The (in)mercy Project Launches!

Today, I’m proud and honored to be part of a project that launches here – that will have repercussions around the world. (in)courage – you’ll be familiar with them by now – has partnered with Mercy House Kenya to take journey together "(in)Mercy" to raise funds to provide essentials for the safety and sustainability of Mercy House and its 12 moms and 12 babies. There are five very specific ways that will enable Mercy House Kenya to move confidentiality forward in its mission of serving women and children – all before Christmas! Each phase will be represented by a group of bloggers from the (in)courage community who has felt a special affinity for that particular phase.

Now, I won’t be writing until November (so you’ll have to check back and see what part of the project drew my heart), but I have some amazing friends that I’ve met through the (in)courage community who are writing in Phase One that you just need to meet. Each has her reasons for writing, each has her own special voice, each has been blessed by God with a way with words and a crafting of language. I hope you’ll take a moment and visit these friends of mine and learn more about the (in)mercy project.

Karrilee at Abiding Love, Abounding Grace
She was one of the first that I met. Once of the first Five Minute Friday writers to say hello over Twitter; to welcome me in; to make me feel at home. Since then, this friendship has grown as we’ve discovered one thing after another in common – so many things to make us kindred spirits – and so many ways to pray and support each other. I’m looking forward to November, when I finally get to say hello in person and welcome her into my home.

Alia Joy at Narrow Paths to Higher Places
I adore this architect of words and am so grateful for her coming into my life. Another FMF friend who shares the West Coast time with me, Alia’s words are a beautiful balm and inspiration whenever I land on her page. She is also the giver of much wise advice – that I turn to time and again as I grow on my journey as a writer.

Vanessa at Hearts on Guard

Photo by Bess Brownlee

I have to say, I’ve never met anyone who encourages quite as much as Vanessa does. She’s fairly new to blogging, but you’d never know that with all the talent, skill, and passion she employs. In addition to a beautiful voice that she writes her story with, she lifts up, exhorts, and brings light to other writers who need a long distance hug, a tweet to bring them a smile, or an email to let them know that they are not alone.

Kris Camely at KrisCamely.com
Her book on the Lenten Season, Holey, Wholly, Holy: A Lenten Journey of Refinement, has completely moved me. And I can’t even write to her about it yet because I keep going back and reading pieces over and over and over again. It’s another online friendship that has been nourished by (in)courage, and one where I’m a little tentative in the light of her gifts, and yet always overwhelmed by her generous spirit.

There are more writers … twenty-four in all in Phase One. And I hope that you’ll enjoy the writings of the ones that I’ve shared here. Maybe you’ll see more. If you’re interested, you can donate through the widget on my page or theirs. Learn more about Mercy House. Learn how God is moving. Learn how taking situations that could be so terrible and turning them for His good. Let’s help bless them for Christmas.

Wisdom From a Life In Bloom: Part 4

Over the summer, I started a series called Wisdom from a Life in Bloom – taking the quotes from a little book I got several years ago from Coldwater Creek and seeing where they lead. Of course, this became that and life intervened and that category is still relatively small in my lineup of things I write about. But the beauty of something like this, this writing, blogging adventure, is that you can always go back and jump right into the midst of where you were before.

So where was I …

Learning to be alive while we’re alive
It seems to me that we can never give up longing or wishing while we are alive. There are certain things we feel to be beautiful and good and we must hunger for them.
George Eliot

Don’t you know that the image for this quote is a glorious Japanese maple (like the image here by Gary Liddell) exploding in fall colors? How perfectly perfect for a reentry into this most colorful of seasons.

What captures me the most as I stare at this picture and absorb these words is how autumn is a metaphor for both of these things: this longing and wishing for beauty and goodness and other intangibles that do not reveal themselves until a waning season in our life. Not the waning season – I’m not trying to be morbid – but there are seasons that come and go as we age and mature, and it seems to me in my experience, that it is when we are in the letting go phase, that we suddenly see how beautiful something has been. Or perhaps not even beautiful, but just the value that it has had in our lives. And then we cherish it even more for what we know now.

Photo Credit: Gary Liddell

But what if we could see that now? What if we could set aside the minutia that swirls around us like a blinding sandstorm; the daily grind that throws up distractions and disillusions – calling for our attention here and our signature there? What if we could learn purity of focus – a strengthening of our lens – so that we saw the beautiful and the good at the forefront of every day? What would that look like?

Whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.
Philippians 4:8 ESV

Then, seeing these things and hungering for these things, what would we do? How would we act? How would the rendering of our lens change the actions of our everyday lives?

Would we be more ready with a smile? Would we be willing to extend and arm – or more if called upon? Would we be willing to ask a friend or acquaintance “how are you?” and really wait for their answer? Would we look past the presumed “fine” to see if everything really was fine, or if, perhaps, there was a hurting heart in need of comfort and grace that could held in our hand and brought back into the light of living?

The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?
Psalm 27:1 ESV

I believe that if we are longing and hungering for the good and the beautiful then we will often be called out of our comfort zone – seemingly opposite of what we’re looking for – we will be called into the dark and the ugly to be the bringers of light; the carriers of peace; and the bestowers of love to the edges of our world (our personal world that leads to our global world) to spark a change that we can only make when we have the Light of Life within our hearts.

And by opening ourselves up to this hunger for what God calls us to; by allowing our hearts to awaken to His desires for our lives; by relinquishing ourselves to whatever service He has for us; by being alive while we're alive, we will find our other hungers satisfied like never before.

They shall feed along the ways; on all bare heights shall be their pasture;
they shall not hunger or thirst, neither scorching wind nor sun shall strike them,
for he who has pity on them will lead them, and by springs of water will guide them.
Isaiah 49:9b-10 ESV

Where are you being called?
To whom and to where will you bring beauty in your world?

Beginning My Journey as an Exodus Road Blogger

It had been on the periphery of what I knew for a long time. It was out there in numbers, images, themes from movies and television shows. Human trafficking isn’t something you can miss. In the fall of 2011, a friend invited me to attend a Forum on Human Trafficking presented by the Justice and Mercy Foundation that deeply touched a chord inside me. It gave me great information, good resources, and so much inspiration, but didn't necessarily provide the "what next" that I was looking for.

My History
Nearly ten months later, I answered an ad for a volunteer position with a small non-profit called Light the Dark. Two young women who had been through the Social Leadership Academy at Movement121 were working to create a campaign against Human Trafficking by uniting some of the world's most significant organizations fighting human trafficking into one voice. In an unprecedented effort, thirty three organizations from six continents pledged to unite resources, people, and voices. For better or for worse, at the same time they were building, so was another organization. One month before we were scheduled to launch, our team received an email that over the course of recent meetings, our executive team discovered that the End It movement team had also been collaborating on a similar project and they were launching in February 2012. Light the Dark graciously stepped down to put their support fully behind the End It movement, while also moving ahead with another phase of their plan, Phoster Candles. It was a great experience and I had received a taste of what could be done, but I didn’t see a specific path in front of me to pursue this calling.

And then that fall I discovered the (in)courage site. I have to laugh as I write this, simply because I say that so very much. But in all honesty, discovering (in)courage, Allume, and all the connected sites – that was a serious game-changer and life-changer for me. It brought me into a community of like-minded, spirit-led, Nutella-loving, pray-hard-and-love-you-harder writers whose voices and friendships mean so much to me. Even though I’ve yet to meet any of them face to face. It introduced me to the larger world of intentional blogging, where using the talents that God has blessed you with has a purpose. And it brought me into the sphere of The Exodus Road. 

Their History
The Exodus Road is just over two years old, and as a coalition, has directly supported the rescue of 189 victims of human trafficking since July 2012. As a network of surveillance teams and individuals, committed to fight trafficking, one legal court case at a time, their first goal is rescue. To see more specifics about what they've been able to do, you can read Laura Parker’s post: What Has Your Money Accomplished? Their second goal is increasing awareness and raising funds to support the investigative and rescue teams.

Photo Credit: Exodus Road

This is where the blogging team comes in. The Exodus Road has been assembling a team of quality bloggers who are choosing to use their online voices to consistently put the issues of modern day slavery in front of their respective audiences. They believe that everyone has a valid voice in this fight to free the oppressed, and they are building a coalition of engaged writers who believe it, too. Exodus Road bloggers are given stories and inside information from the field of counter-trafficking monthly via newsletter. Using those tools, they then tell their readers powerful stories, based on true accounts from the front lines.

Where We're Going Together
This is where I come in. Several weeks ago, I applied to be an Exodus Road blogger and have been accepted onto the team. I’m looking forward to a chance to share the stories of the incredibly brave investigative teams in the field, and of the women and children whose lives are being changed because of what they’re doing. I hope you’ll take a moment to connect with them on their website, on their Facebook page, or on Twitter. Each small investment can lead to something larger.

There are 27 million slaves in our modern world today.
That number is huge.
That number is terrifying.
That number is daunting.

But the only way to make it less frightening is to begin. And the Exodus Road has begun. They are rescuing. They are changing lives and making a difference – one person at a time.

Please take a moment and watch this video here,
from the founder of The Exodus Road

Five Minute Friday - Red

Writing again this week with Lisa Jo Baker and the Five Minute Friday Crew. This blessed, beautiful place where we open our hearts and let words and tears and the inner workings of our lives bleed and flow and dance across the virtual pages. Yes, this community opens wide and invites you in to share. Come and visit and read. You will be blessed.

This Week: Red

Go

It would be a long time before I could embrace anything but black. Certainly, in the years before, when I had little to do or say with what went into the clothing of me, certainly there was color.

But when I was old enough to call the shots, old enough to make the decisions, and certainly old enough to lay down the crisp or crumpled bills for the goods, it was a sea of darkness that swam before me on the changing room floor. I often said it made dressing in the early morning hours easier. Said it made matching things easier (but really, have you ever tried matching shades of black – take my word – they’re not created equal). Said it allowed for mystery and magic and the phase of goth that extended far past high school.

And while there might have been bits of truth embedded in there, let’s face it. The real magic of black is that is can make you disappear. Make you blend into the background. Let you drift into the shadows. And when you lack confidence and every other step you take, blending, disappearing, drifting away into the shadows is exactly what you want to do.

When I started to let go of the black and the need to blend and disappear – I can’t tell you exactly. It wasn’t an overnight event. I didn’t wake one morning full of joy and confidence; singing like Julie Andrews in the Sound of Music. It was a slow, quiet awakening. A growing awareness that there was something worth having a look at inside. An understanding that God had planted a seed and a woman of worth was growing up from underneath all the silt of struggle and trial. And somewhere right about that time, my new favorite color became red.

Red purse, red boots, Chanel red on my lips and toes. Red tinted Ralph Lauren sunglasses. Red rubies in my ears. It’s amazing how a change on the outside can bolster the wavering heart. I’m now a firm believer in wearing something nice to pick up your mood, bump up your courage for a job interview, help rock your world around you when it feels like it’s going to come crashing down around your ears.

Truly, external trappings are not all. There is so much more that has grown in me than suddenly putting on a red sweater and feeling so much better about myself. And in truth, I’m just as likely to wear black as red these days anyway. But that moment of awakening was real, and it was a start. And once I took those steps into understanding my self-worth; understanding who I was in Christ; understanding who I could become through Him and in Him. Well, there’s no going back now.

Stop

How to Join
Want to know how Five Minute Friday got started and how to participate? All the details are here. No editing or second guessing. And then absolutely, no ifs, ands or buts about it, you need to visit the person who linked up before you & encourage them in their comments. Seriously. That is the rule. And the fun. And the heart of this community.

I'd love to connect with you some more - stop on by the Three Bees Facebook Page or connect with me on Twitter @3BeesBlueBonnet. Let's continue the conversation!

Coming Soon ...

There are a couple of projects that I’ve gotten involved with recently that I’m just so excited and honored to be a part of. It’s the kind of thing that will take you off your couch and out of your home to make a difference – even if you can’t actually leave. Stay tuned. Follow #inmercy

More news is on the way …

These are the things my heart longs to do.
This is what my heart cries out for.
Here is how I will take the gifts He’s given me and change my world.

Behind the Scenes - Back to School

My Faith Hunter as she prepared for Kindergarten

Tomorrow is back to school. And for the first time, in a really long time, I am dreading it. Even as I sit to write this post, the final decision about where my daughter will wind up spending the next year, maybe two, of her educational experience is up for debate. As a parent that is one of the hardest things in the world to wait on. As a parent with control issues, it’s excruciating.

When I look at the montage I have pinned here and think back to five years ago to the first day of Kindergarten, we were so excited. My husband and I both loved school, and I had continued to celebrate the fall milestone each year, even before she was born, with the trek down the paper and pen aisles for more notebooks and a new rainbow of writing instruments – maybe some new paperclips (oh, and why not some new stickers, book bands, colored tape) – all those adorable accoutrements that a student just can’t live without.

Launching her into her academic career was an exciting venture. We carefully considered the options available to us and did our best to coordinate getting her into the right classroom with a friend. I had way too much fun at Land’s End (finally – after years of waiting), and then it was time. Time to hand over our one precious gift to the school system and trust that they would continue what we had begun.

I wish I could say that there’s been an overwhelming sense of fulfillment and satisfaction.

There hasn’t.

The first year was great. Her teacher was the ideal blend of toughness and heart. She had a reputation for being strict, but you never doubted for one second that she loved each and every one of those kids and had their best interests at heart. Unfortunately, the school ran into troubles with their administrator that bled into conflicts for the teachers. Her teachers struggled with their own difficulties and one; then the other left the school. I wrestled with my anger as one difficult situation sparked another, and after trying to be patient and toughing it out for three years, we decided to make a change and move to our neighborhood school with the traditional style of more structured education.

Except we can’t.

Now we’re facing more administrative red tape and rules that say we have to put her back into a school where the style of teaching has failed her, where she has not felt emotionally safe, and where night after night, she cries herself to sleep and doesn’t want to go back.

This is one of those hard times when the reality of your faith becomes the rubber on the road.
This is not genocide.

My sweet girl - this summer. All grown up.

This is not poverty.
This is not death.
I know this. There are far worse things.
But this is my child. (this is my heart)
This is her education.

This is her future.

Trust in the LORD with all your heart,
and do not lean on your own understanding.
In all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make straight your paths.
Proverbs 3:5-6

This is one of the first verses I learned with my father, and I am praying this hard as we work through the next fort-eight hours to resolve this situation. Whatever the outcome, I know that God has His hand on this situation. It may be that He will resolve it and allow her to go to the school that we have chosen for her. It may be that He will ask us to stay where we are and rely on Him even more on a daily basis to get through a tough situation. I need to remember that so much more than this defines her. I need to recall the happiness she's had this summer, and hold onto the promise of what's to come.

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.
Philippians 4:6-7

Either way, I expect and know that God’s hand will be seen and His purpose will be made known and He will be glorified for what He has done.

Will you pray through this with me?



I'm linking up with Crystal Stine and company again today; joining the Behind the Scenes link up. A place to make a connection beyond the Pinterest perfect ideals; to look past the edges of the photo to the real life behind it; to say hi, this is me in all my messy real-ness. Sounds like a good time to me.

I'd love to connect with you some more - stop on by the Three Bees Facebook Page or connect with me on Twitter @3BeesBlueBonnet. Let's continue the conversation!

Chasing History: Shiphrah and Puah - Obedience to God Above All Others

Chasing History is back after a few weeks off, and I’m excited to be writing with Kaitlyn over at Just One Girl and the ones who are writing about women in the Bible. Come on over and share with us. We're a community coming together to talk about the stories He has written!

In the beginning of Exodus, we see a recounting of the sons of Jacob – the tribes of Israel – who came from Canaan into Goshen and settled in the land of Egypt. They followed God’s hand that brought Joseph there, through the turning of an evil act into something beautiful: the redemption of a family and of a nation.

They were certainly smaller at that time – when they first arrived, the Bible says they numbered seventy – not counting Joseph and his family who were already there. But they were a fruitful and prosperous nation and grew to fill the country around them. So much so that when the new pharaoh came into power – one who did not know of Joseph and all he had done for the people of Egypt – he was threatened by their numbers and so put them into slavery and oppressed labor.

In the midst of the hardship and oppression, the Israelites continued to grow and multiply as a nation. This gave no comfort to pharaoh who turned to something more insidious to curb the population growth and minimize what he saw as a threat to his rule. He designed to have the newborn male infants killed.

Then the king of Egypt said to the Hebrew midwives, one of whom was named Shiphrah and the other Puah, “When you serve as midwife to the Hebrew women and see them on the birthstool, if it is a son, you shall kill him, but if it is a daughter, she shall live.” Exodus 1:15-16

Imagine the position that this put the midwives in. The pharaoh was asking them to do the impossible, but it is probable that their lives may have hung in the balance here. They were in no position to argue. In addition, these were probably not women on means within the Hebrew culture. They did not have children of their own. They were not of the intellectual or spiritual elite. And they were already part of a persecuted people. But what they did have in abundance was a tremendous faith in God and a belief in His power.

But the midwives feared God and did not do as the king of Egypt commanded them, but let the male children live. So the king of Egypt called the midwives and said to them, “Why have you done this, and let the male children live?” The midwives said to Pharaoh, “Because the Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women, for they are vigorous and give birth before the midwife comes to them.” Exodus 1:17-19

Where did they find this courage and will to defy the pharaoh? They simply realized that pharaoh had not only pitted himself ageist the people of Israel, but against the Lord almighty, and they knew where the real power was held. Notice too, that they didn’t try to argue with pharaoh; they didn’t scream about the injustice to him, they didn’t try to beg, or plead, or dissuade. They simply used those first, intimate moments with a mother and child to let that child draw their breath and live – no matter if it was a boy or a girl.

Whether or not pharaoh believed their stories about why they seemed to be missing all the births of the male children didn’t matter. The Lord had his hand on Shiphrah and Puah and blessed them for their obedience.

photo by hotblack

So God dealt well with the midwives. And the people multiplied and grew very strong. And because the midwives feared God, he gave them families. Exodus 1:20-21

The Bible tells us very clearly that we are to follow the laws of the land that govern us.

Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. Romans 13:1

But there may come a time in our lives when we will be asked to choose between those laws and the laws of God. That will never be a choice to take lightly. But if God is at the center of that choice, if it comes by His asking and His design, you can know without a doubt that His hand will be on you.

You might be wondering how to know if God is asking you to take a step like the one that Shiprah and Puah did. Or maybe you just want to know how to understand God better and know His will for your life.

Spending time with Him on a daily basis is a great place to start. Having a relationship with God is just like having a relationship with anyone else. You have to talk to Him (prayer) and spend time listening (reading the Word) if you want the relationship to grow. There are some great groups like Hello Mornings that provide study materials and accountability for going through the Word. Your church probably has some great resources too. Bible Gateway is another online resource for devotions, reading plans, and different translations of the Bible.

My prayer for you is that wherever you are with your walk with the Lord, you will find a way to get closer, draw nearer, and find just a little more time to spend in His company. You will be blessed.

I'd love to connect with you some more - stop on by the Three Bees Facebook Page or connect with me on Twitter @3BeesBlueBonnet. Let's continue the conversation!