We're home. Gone for nearly two weeks. Many conversations. Lots of people. Heart involvement...and yet rest. I sit at home on my family room couch, ceiling fan cooling the air, Olympics filling the sound space. My attempt at breaking my writer's block was promptly met with, well...many conversations, lots of people, and heart involvement (and a little rest).
So.....a little late-nite stream of consciousness for you, my faithful readers (all 3 of you). :)
The Olympics are great, as usual. This year has been weird for me, though, as I am used to camping out by the tv every night for 2 weeks. This year, we were at our staff conference, and we were only able to catch a tad bit of the action here, a little bit more there. The late night replay, however, is allowing me a rare glimpse at an entire event that I had wanted to see: uneven bars final. (Too bad I already heard who didn't win....grrrr.)
Our conference was great. My favorite part was, of course, spending time with people, catching up on life and exchanging encouragements. Some of my favorite people are on staff with our ministry, and I feel blessed each time I am with them. In addition, I was able to spend time with a few of my dear friends who aren't on staff but who live in the area. Blessing upon blessing as we laughed and cried together.
I am distracted by the uneven bars.
One of the testimonies given at our conference rocked my world. A young man named Jahill had been a wreck, doing everything he could to defy a God that he believed couldn't possibly care. And then said God got ahold of Jahill's heart. And now, he is walking with the Lord and sharing the Gospel in powerful ways with other young men in the inner city who are now where he was then. Afterwards, I was able to spend time talking with him, sharing my heart about seemingly-hopeless situations here in our city. He was compassionate and he opened the Word and he prayed. I'm thankful for this man and reinvigorated with the reality that Jesus is truly the only hope for our city. But He is in us, so the possibilities are endless as His people take Him onto the streets and into the office buildings here!
The Chinese gymnasts look really young. Seriously.
That last big paragraph seems really Polliana. It's not. It's real. Jesus is real and He is here, and we, His people, get to be His ambassadors and the Gate Beautiful for the people around us. But. it. will. not. be. easy. There is a spiritual battle raging daily. The enemy wants to attack relationships--marriages, friendships, work relationships--and isolate people so that he can do what he does best...lie. He wants to pit believers both against one another and against those who don't know Him so that he can do what he does best...lie.
Enough about him. I wanna make more of Jesus. In my life, in the lives of my kids, in ministry. I must decrease; He must increase.
(I feel like I'm sounding Polliana again, but that last part is all Scripture, so I think I'll go with it. Eyes of faith, baby.)
The reality is that my heart has been pummeled by heavy things this summer. And I'm still dealing with the effects. But just as real (even more real, really) are the realities that God is on the throne, that He loves me with an everlasting love, and that He is for me. Thankful am I.
I love my children. And my husband. My kids make me laugh, and every day I have a million things to record, yet I rarely get any recorded at all....except in my heart--which, I suppose, is the best place for them to be.
Gabby Douglas is up. I'm out.
So.....a little late-nite stream of consciousness for you, my faithful readers (all 3 of you). :)
The Olympics are great, as usual. This year has been weird for me, though, as I am used to camping out by the tv every night for 2 weeks. This year, we were at our staff conference, and we were only able to catch a tad bit of the action here, a little bit more there. The late night replay, however, is allowing me a rare glimpse at an entire event that I had wanted to see: uneven bars final. (Too bad I already heard who didn't win....grrrr.)
Our conference was great. My favorite part was, of course, spending time with people, catching up on life and exchanging encouragements. Some of my favorite people are on staff with our ministry, and I feel blessed each time I am with them. In addition, I was able to spend time with a few of my dear friends who aren't on staff but who live in the area. Blessing upon blessing as we laughed and cried together.
I am distracted by the uneven bars.
One of the testimonies given at our conference rocked my world. A young man named Jahill had been a wreck, doing everything he could to defy a God that he believed couldn't possibly care. And then said God got ahold of Jahill's heart. And now, he is walking with the Lord and sharing the Gospel in powerful ways with other young men in the inner city who are now where he was then. Afterwards, I was able to spend time talking with him, sharing my heart about seemingly-hopeless situations here in our city. He was compassionate and he opened the Word and he prayed. I'm thankful for this man and reinvigorated with the reality that Jesus is truly the only hope for our city. But He is in us, so the possibilities are endless as His people take Him onto the streets and into the office buildings here!
The Chinese gymnasts look really young. Seriously.
That last big paragraph seems really Polliana. It's not. It's real. Jesus is real and He is here, and we, His people, get to be His ambassadors and the Gate Beautiful for the people around us. But. it. will. not. be. easy. There is a spiritual battle raging daily. The enemy wants to attack relationships--marriages, friendships, work relationships--and isolate people so that he can do what he does best...lie. He wants to pit believers both against one another and against those who don't know Him so that he can do what he does best...lie.
Enough about him. I wanna make more of Jesus. In my life, in the lives of my kids, in ministry. I must decrease; He must increase.
(I feel like I'm sounding Polliana again, but that last part is all Scripture, so I think I'll go with it. Eyes of faith, baby.)
The reality is that my heart has been pummeled by heavy things this summer. And I'm still dealing with the effects. But just as real (even more real, really) are the realities that God is on the throne, that He loves me with an everlasting love, and that He is for me. Thankful am I.
I love my children. And my husband. My kids make me laugh, and every day I have a million things to record, yet I rarely get any recorded at all....except in my heart--which, I suppose, is the best place for them to be.
Gabby Douglas is up. I'm out.
3 comments:
Really glad you were encouraged by conference! I think about you--and check your blog (even when you don't write)--often. :-)
Great post, Sarah! Way to multi-task too =-)
Ah, thanks, guys! Rachel, I wish you could have been there...you would have been encouraged, too. Joy, I LOVED seeing you and your beautiful family last week...you know that already, but I'm just gonna keep telling you. :)
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