Privilege of the Harvest

This past Saturday and tomorrow are important days in the life of Bayou City Fellowship.  We as a church body have decided to lock arms with Gracewood Homes and Pine Shadows Elementary School.  Till death do us part, we are hoping to have a strong presence in these communities.  As much planning has been going into both of these partnership it wasn't until this week that we got to actually to DO ministry.

This past Saturday our church partcipated on only in our first outreach project ever, but it was our first time set boots on the ground at Gracewood Homes.  Tomorrow we have organized a teacher luncheon for the teachers and staff at Pine Shadows.  This is also the first time that we will have a presence on their campus.

These events mark the beginning of land/territory that God has stewarded to us to bring His kingdom.  My prayer tonight as I was making last minute preparations is that we would have the privilege of the harvest.  God gives us ministry, give us salvation, give us favor.  I am asking God for BIG faith to dream big things in these places and that he would do things we could never imagine!

It is exciting times and I am honored to mobilize people towards service in our city!

God Wastes Nothing

Have you ever lived in a season of life where you lived under an umbrella of unrealistic spiritual  expectations? Me. Me. and Me.  It is important to note for me these "expectations" are self-imposed. In previous seasons, my spirituality could be understood as seasons of plently. I was able to prepare a feast and host in the most extravagant of places.  But today, right now, I don't even have a place to host and all I have to share is a few gimpy fish and a couple thin pieces of white bread. 

This is how I feel spiritually on most days--desiring to be in one and place and living day-to-day in another place.  Wishing that if phrases like spiritual disciples, and godliness, missional living, and uber-spritualness was in my outward vocabulary that somehow God would be more pleased.

But what I am most encouraged by is that "God wastes nothing."

God.
Wastes.
Nothing.


He uses every failure, every triumph, every conversation, every movement forward primarily for His glory but even more mysteriously for my sanctification.

Curtis, my pastor is teaching through 1 Peter this semester.  [side note: it has been awesome and meaty].  But in 1 Peter 2:4-5, he mentions the Old Testament practice of offering up sacrifices.

As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

I recently have been really encouraged by this concept of spiritual sacrifices.  I love that I can bring an extravagant meal or a just minuscule bread crumbs to the table and Christ somehow accepts it and makes it a pleasing aroma.  He doesn't waste it.  He uses intentionality, choices, relationships, as simple as they are, and receives them as beautiful worship, as spiritual sacrifice that puts off a sweet and pleasing aroma.  Our sacrifice translates as pleasing to the Creator of the Universe.

This translates in my life that I wish that I was running 5 miles everyday, that I was studying an hour in the Word daily, journaling, and interceding on behalf of my brothers and sisters both here and abroad, that I was dieting, that I was fasting for my current ministries and future ministries, that I was being a great housemate that always cleaned everything perfectly and made my bed every morning, and that I was investing perfectly in all my co-workers  Do you see what I mean by unrealistic expectations?   These are great places to strive for but I can't expect to get there overnight.  I need to give myself double doses of grace to get there over time. 

But when I remember that God just wants what we have to offer, in that moment,  it gives this tangibility and practicality in my life.  So instead I am working on giving God one mile of running so that I get to five, or start with one verse in Scripture that gets me in the door, or utilizing my time in the car to Worship, etc... If I give God what I have for that day for that moment then I give it as a spiritual sacrifice and trust that God will see it as worship and use it.

It takes the mundane physical things of this world and somehow transcends them to the spiritual places.  So today, I choose to offer spiritual sacrifices to the Lord.  Even if they feel pathetic and not worthy of a Holy and perfect God...trusting that He wastes nothing. 

November Blog Fest Texas Style

Five months ago, you were subjected to my daily blogging in Everyday May.  As much as I loved the writing experience, I enjoyed the community the emerged even more.  I am a slight intellectual nerd and I love to go deep in conversation and sometime maybe even a little philosophical.  So the conversations through twitter and writing and the couple of times we met in person created this beautiful community.  It seriously might go down as one of the highlights of my 2011.

So, here we are again, with the same challenge-- different name.  The kind of crazy thing is that it has exploded and there are several dozen of individuals joining the challenge to blog in November.  I guess it really is true that we all need to write- there is something deeply spiritual about it.

The community junkie that I am, is a little bit sad that I am joining on from so far away.  I freaking love all these Californians that are writing, but I am equally excited because several people in my Texas community have joined the madness!

This month I will be writing everyday but I will not be "blogging" everyday. However, I will be publishing my post in my journal here in Texas.  I love journaling and it a way that I process things with the Lord, and saly it has dissapeared over the years. And quite frankly in this season of my life, I think I need to be devoting my thoughts that are raw and unedited for just me and God and not the world wide web.  So please keep asking me how journaling is going.  And maybe some of my time with God will produce some good material this month for blogging as well.

If you want to join in or follow all the shenanigans then go to this link: http://simplebutsignificant.com/november-blogfest/