Rock solid joy found in Jesus

October has been here and gone, and my, what a beautiful month it was here in East Dutchland.  The glow of finery that clothed the forests for weeks, brought new meaning to my definition of "pretty fall leaves."  But the display of blazing amber on the trees was not the only thing that was wonderful about this October- I could tell stories of Prague-one of my new favorite cities, a train ride with an imaginary bandit, a 10 hour graphic design installation party, and late night fine dining in Berlin (German schnitzel!) with great friends from the States- but I want to be a little bit more authentic than a puff piece about "adventures in traveling."

YWAM has been such a huge culture shock for me personally, the people/speakers here have challenged my thoughts about the vastness of the freedom in Jesus, the global bride of Jesus, and how the believer is to biblically have relationship with the Holy God of Israel... I could go on and on, but the truth that sticks out to me most on an almost daily basis, is that I must not let big questions rob me of joy in Jesus. 

Joy is one of those solid and concrete words.  It's an almost impossible state of mind for me to describe in a few words, my working understanding of it, means that even if my world seems to be crashing in around me, I have a deep, solid, hope and trust in God.  I know when I realized that I was letting questions rob me, God changed my thoughts.  The best I can think to try to articulate what joy in Jesus does is that a residing thankfulness for God's sovereignty and goodness no matter the circumstance cements in my heart.  The verse that has spoken so much truth in to my life about this joy is Philippians 4:6-7:   

^"do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with                   thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.  And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. [Emphasis mine]"

There have been days of extreme confusion and debilitating disagreement here, but God has been so faithful, He provided such amazing FAMILY, brothers and sisters to listen to all of my sloppy processing.  And He has given me an attitude of sailing above the mire of confusion, the short-term life crisis-es in YWAM.  I'm learning that it's OK to not know all the answers, it's good to debate in a respectful, honoring way, and that it's helpful to see diversity in the Body of Christ as a thing of grace not of condemnation.

"I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call—one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ's gift." (Ephesians 4:1-7, italics/emphasis mine)

The grace that is given to each believer is according to the measure of Christ's gift (in otherwords the amount of grace given to each true believer is so big, it's incomprehensible!).  Let that sink in to your soul. When we gather as a body of believers with different views, there will be challenges -but be encouraged- God has made it clear in these verses that He is the unity of the church. Let the gravity of "ALL" settle in your heart believer in Jesus.  We are not called to manufacture an attitude of ignoring each other, of argument, or even to just "put up with each other;" but we are called to believe the promise of insurmountable grace that is present for the believer who is "eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace." Oh man, it's a life-changing promise for a little Baptist girl in YWAM.  

That grace makes itself known in my life in different ways at different times, but I know that grace depicted in 2 Corinthians 12:9 is gut-settling truth no matter where in the world I am:

"But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me."

I believe this time in the lecture phase of YWAM has been a huge demonstration of this promise in my life.  Guys, I'm SO telling you that I don't have all the answers, that I don't know what the next God-glorifing step should be in the next few months, and that I react to situations without remembering the promises of God more often than not.  But I'm learning that there is so much freedom in Jesus, and I can rest assured that He will gather unto Himself His own- John 10:7-30. 

 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.  I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.  I and the Father are one.”

I'm so happy I can't make anyone be reconciled to God,  I'm so happy that souls are only won through the working of the Holy Spirit, and that I get to tell people about the incredible hope and joy that Jesus has given to me.  I am not responsible for the teachings of others, but boy- I sure pray for God to reveal truth in class, and I try to process best I can with many, many, many people.  If you have been a part of this wrestling through questions with me, I thank you from the bottom of my heart.  You have been more of a blessing to me than you can imagine, I thank God for you brothers and sisters! 

That being said,  I'm so excited to relay where I'm going on a short outreach trip with my school, in Hamburg Germany.  Hamburg is a port city on the west side of Germany, it has an area that has a reputation similar to that of Las Vegas in the States.  The area is called the reeperbahn, it is a place that sex is openly bought and sold like it could be a loaf of bread.  Our team is going to tell of hope and joy found in Jesus' redeeming death, burial, and resurrection.  Out of that motivation, I'm excited to have an opportunity to help with a local ministry to the women caught in prostitution next week.  

Next weekend, November 8-9, the team and I will be attending the OBJECT conference in Hamburg.  Hope Dies Last is a ministry based out of YWAM Herrnhut, and they are running the conference.  The conference is focused on informing about the need for justice in the area of human trafficking, to
equip people with a biblical reason to care for people caught in the sad industry, and to give practical advice in how to engage in ministry in this area in your hometown.   God has placed the women who are being/have been trafficked on my heart over a year ago, and I'm soberly excited to join in loving people in this heartbreaking, but not hopeless, situation.



Thank you for taking the time to read this mess of a long overdue blog post, I'm thanking God for you, that you care to check in with me, and pray alongside me.  God is strengthening relationships I have with people at home even though I am hundreds of miles away!  I ask you to pray for:

• clarity and wisdom in how to move forward in the next few weeks (concerning "big outreach")

• that as a school we would be given many opportunities to talk about Jesus, and to show people Jesus' love in Hamburg

• that we would have the grace to love one another, because we will be known as Christ-followers by our love for each other (John 13:35)

• ideas for effective street ministry, or otherwise (Monday-Thursday)
•  
• that people would understand how to show Jesus to the people caught in slavery in their spheres of influence as a result of the OBJECT conference

• continued joy in Jesus

I'd love to talk with you if you have any questions or thoughts about any of this!  We need each other on this journey.   At the end of the day, my heart says: Bless the Lord Oh my soul.  He is good, and His mercies endure forever-heck they are new every morning! Yeah! Praise God!