Closure.

I’m writing this for several reasons. For one, I know that a few of you have been along for the ride but don’t actually know me. You’ve prayed for me and supported us through this so you definitely deserve an update! But I’m doing this for me as well. Although I don’t go back and read my old blogs, if I ever decided to I would for sure want this chronicled.

Yesterday, I got my port out.

Yes, it’s an awkward pic but I don’t care! Because I’m excited and I’m happy! Let me tell ya, the procedure is done in a very professional way in the OR and all that, but I was also fully awake for it. So all of the tugging and pulling against my scar tissue while I was still awake and aware was gag-worthy. For real. But…good has come from it.

For a while this port was like a security blanket for me. It felt like relief and it felt like comfort. I didn’t want it at first but once I had it, I truly came to rely on it as a source of calming, as weird as that may sound.

But over the years, I’ve needed it less and less. Treatments were stopped over 2 years ago and it became a hassle. Something that was uncomfortable and that needed attending to (in the form of getting flushed) even though it was inconvenient. As my days were spent more at home than at Penn, these visits to have my port flushed felt increasingly intrusive. And so we decided to get it out.

I need to include something here for my own records because I felt that I never had closure on this cancer stuff. As much as I could physically feel healthy and mentally detach from the trauma, there was always the reminder in the form of that uncomfortable port in my chest. Treatments didn’t stop with some triumphant “last chemo” where I ring a bell and get applause. No, I simply didn’t want to do them anymore and my oncologist understood and supported that decision.

Appointments and specialists and scans sort of petered out. There wasn’t an end. But this? This felt like an end to the chapter. This felt like the turning of a page. This port that had ingested so much chemo and has seen me through some of the hardest times of my life was about to go. And symbolically, it was impossible to ignore.

You see, God has been opening my eyes to so much recently.

I wanted to go by myself to Philly to get my port out and as I drove home, I thought I’d listen to my chemo playlist on my phone. This was literally the playlist I would listen to during infusions. I haven’t been able to bring myself to listen to it for over 2 years, but I also haven’t been able to bring myself to delete it. It’s special.

So as the songs played, I felt myself get real honest with God. You see, over the last year and a half, we have been a part of starting a church. This is good! But on the same coin, it’s been the hardest time of my life. I’ll explain.

When God called us to this church plant, it ripped me from the only church home I’ve ever known. It tore me from the comfort of the church family that was truly my family, the people who had loved and supported us through my cancer and the people that I wanted to love and support. It took us away from the teens who loved and trusted us and who we loved so very much. Being a part of this church plant meant willingly giving up a huge piece of my heart. And unbeknownst to us at the time, it meant enduring some cruel and unjust criticisms as well. And I was just not ready for that.

On the drive home from having my port removed and thinking through all of the happenings of the last few years that I had shut off from myself, I came to see a few things.

For one: difficult emotions can coexist. I’ll say it again, difficult emotions can coexist! My grief over the loss of my church family in New Holland did not mean I love my new church any less! I’ve tried to hide my grief because I felt like if I looked sad to leave my other church that it would look like I wasn’t ready or excited to tackle what God had in store for us at the new church. And that’s just not true! I spent almost a year in a deep depression over losing our old church, especially the youth. So much so God had to hit me over the head with the new opportunities we had to spread the gospel this past week as 20 teens came to our house for youth group. Praise God for His goodness!! I will always miss our old church. Always. Especially the teens. But I feel more free to experience that grief alongside the excitement and joy of creating new relationships.

And two: God showed me that I have closed myself off from Him. Ok, actually I already knew this, but I guess He showed me why.

Over the last few years, God has called me to some things that were hard. Things I didn’t want or ask for. Things I didn’t want to do and things I didn’t want to face. I’ve meditated on the verse that says, “draw near to God and He will draw near to you” a LOT over the last few weeks, and there was just a hesitation on my part to draw near to Him but I couldn’t figure out why. I love Him and I want to serve Him only, so why couldn’t I connect?

Then, in the drive home from having my port removed while I was listening to the worship music on my chemo playlist it hit me like a ton of bricks.

I’m terrified of what He’ll ask of me next.

The last few years have been so hard, such a struggle, with so little clarity that I was scared that what He’d ask next would be even more so difficult. I’m a little ashamed to even admit this, but I know I need to as some of you look at me as a Christian who just has it all together and has it all figured out. That’s just not the case.

So why even write this? For one, an update to you amazing folks who have followed this journey with me. And for two, so I can look back someday and see what God was up to in this season. I feel closure on the part of my life that was ruled by cancer and that feels so good! And while I still grieve the loss of the most amazing church family anyone could ask for, I’m thanking God for putting us where He has put us.

If you read this to the end, I’m so sorry for making you endure all that and may God bless you for it!! There’s no way I can thank you guys enough for your love, encouragement, and prayers over the years. It’s really mind-boggling to think of all of the support we’ve received and we are beyond thankful! So, thank you!!

And in case you want to know, Eric and the kids are doing great and I found a hobby and passion in cookies!

Love to all of you!! 💕

A Season of “No.”

Imagine if God gave us everything we wanted right when we wanted it starting as soon as we repented and accepted Christ. At first, this sort of sounds awesome, right?

But what would we ask for?

We would, no doubt, destroy ourselves with indulgences and whims and would turn from Him to live in our selfishness, glorifying only ourselves.

I think back on things I’ve prayed for and can see where His unwillingness to yield to the foolish whims of my heart were ultimately in my best interest. I also see clearly where seasons of suffering, that I prayed to be delivered from, were painfully drawn out and have brought much fruit that otherwise wouldn’t have flourished if left to my own will.

This is why I will trust His “No.” or His “Wait.” Whatever it might be. It is most certainly for my own good.

The problem is I’ve grown impulsive in my faith, all because of cancer. I no longer see any need to sit around and wait, I want to be shown where to go and I want go. So being told “No” or “wait” is most definitely bothering me more than I’d like to admit.

But just as these two pictures of our lane show, clarity will come. It won’t be foggy forever. And so I’ll seek Him in prayer and scripture. I will continue to serve Him the best I know how.

And I will wait.

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Gun Violence and The Church

Of course when I hear of a tragedy like the one that happened yesterday, my heart breaks for the victims’ families and friends and for the ones who witnessed it and must deal with the emotional scars from this forever.  I’m unable to comprehend in any form the grief and weight that they will carry now forever.  These tragedies instill in us fear and distrust and it’s easy to jump to our go-to talking points on these incidents.  But that doesn’t seem to be helping, does it?  Maybe we need to take a step back, look at the whole picture, and see if there isn’t another possible approach.

To be perfectly clear:  I am not anti-gun nor am I a pacifist.  I have tried to look at this issue from all sides and I feel like there is an element from a Christian perspective that maybe we are missing.  Is an ultimate solution to add money into the budget for armed personnel at every school?  Maybe.  Is it a solution to restrict access?  I don’t know.  I just know that it’s time we all start listening to each other instead of fighting.  Church, please hear me out.

I’m no expert by any stretch on, well, anything, but I’ve learned a few things in my 11 years of faith and 10 years of youth ministry.  By and large, the kids who act out the most or go on to hurt themselves or others are kids who don’t feel noticed, accepted, loved, or worthy.  They don’t see why they are here and can’t fathom having a purpose.  When your life centers around you and there is seemingly no value to it, it makes some sense why these things can occur.  These kids feel wronged and since life has no meaning apart from themselves, they feel hopeless and trapped because they truly do not believe that things can get better.

As a Christian, I know that every person on this planet is loved, worthy, and has a purpose.  And that there is always hope.  But there are so many people that can look into the mirror and see no hope, no purpose, and can’t imagine ever being loved.  I’ve worked with many troubled teens and can attest that they truly feel this way and the depths of this hopelessness is soul crushing.  So what can we do?  How are we, as individuals, supposed to help any of this?

There’s no way I could fully explain the intricacies and nuance of a life following Christ, at least not in one blog post certainly, but I can fully attest to the fact that it is better.  Even if our circumstances don’t change at all, Christ changes us and refines us and that’s what we need.

Church, imagine the burden of thinking that in your life, all that matters is what you make of yourself through your own effort and achievements.  We are often so far removed from our pre-Christ selves that we don’t see that that is an enormous burden and one that our neighbors are shouldering.  And that that “truth” as they see it does not reconcile well with a sin-sick world that glorifies violent and dangerous behavior.  Add to that the burden teens feel due to social media.  Don’t blow it off just because we don’t understand it as an older generation, it creates pressures that we just cannot fathom.  And if you are growing up outside of the church, you likely don’t have that support system or that place to go to feel loved and cared about.  These kids are hurting so deeply and it tears me up inside.

If we are looking for a cure for this violence, I believe it must go deeper than guns and deeper than saying “they need Jesus” although, of course, I believe that’s true.  I’m not anti-gun by any means but I’m also not crazy enough to believe that a secular society, such as ours, that is taught from day one to look out for #1 and that there is no inherent value in life because there is no God and we are all here by complete random chance, is capable of raising children and teens that have a solid foundation and can be kept from actions like these.  So perhaps reformed gun laws are in order so that we can protect this next group of kids because, truthfully, Church, we aren’t doing enough.  Saying “It’s a heart problem not a gun problem” isn’t good enough.  Is it true?  I believe so, yes.  But we must as a whole take a long and difficult look in the mirror and realize that our faith without actions is dead.  Useless.  Pointless.  Christians do a whole lot more talking than acting these days and there is just no fruit from that.  And Jesus tells us we will be known by our fruit.  No wonder the world takes one look at us and decides it doesn’t want to a part of our stale and complacent faith.

Do I believe law-abiding citizens should have to give up their guns?  No.  But I do believe if every law-abiding, self-proclaimed Christian would step up and get involved in the lives of young people through mentoring or something along those lines, these tragedies would decrease greatly, maybe even disappear.

It’s no secret that America is becoming more and more secular every year as people leave their faith in droves, some stats for a place to start.  These stats should spur us on to do better!  Perhaps it’s time to take our walls down, listen to the other side, and see if there isn’t middle ground somewhere without compromising our faith.   I believe there are issues like abortion that from a faith-based perspective are black and white and there is no middle ground.  That the right to life should always be pursued and protected.  I think it’s important to take a solid and loving stand on these issues.  But is gun control really one of them?  I’m open to hearing other sides and very much invite civil conversation, so let me know if you disagree.  And please know I’m well versed in both sides of the argument and can fully understand both sides.

We know there is a cure for hopelessness, a cure for soul-crushing self hatred, a cure for life without purpose and Jesus really is the cure for this.  We know this, Church!  And God has chosen us as the means to deliver this message!  I believe our idols of safety and comfort have kept quiet and made us complacent.  There are a whole lot of hurting people out there and we aren’t powerless to sit back and do nothing.  For we know the power of the gospel of Jesus Christ because we have been made new because of it!  The first steps toward personal change and progress are always hard and scary and make us vulnerable and we just don’t like that.  But we have so much work to do and with God’s help, it is not impossible.

Prayer for Believers

May Your holy fire burn within us again;

And may Your love boil over in result, forcing us to action in Your name.

May we cast off the rotting corpses of shame, guilt, and regret,

And may we fully come to know that Your blood has washed us clean.

May we be ceaselessly burdened for those who don’t know You,

And may we make discipleship our priority.

May we take the Good News so far that our feet become sore and weary,

And may our arms ache and cry out as we reach farther and farther towards the lost.

May we keep our eyes fixed only on Him, our feet straight in His path,

And our lives set in His will.

May we see suffering and long to ease it,

And may we endure suffering in Your strength only.

May we experience unity as believers,

Recognizing that we all share the same goal.

May our lips speak to praise You,

And our words bring You glory.

May we meet contempt with love.

May our words build each other up in constant encouragement.

May we no longer pursue a world that is ripe with decay,

But let us seek revival in Your word.

May we experience hunger so that others may be fed.

May we serve with intent and selflessness,

Forsaking accolades and meaningless praise.

May our egos dry to dust and float away in the wind of God’s goodness.

And may our icy apathy and cold-hearted complacency towards Christ’s final directive begin to melt,

That we may thirst for the living water above all else to fill us.

Sacrifice.

2017 word of the year for us: Sacrifice! Eric and I were called to give up a lot, I mean, A LOT! But we chose obedience over acceptance, as difficult as that was at times.

I won’t undercut those who suffer from true depression, but I have felt depression deeper this year than I have ever known even when dying from cancer. Truly. Although we know we still “have” our church family from New Holland (and love them!), it still felt like God was telling us to give that up as our place of worship. For Him. Not because New Holland is any way bad, NO, not at all!! But because it was time. For us.

We felt led to plant a church and that NH would no longer be our place of worship, after 12 years and the fact that it’s the only church home I’ve ever had, that was hard. I have cried more over these last few months at the “loss” of this family, and most specifically at the loss of being a part of the youth group, than I ever have at anything regarding to cancer. Yeah, seriously….

But God had not left us without. Not even a little. He has given us a new church and a new vision and this has been an amazing blessing to our family. Church planting is, well, WAY more work than I ever thought it would be. That’s not necessarily bad, it just is what it is.

2017 has been very hard for the same reasons that it has been wonderful: People. We love and value all of the relationships we have and that have flourished this year and we mourn the loss of those that we have lost. We have lost friendships and for that, I grieve. But I don’t want to lose focus on my goal of spreading Christ simply based on the disapproval of Christians who don’t agree with my methods. I just can’t. It’s too important and they can say literally whatever they want about me, I know the truth and so does God. And my mission is pure, regardless.

It’s been a hard time because I felt like I needed to hide all of this hurt. But our old church has supported us so much and so have many others and for that we are thankful!

I’m praying that God will do BIG things in us and through us this year as we try to reach those who do not know Him!

We are totally unworthy of this calling to plant a God-honoring church but so excited because that’s how we know God works – through those of us that are unworthy.

May His strength be shown in my weakness as my weaknesses have been on full display this year. I’ve been quick to anger. Oh! So quick. I’ve said less than kind things as a reaction to being hurt. I’ve tried to be a pleaser of people. I’ve lost sight occasionally of the ultimate goal and passion of living for the purpose and life that only Jesus can give. Sadly, even after all I’ve been through with cancer, it’s possible still to lose sight of the most important things because of hurts caused by people. How silly, ultimately.

And I’ve been listening to way too much Taylor Swift. Haha! But seriously there are times that “Bad Blood” has seemed way more appropriate to me at the given moment than any Chris Tomlin song.

I’m a work in progress.

But I can’t and won’t live to please people. God is real and He is good and I will live to please Him only. This has been a surprisingly hard realization to come to regarding all of the testing we have endured this year, but I believe things are looking up and I can’t wait to keep giving God the glory!

Wishing you all a happy and healthy 2018!!

Thank you, Chris Tomlin

Ok, so I try not to preface because usually it’s unnecessary, but I feel like I should let you know in case you don’t already just who Chris Tomlin is.  He is a Christian mega-celebrity.  The Beyoncé of contemporary Christian music.  The Sandra Bullock of worship music.  The Taylor Swift of worship leaders in America (minus the pettiness.  Well, I guess I don’t actually know his level of petty, but I’m assuming it’s lower than me and TS’s.). And I, little old me, got a personalized video message of encouragement from him! (See below).

All that said, I had a pretty cool experience this week.  As my “cancerversary” is right around the corner and we have had some pretty big life changes lately, I’ve found myself more pensive than usual.  I’m having a hard time declaring my gratitude to God for his powerful healing in my life from cancer because survivor’s guilt keeps me from proclaiming His healing glory.  And the fact that he used a missionary who prayed over me as a vehicle to showcase that power?  It’s all so wild and unbelievable, and yet being healed from stage 4 terminal cancer is my truth.  Even if just for now.  I mean, I’m already almost 3 years past my oncologist-given expiration date and that’s pretty hard to shake.  Am I boasting?  Well, maybe, but Paul feels me on this:

So at the risk of sounding like a braggart again, stay with me because I think this is kind of cool.  When I was very very sick a few years ago, I wanted to go to Creation festival but couldn’t.  I had been in 2009, and besides being introduced to a little-known up-and-coming rapper named Lecrae, I also got to see Chris Tomlin as he lead worship.  His set is firmly embedded in my memory (even with as much of my memory I’ve lost through radiation and seizures) as a very worshipful and powerful time.  Declaring God’s glory and proclaiming His goodness with thousands of others.  Just awesome.

So fast forward a few years.  I’m literally dying.  My physical body is failing.  I’m mentally prepping for death for myself and prepping my kids for my death and that this time they are 2 & 4.  I bought a burial plot and have asked for an evangelistic service with an altar call.  And amongst so many other supportive and ridiculously amazing people in my life, I have a beautiful and kind-hearted friend who works at the Creation festival.  I message her and tell her, if it’s in any way possible, could she please just tell Chris that his song “Angel Armies” was one of the most healing songs for my weary soul.  It reminded me of God’s power and, at a time when I was powerless to change anything in my own life, it soothed my weary heart to hear that God is still in this.

This is what I got in return:

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Ok, I’m not deluded enough to think that some people are better or more important than others, but that was pretty cool!

I had a lot of feelings about this, but mostly I just had to smile at the naive thought that I, a dying person, would somehow get to see Chris Tomlin again in this earthly life.  He was so sweet, but so naive.  I wouldn’t be seeing him and I knew it, but I so appreciated that kind gesture!

And here I am as of a few nights ago.  Seeing Chris Tomlin live and absolutely breaking down and ugly crying during “Angel Armies”​

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It’s a weird, amazing, wonderful, guilt-ridden, triumphant, and awe-inspiring benchmark in this journey.  I have so much more I want to say, but for now I’ll say thanks to Mr. Tomlin for his faith that we would, indeed, see each other in the future (even if I was just a face in the crowd – I’m more than ok with that).  

Life is crazy.  Cancer is terrifying.  But God is steadfast and He is good.  Always. 

Perspective…

Over the past few weeks, I’ve used this word to calm me down in the midst of emotional turmoil.  There have been a lot of exciting things happening (our church plant!! So amazing.  Will update on that later 😊) but also a lot of…not so great things.  Without going into detail, just know that my husband and I have been attacked more in these last few weeks and have had our names dragged through the mud and, honestly, it was really a difficult time.  I like people to like me and to understand where I’m coming from so it’s really hard when you find out you are being grossly misrepresented.  It hurts.  And it sucks.  And it’s completely unnecessary!

Perspective.  I’ve reminded myself that my eternity is not defined by what people say about me or how they perceive my motives.  Or even if they like me!  I trust only in God who sent His son to die on the cross for my sins so that I could be reconciled to Him and do His work.  Period.  If that makes me unlikeable, then so be it.  
I’ve come to see how wonderful it is to have people in your life who truly “get” you and support you (or call you out when you’re ridiculous).  But I’ve also realized how much time and energy I was putting into caring about things that just don’t matter.  

Let me quick check my meter for how much unnecessary drama I’m able to tolerate right now….ok, yup, it’s at zero.

Think about what you were most outraged/passionate about today, then think about this- According to stats from UNICEF, 29,000 children under the age 5 have died TODAY from preventable causes!  29,000!!  Starvation, diarrhea, lack of access to vaccines, dehydration, and parasites top the list of why.  You see what I mean?!  There’s just no time for nonsense, there is work to be done. 

Don’t get me wrong, it is completely possible to care about a whole bunch of things all at once, absolutely.  And I love being a part of dialogue where all sides are heard and valued.  I just refuse to believe the worst in people so I’ve chosen to always hear people out.  This has been a wonderful tactic for meaningful connection!  And I’m only sorry I didn’t consciously try it sooner.  

Disclaimer: I’m not trying to sound “better than anyone” (because if I’ve learned anything over the last few months it’s that someone will think that) but just to make us think and, yes, give us some perspective.

Get this, I even stopped blogging because I was worried what people would think of me!  They would think I’m annoying and self-promoting, self-righteous and selfish.  I don’t care anymore.  What I do care about is people.  People who are hurting and suffering here and all over the world.  And I intend to do something about that.

Jesus was very clear and I take his commands and those of the disciples very seriously, so instead of worrying about what others think (and by doing so stopping my effectiveness as a disciple of Christ), I’m simply going to focus in on what I’m commanded to do by the One who holds my heart.  If you want to be a part of this ride, you’re more than welcome to join me!!

I’m going to care for the orphans and widows, I’m going to love God and love people, and I’m going to go and make disciples.  Period.

Try and stop me.

A Prayer for Today

We all go through times where God feels distant, maybe even unreachable, or where we know we have strayed and feel shame in returning to His undeserved mercy and grace.  Though I know this is very normal in the day to day life of a believer, I also believe that we must recognize it as soon as we can and must also not allow it to take hold.  The distance that we perceive is often a result of our incremental steps away from Him (a little less prayer each day, a little less time in the Word) til we get to a place that is cold and unfamiliar and we long for intimacy with Him again.  This takes a little bit of uncomfortable realization, but is worth is worth the hard work to get back on the right path. And if today you are carrying around the shame of unrepented sin, there is no better time than now to let Jesus break that chain and give you back your life and freedom.

We cannot be usable vessels when our will continually overthrows God’s will for us.  It can be difficult to discern God’s will, but I believe that is by design.  Jesus tells us that when we seek Him, we find Him. It’s simple in theory, but it takes work and dedication, it takes introspection and it’s often uncomfortable to let light shine on the dark areas that we try to keep hidden.  But who are we kidding, God sees it.  It’s best to deal with it now.

It’s not always ever easy or comfortable, but it’s always better.  Always.

Lord, today speak to us and through us.  Give us the strength and desire to seek and serve only You.  Help us to cast off the chains of sin, which leads ultimately to eternal separation from You, and let us be renewed by Your grace and mercy.  Let us think of You first, others next, and ourselves last.  Help us today to grow in You and be used for Your glory.  Amen.

Merry Christmas to the Lonely and the Lost

The anticipation.  The excitement.  The hope for getting something we didn’t know we needed.  Exactly.

God gave us the greatest gift. 

We don’t serve a distant and cold God! No, we serve a God who walked alongside us and chose to feel the things we do, both good and bad.  The togetherness and the loneliness.  The hurt and the healing.  The love and the loss.  No matter what we have been facing this Christmas, whether it was a beautiful day filled with family and warmth and laughter or whether it was a cold day filled with loneliness and reminders of what once was, we can rest assured that our savior felt that too.  No longer God at a distance, but God with us.  Emmanuel. 

From God above, to God with us, to – after He was risen – God within us.  There is no greater gift. 

I feel for those who have suffered this holiday season.  People who are facing a first Christmas without a loved one or even a 20th Christmas without a loved one – the pain is the same.  I’m reminded that my family should be celebrating without me.  I feel for people who are lonely, lost, or feeling forgotten.

Just remember that what we celebrate this season isn’t the excess and the gifts and the decorations and the idol of greed.  No, we celebrate Jesus.  The man who felt our pain, willingly took our sin, and chose to sacrifice it all, everything, for each one of us.  All of us.  And the good news is there is not one single one among us who deserve it.

Merry Christmas. 

All my love,
Kim

King of Heaven – Hillsong
“In our silence, Heaven whispered out
In our darkness, glory pierced the night”

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Calling Out Christians

No, this post is not going to be whining about how Christians have gotten a bad rap or are unfairly represented or blah blah blah.  My goal, actually, is to join in the chorus of people calling us out.  Why?  Because the Bible tells us to.  First of all, Jesus is very blunt when He tells us that we will be disliked and mistreated because of Him.  We just gotta suck it up and deal with that.  But we are also told to keep each other accountable as fellow believers.  That’s what I want to do now (and I do this knowing there are people who do this for me). 

So with love in my heart as a sister in Christ – if you are a professing believer in Jesus Christ, I have a question for you:

How did you do today?

Just sit for a moment and reflect on this day.  What if today you came into contact with someone who would never see another Christ follower in their life, were you a good example of what exactly that means and looks like? 

Did your words breathe of life and joy and affirmation and encouragement?
Or perpetually grieved and offended?

Were you different than anyone else?
Or did you completely blend in?

Were you a light shining in the darkness? 
Or Were you yourself engrossed in the pleasures of the world?

Were you actively defending the underdog and reaching out a hand to the downtrodden? 
Or were you too busy to even notice them?  Or even worse, were you worried what people might think?

Were you serving the Lord with a grateful heart?
Or did you grumble through your day, complaining just a loud as everyone else? 

Was your focus on building His kingdom and storing up treasures in heaven?
Or has selfish ambition overshadowed God’s perfect plan?

These thoughts came to me as I was preparing for a Bible study tonight and I gotta say, it stopped me in my tracks.  “What if today…” Because for me, on this day, the answer to the non-italicized questions was mostly “No.”  #convicted!

But I firmly believe that conviction through the Holy Spirit makes us better, makes us adjust our priorities, and will open up our hearts (for the first time or maybe the 100th time) to the possibility that God’s plan for us is far better than our plan.  Conviction gets us back on track.  Helps us see our situation from a different perspective.  Sometimes makes it clear just how far we have wandered.  It reminds us that serving Him is far more fulfilling than anything the world could offer.  That in losing ourselves to find Him, we actually find out who we were always meant to be.  And isn’t that a great feeling and a great place to be?

Well, guess what, someone else is longing for that feeling.  Someone you know feels worthless, tired, hated, persecuted, lonely, confused, condemned, not good enough.  There are people fighting deep inner battles or struggling with addiction or people who see themselves as worthless or disposable.  This. Should. Break. Our. Hearts. Someone out there needs you to up your game.  I know I certainly an going to.

Let’s do this!