potential outcome. Simply stated, small obstacles lead to small victories, but giant obstacles can precede tales of glory.

Every great thing that has been done had the potential to end very badly. And the trick of it is that people who do great things seldom know they are doing great things. They are simply going through it. 

We all want that amazing moment of victory, but every such moment begins with a decision to look seemingly insurmountable odds in the face and continue to move forward. The journey from a time of difficulty to that triumphant moment when everyone cheers begins with a decision to risk catastrophic failure. When we are willing to risk it all we stand to gain more than we have imagined.

Small but mighty

I got this from Rick Warren and was so moved and inspired to NOT forget it, I thought I'd make it a blog posting...

Every sermon must be biblical,theological,practical AND personal. To cut out any component is homiletical abortion.

Good words.

Walking with Keith in 2010

"My eyes are dry. My faith is old. My heart is hard. My prayers are cold."

Have you ever felt this way? This morning as I was driving in to my office at World Indigenous Missions, this old Keith Green song was running through my mind. I think that as you go through life, serving God in ministry, desensitization and apathy can come at us in various forms. Of course we all face personal challenges and struggles and deal with family drama. And most of us (unfortunately) know what it's like to have a spiritual leader disappoint us or even break our heart. If we're not careful, though, these things can creep inside us and begin to cloud our vision of eternity. We can begin to feel like what we do doesn't really matter and become discouraged, bitter, withdrawn and complacent. And while these feelings may all be entirely justified, and feel like a warm blanket that we are perhaps entitled to snuggle in for a while, consider this sobering thought; complacent people don't pose much threat to the kingdom of darkness.

"and I know how I ought to be; alive to You and dead to me."

As I look forward to 2010, a big part of me is very glad 2009 is over. It was a challenging year...and not in a good way. I'm hoping 2010 will be easier, but the truth is, it may not. So, I'm starting the year the best way I know...by fasting and drawing near to God. Don't get me wrong. There were a lot of great things about 2009, and the truth is I'm thankful for the challenges as well. Without troubles, how would we grow? In fact, when viewed in light of eternity, they really only help me...they help me locate my own weaknesses and they help me rely more fully on God.

"So what can be done for an old heart like mine? Soften it up with oil and wine. The oil is You, your spirit of love. Please wash me anew with the wine of your blood."

Yes, Jesus, yes.

Thanks, Keith. I needed that. :)

Julie who?

I know, I know...I haven't posted in FOREVER! My problem is that I have difficulty with short postings. This short-coming (sorry) is one that I am determined to overcome. A friend posted a quote from William Shakespeare today that has inspired me. "Brevity is the soul of wit." If William is right, then perhaps my long-winded ramblings aren't nearly as clever as I think they are. So with that in mind, I herewith conclude this posting. :)

Crossing Bridges

So there I was, bike over body, lying in the rocky and mercifully dry creek bed. How I got there is a bit embarrassing, but for the benefit of all I will share.

I was doing a little mountain bike trail riding with some friends last Saturday. An innocent enough venture for someone who has ridden a bike as much as I have. But as I approached the little wooden bridge, I hesitated, lost my momentum, and, focusing on the side that I did NOT want to ride off of, proceeded to do exactly that! My friends heard a grunt of sorts and turned around to see a bike tire and a foot rising up from the gully below!

Do I just like to tell self-deprecating stories? No, not really. It was sometime afterward as I was nursing some very minor injuries that the teachable moment struck me and the lessons began to unfold.

1) Momentum lost through hesitation can be nearly impossible to recover.

As I rounded the curve in the trail that led to the bridge, I slowed...let's be honest. I stopped. I stopped and thought about it. I looked at the slight downward angle of the trail, the unevenness at the edge of the bridge, the obstacles on either side, the rocks, the fallen tree - WHAT IF I FALL OF THE BRIDGE!!?? When I tried to roll forward from my stand still, I lacked sufficient momentum to roll smoothly over the bridge and up the other side of the ravine. Momentum is an extremely valuable commodity. Without it, you may get the same job done, but you'll have to work twice as hard. Had I just kept riding, this story would never have happened.

2) Fear will defeat you every time.

When you focus on your obstacles they ALWAYS seem bigger than they truly are. Fear saps your confidence and causes you to perform at a level well below your abilities. Fear keeps your attention fixed on the problem, rather than the solution. Fear tells you the thing you don't want to happen will. It is the exact opposite of faith. You cannot give fear a dwelling place in your soul and expect to make progress.

3) We will move toward whatever we focus on.

As I moved slowly and cautiously forward I did exactly what I knew NOT to do. Instead of looking toward my desired destination, I focused on the thing I hoped to avoid, thus propelling myself in that very direction. Your life will move in the direction of your most dominant thought. If you have a dream, a goal, a vision - a place you hope to be - begin to fix your focus on that instead of all the reasons it can't be done. With your gaze fixed, you will see that dream more and more clearly with each passing day, week, month...just watch.

If you will learn from my mistakes, I pray that you will find yourself crossing new bridges to exciting places rather than riding off the edges of them. Trust me, it's much more fun!

Lessons from my Mother

So as my mother lay sedated on a ventilator, I am continuously struck with lessons to be learned from her tragic life. What you must understand is that my mom is a very sick woman. She has an infection that is literally eating away at her flesh, she has stage 3 breast cancer, a severe kidney infection, possibly diabetes, and either an infection or cancer in her lung. (For the sake of all, I am leaving out the worst of the details. She's in very bad shape.) But her sickness started long before her body began to give way. This is a woman who has isolated herself for many years from family and friends refusing to let anyone in - literally. When she finally called 911 just a little over a week ago it was only because the pain had gotten so severe that she could no longer bear it. And while this may be more personal information than you hoped to read in a blog, I hope you will give me a little leeway. You don't have to read it, but I need to write it...

Lesson #1 - When we don't respond to pain, it doesn't go away; it gets worse.

When I saw my mother in the ER that night I tried to hide the shock I was almost certain was showing on my face. Her face and neck were terribly swollen and red. That combined with the other ailments she'd been self-treating were causing her to take 4 Aleve every 2 hours. This fact still boggles my mind, and yet I see people do the same thing in their lives all the time. Maybe not physically, but in relationships, jobs, and other situations, we all know somebody that we have watched and thought, "when is it going to be enough?"

When we chose to isolate ourselves we lose our frame of reference and become self-deceived. You have no bearing on reality and so all things become relative. Without healthy relationships and a willingness to be examined, we will continue on our course of destruction as we adjust to accomodate the increasing levels of pain.

Pain is a signal that something needs to change. It shouldn't be ignored. The doctor said that if my mother had come in a year ago things would be much different. Don't allow a fear of change to keep you from addressing underlying issues. Get to the root of it and stop the source of the pain. You'll be glad you did.

The Exposure of Temptation

So I was reading the first 3 chapters of Genesis this morning and it just struck me how many of the things that we deal with on an ongoing basis can be traced directly to the fall of man. For starters, the "battle of the sexes," problems with lust, and even temptation...it really hasn't changed.

The process of temptation and sin are still the same:
1)Satan makes you believe you're missing out on something
2)He shows you how beautiful that thing is and tells you how fun it will be
3)You touch the forbidden thing a little bit, don't drop dead instantly, and think you've gotten by with it.
4)The hammer falls, the truth comes out, and it costs you way more than you ever wanted to pay.

Let's take a lesson from Eve. Next time a good looking temptation is dangling in front of you, don't bite.

Okay, I'm in...

So I am finally giving in to all the pressure to write a blog. These days it seems that it is the thing to do, and after all, I DO have a lot of opinions, thoughts and general wisdom that I am just SURE the world is waiting to read. (ahem - right!) So I'll be back soon with my first real installment.

Please try to make it until then. :)