An Outpouring of Words

      I feel like the inspiration to write anything long and noteworthy has departed my brain since about 12 days ago. I nearly wore myself out with writing this summer, just not on here. In the last several days I have started a blog post several times only to stop because it was sounding too academic and I really dislike reading academic sounding blogs. I much prefer them to be written well, but at the same time very practical and relaxed. Just my opinion...

     Out of my writing this summer, you would find an essay about growing up in the little town of Ladysmith, Wisconsin where the maple trees were spectacular and the first twelve years of my life were established on a dairy farm. (ask my sister now and she'd probably tell you that the farm has been far removed from my blood! Ha!) I wrote about American parenting although I didn't really have any expert advice on the subject. Thankfully, and to my rescue, this is where being required to quote multiple sources came in helpful.
     My last writing project was about Nicky Cruz and gangs in America. This one was probably my most thought about project and definitely the one that ignited my passion. I was reminded again that we cannot expect to reach anyone with Truth by just having a good church service and hoping they will attend and enjoy the entertainment. Are you kidding? People don't generally recruit themselves, be it for positions in business, leaders of organizations, gangs, or what have you; they are usually sought after and hunted down. Such is the case with reaching people with the Gospel. I beg you to not turn up your nose at Christians who are willing go into places and situations that most deem as "un-fit and dangerous" to seek out those who are lost and searching for something they don't even know exists. I find that the Life of Jesus and bringing people to Him, is not always starched and white, for if it were, you and I would not be His children. We, with all of our problems and grime would not have been allowed to enter the heart of God because we would have been too dirty to sit beside Him in the throne room. All glory to God that such is not the case. He gladly welcomes our hearts into his, no matter the evil that has been done...Which brings me to speak of my current favorite words: But God. Those two little words offer so much life and hope for every individual that makes up the 7,357,672,900+ people of the nations. I love how those are the words used in the transition of explaining how Christ changes our hearts. Parts of Ephesians 2 in my own words would go something like this: "Your soul was smothered in death with the sins you committed and you were enraptured with your fleshly desires, living as a child of wrath..... But God, saw your state and loved you so much that He reached out in mercy and pulled you out of the Pit, making you alive with the Messiah, forgiving your past life... you are saved because of grace!  You were once far away but now in Christ Jesus you have been brought home by the blood of the Messiah." That's outright exciting! So why, I ask, do we hide the Gospel from those that appear unreachable? Why do we prefer to remain in the shadows, on the other side of the wall, hoping that our lamp will shine around the corner and cast a small ray of hope to those in the room on the other side when God really wants us to come out of hiding, into the midst of the room and illuminate the darkness. Is it because of pride? We find ourselves being scared that living out the life of Jesus in public would make people look at us strange. It might. But does that matter? No. Jesus does not require that we maintain a perfectly clean comfort zone. He would rather be loved with reckless abandon.
     When we invite the Holy Spirit to live in us, we are asking him to consume our being. We are asking him to work through us in a way that gives God the glory. We are asking him to love others through us. In short words, we are crying out that He would fill us with power to be the hands and feet of Jesus.  Lord help us!