About a Girl

So there was this girl named Agnes. Born on a hot august day not too long ago. She has an average upbringing and time is flying by now and in a flash she is twelve years old, and probably a typical pre-teen right? Wrong. This twelve year old feels the call of God to be an agent of love to the world. So when she's 18 she believed the best way to do this would be to leave her home at 18 and join a Irish community of nuns bound for India.

She did do it. She became a teacher in St. Mare's School in Calcutta. However, the suffering and the poverty outside the walls of the convent overwhelmed her heart. So at the age of 38 she left the convent to work among poorest of the poor. The people no-one cared about. She had no funds. No support team. No great skills. All she had was the heart of Christ, and He was smiling.

After her step of faith the Lord honored her. She began an open aired school for the children of the slums. Soon she was joined by voluntary helpers and financial support was also forthcoming. Soon she would start her own order called "the missionaries of charity". Before long her order would have influence and other offshoots in the former Soviet Union, Eastern Europe, Africa, Asia, Latin America, and Australia. So the Lord has his hand on it...I guess you could say...By the end of her life more than 40 countries were and still are influenced by this order.

The Lord would honor this once little girl now little women further. Her humble inspire and charisma got her to speak all over the world. The lit&le women from Macedonia was now in front of kings and presidents. In maybe my favorite story of her. She is in Washington D.C., there is a Q&A I think going on about abortion. This woman stands up and says that she heard America doesn't want its babies, and pleaded with us to give them to her, because she wants them!

You know I once heard a quote that has often made me wonder. "The world has yet to see what one man could do, utterly and fully devoted to Christ". I'm not sure I agree with that, but I will say the world has seen what one woman did. Oh...You might know her as Theresa.

About a Good Prayer

(From the Episcopal Book of Common Prayer)

Gracious Father, we pray for the Holy Universal Church. Fill it with all truth, in all truth with all peace.

• Where it is corrupt, purify it
• Where it is in error, direct it
• Where in any thing it is amiss, reform it
• Where it is right, strengthen it
• Where it is in want, provide for it
• Where it is divided, reunite it

For the sake of Jesus Christ thy Son, our Saviour. Amen

About Wounds

Time heals all wounds

Wounds in the relational/spiritual realm are certainly a very scary/powerful thing. Wounds can shape the whole person...and, in fact, thats precisely what they do. Maybe, not all the time but certainly they play a huge part in the developement of the soul/personality/etc. For instance, if you were someone who was stolen from all your life...your probably suspicious of other people. Maybe you were lied to often, so you question the truth. Maybe you were abused physcially or wounded deeply emotionally, and now your unable to trust. So are wounds are very powerful things, and can control our personality and very lives. However, we subject ourselves to their power when we don't go to Jesus with our wounds...

I can remember my early days of being wounded. I think their always small at first, and become real clear once the school years begin, but even before that surely. My most profound wounds came at the hand of my parents. I don't think this is some great tragedy...this is normal for everyone. We are around are parents more than any other person. They are or should be the person who loves us the most in the world growing up and so they have the capacity to wound us the greatest. They are around the most...in most cases...and so have most opportunity to wound.

Rejection is the most common form wounds take when were young I believe. For instance, like when my thumb didn't get pressed down in "7 up" in first grade. The day a kid made fun of my ears at the Berlin Flea Market. The time in second/third grade when I got in a fight. The day my friend Eddie stole from me. The time my friend Mike didn't invite me to his birthday party. I can also remember the deep wounds. Like I said before I think many that will go unsaid come at the hands of my parents. Praise the Lord that they are truly and thankfully not gashes. I grew up in a wonderful home by any standard I have to measure it against, but my parents were/are sinful and they wounded me as I wounded them. I am truly blessed not to have grown up in a home of verbal/sexual abuse, or a home where I was not loved/affirmed, etc.

My deepest wound to date came at the hand of my best friend at the time, two summers ago. I have never felt hurt more than on that dramatic day. I can still remember the rush of emotions. The opportunity to act like a son in the kingdom of God was never more real than in that moment. The chance to forgive; though wounded. Forgiveness is the key to dealing with all wounds I believe, but Jesus is the keymaker. I must admit the pain of that situation seemed to be on me like white on rice, and it seemed best to just ignore it...and let time deal with it. I sincerely bought into this crap "Time heals all wounds". Now, time might help forget, but that doesn't do anything but bury the pain and hurt.

We talked this morning , George Miley mainly, about this issue. George submitted that only Jesus can heal all wounds. I think that is something that should have struck me a good deal earlier. He was right when he said that Time doesn't produce maturity or wisdom. Time doesn't heal, books don't heal, counseling doesn't heal, friends don't heal, etc. They can help, but only if they lead you to love and Jesus. If they don't lead to him; then I'm afraid were just wasting our time. Only Jesus can heal our soul...and all the parts included: physical, emotional, and spiritual.

I think the way Jesus heals the soul that George talked about is exactly the same way I experienced healing in my life two summers ago. The healing is when we are alone with God and he tells us that...... I LOVE YOU, I LOVE YOU, I LOVE YOU...NOTHING YOU DO TODAY COULD MAKE ME LOVE YOU MORE !

Now, I am a firm believer that this is true...I know because when I'm with Him he tells me. However, this will never be something you can just know, you have to hear it for yourself. A way to hear God, maybe the easiest, is to be in his presence. In a culture that has no respect for silence, solitude, and prayer I'm afraid we have missed out on hearing these words from Him. I'm with George, once you hear that...healing is possible and already begun.

About Passion

I'm currently in Germany right now. Its been an emotional and exciting week. I am surrounded by people with passion. I cannot tell you what a peace and comfort it is to be in a room where people are passionate about the same thing...the kingdom of God. I have sat in a circle with warriors this past week. Though they would never say that about themselves. I sit in a room with men and women who know God and have walked with him for many years...but they would tell you they know very little about God if you asked them about Him.

So I have sat in the room with these heroes of the faith...people who were among the first to be in Turkey, India, and other countries. Men and women who have suffered for Jesus' sake. As we read the words of Jesus together...blessed are those who suffer for my name... I feel so guinely out of place. Then reports come in that one of the pastors who was with us...church was attacked and members of his church had been seriously injured. It was reported also that my friend Kamil was among those beaten because of their love for Jesus, and he has the stitches to prove it.

In a sick way I am almost jealous of my friend. I am also scared of what I might have done in his place. The only thing i know of suffering is that they don't sell Christmas stuff at Walmart anymore. As we heard the news about this beating and injustice. We immediately began to circle around their pastor and pray. We prayed for him and prayed for kamil...but most of the prayers....were for the men who did this...that my friends is grace...that is true religion at its finest. That is pasion.