Donald Miller

Last night Emily and I went to a reading by Donald Miller, the author of Blue Like Jazz, at a Christian bookstore up in Vancouver. Blue Like Jazz has been producing a subtle undercurrent through Christian circles and some non-Christian circles. The book is not mainstream, religious-right, Christianity--and has received much flack for it--but the book has impacted me in ways that I cannot even begin to tell you. If you haven't picked it up yet, do. Even if you don't agree with Don and his impressions of Christianity and Jesus, it will impact how you see Jesus and give you a great understanding of Portland and the Northwest. (Don lives in Portland, and the culture of Portland is all over the pages of the book.) Not to mention, he's a fabulous writer!

It was an awesome evening! Don's amazingly down to earth, and it was almost like sitting down in his living room to have a fireside chat. He read excerts from his new book Through Painted Deserts, which journals his journey from Houston, TX (where he grew up) to Portland, OR--a tale which Emily and I could certainly identify with. As I sat and listened to Don last night, God continued to work in me the good work He is working in me. This is what God is currently teaching me:

It's all about Jesus! Nothing else matters. All of our religiousity, all of our 1, 2, 3 steps to absolute happiness or deeper faith or to the godly man of our dreams are fabricated elements of modern society's need to categorize and organize everything into neat, pretty packages. Jesus isn't a neat and pretty package! He gives us a hard call to pick up our cross! He's dangerous and bold! He doesn't fit in the boxes that we put Him in! I just want to believe Jesus! I just want to know that who I am is wrapped up in Him, and I want to share that with a few people along the way. I want people in my life who are making a disciple out of me, and I want people in my life to make disciples out of. I want to love the Lord, love my neighbor, and go make disciples. That's what Jesus asked me to do. That's what He asked all of us to do. I'm done with religion that gives me three major points and three major steps to having a greater whatever. All I need to have a greater whatever is Jesus. All I need is Jesus, and if He's not at the center of everything in my life, then what in the world am I doing it for!

As I look back at scripture, I don't see a complex, complicated Jesus. He was pretty straight forward with people. He didn't need to beat around the bush. He never said, here's three steps to not judging your neighbor--he just said don't judge. He never said if you follow these basic principles, you won't committ adultery--he just said don't do it. He spent a lot of time tearing down the rules, regulations, and legalities that the Pharisees had set up, and spent even more time just making it simple--the Sabbath was made for man, love the Lord, love your neighor, believe, believe, believe. Didn't Jesus say Himself that His yoke was easy and His burden was light? Why do we then have to make it heavy and complicated to get to Jesus? Why can't we just go to Jesus and be with Jesus?

I guess what I'm saying is that I just want a simpler faith. I don't have to understand the ends and outs of every scripture. I just have to believe the Word as true and seek for the words to be written on my heart. I don't have to understand why and how the Spirit is living in me. I just have to know that He is. Jesus made it simple for people to believe in Him--I want it to be that simple for me!

Praying for a simpler faith...

Rewrites and Edits

Emily and I spent the afternoon editing the Micah Project brochure and the website content. (For those of you who will check it out, the new website content is not published yet.) As we discussed and edited, we expressed a desire to share the call, share our passion, within the published word. I was reminded once again what a great opportunity this is--what a radical opportunity!

We are calling people to live a radically transformed life in an urban community. We are calling people to really heed the words "do justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with your God." This isn't child's play--it isn't an easy call! We're calling people who will be radically obedient to the call of Christ--to make disciples of all nations! I want studs--I want those who will be extreme in following the call! This is a chance to create disciples--to create a generation who know how to love the people of our cities, who know how to be Christ there! This is a chance to bring the Kingdom of God to a community that is starving spiritually, emotionally, and phsyically!

This is more than a year-long internship with an urban mission church. This is more than giving up a year of your life to Christ. This is giving your life to Christ! This is saying "not my will but thine!"

I believe in the work that God is doing here! I am honored to be a part of it! Praise God from whom all blessings flow!

Amber recently posted a few poems about Christ that impacted me. Check them out, and be impacted, as well.

Thoughts on Living Alone

For the first time ever, I am living by myself! I have been for about two months now. This is my place--see the two doors next to each other in the middle of the plex? Mine is the one on the right. Emily lives in the one on the left. Next door to the plex is the PUMP House. Talk about a short jaunt to work! So here's a few lessons I have learned about living alone:

1) You are the master and commander of your ship. You decide when and how to swab the deck, when to settle in for the night, when it's time to restock the food supply, etc.
2) You are also every hand on deck--could be a good thing or a bad thing depending on who you are. For those of you, my friends, who believe I have OCD, yes, it is a good thing for me.
3) Furniture is expensive. My books are getting very cozy on the floor of my office!
4) You are the DJ, the movie reel guy, and have full control of the remote.
5) You can choose to spend the night alone or you can choose to use that expensive cell phone you pay the bill for every month.
6) You can choose to go out every night, or you can choose to screen your calls, stay in, and pamper yourself.
7) When the neighbors are playing jazz music on the back porch, open all the windows, sit and enjoy!
8) Take joy in the little pleasures, ignore the little annoyances, and love the everyday joys!

That's the lessons I've learned thus far. I'm sure I'll be sharing more along the way!

Tag! You're it!

Tag was not one of my favorite childhood games; I was more of a Red Rover kind of gal! However, Kristi tagged me to share with you all my top ten music loves of the moment. Note this is just the moment because my tastes shift frequently! So here goes:

Bless the Broken Road, Rascal Flatts
Breathe, Lisa McClendon
Keep Singing, Mercy Me
Mighty is the Power of the Cross, Chris Tomlin
Much of You, Steven Curtis Chapman
Your Love is Extravagant, Casting Crowns
Incomplete, Asa
Someone to Watch Over Me, George and Ira Gershwin
Making Memories of Us, Keith Urban
Mud on the Tires, Brad Paisley

Disclaimer: These are in random order, and honestly, I cannot guarantee that these are the top ten. It could be a totally different list tomorrow! I would like to point out, however, that their are THREE country artists that made the list. Those of you who know me well know that is a BIG deal!

So I say all that to say: Ryan Porche, Amber Lehmann, Trevor Rose, Jackie Beth Shilcutt, and Katey Earles--YOU HAVE BEEN TAGGED!!! I am expecting to see some updates on music, and you must, therefore, tag five more people!

Bulls Eye!

For the past few weeks, I have been slowly working on my personal mission statement. Okay, thinking about working on it might be a more accurate statement! I actually sat down to start writing it out today.

I first came to the idea of creating a personal mission statement through the book 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, Steven Covey, and through the encouragement of Ike, minister at PUMP. (Ike and I have been going through the book together, and I'm greatly enjoying it! I would highly recommend it if you haven't read it!) It takes a lot for me to sit down and introspect. (Though through the past year, God has given me plenty of opportunity to do just that!) I'm not one for really looking at myself and acknowledging how I'm doing. But writing out a mission statement, requires a lot of introspection. It requires knowing yourself and knowing yourself well. You have to come to an understanding of who you are, where you are, and where you are going in life. More importantly, you need to have a good grasp of who you are in the Lord. I'm not sure if I know any of those things well. In fact, I probably don't know the true answer to any of those questions. So, I suppose my effort to write this down, is one more effort to get to know myself, one more opportunity to define who I am and where I'm headed.

I can't doubt that my mission statement will always be in draft form, constantly needing to be altered as God grows me and I learn new life lessons. But its exciting to better understand my own paradigm and to better define how I want to live my life. My hope is that this mission will be how I live my life instead of just something I decided to write down one day. I want to live life with purpose and intent. I want to be an arrow streaming toward the bulls-eye instead of lollygagging down a path that leads to Nowheresville!

Lord, help me to live my life with purpose and direction that is wholly dependent on You!

More pictures

Ain't he just adorable? Okay I'm not a proud Auntie or anything. Seriously though, I would appreciate your prayers as I'm dealing with great amounts of homesickness. This is a time that I would love to be with my family, and it is hard to be here. Thanks, I appreciate the prayers!

Stretchin' out for a snooze! 

Snuggling with Grandad! 

I'm an Auntie!

My first nephew, Benjamin Loyd Rinehart, was born this morning around 8:30! He weighed in at 8lbs. 6oz. and is 21in. long with a full head of hair. Mom and baby are both doing great, though mom is kind of tired. They ended up having to do a c-section, so mom, Jill, will be sore for a little while.

I get to go meet Benjamin next month! So I'll be in Lubbock the 8th through the 13th. Can't wait to see the baby boy!

My Nephew! 

Louie, this could be the beginning of a beautiful friendship...

What a beautiful, beautiful world! I'm currently sitting in my new livingroom with two lovely ladies, watching the classic Casablanca. I love this movie because it exemplifies the many choices that we have in life and the consequences that therefore follow. Do we take the higher road and fight for freedom and justice? Or do we deny the destiny we have for good or for evil? Do we try to escape ourselves and who God has created us to be? After all "the problems of three little people don't amount to a hill of beans in this crazy world;" it is the choices we make for good or bad that either decrease or increase that hill.

So life updates are as follows:

Emily Wallace, PUMP's first Micah Project intern has been in Portland for officially two weeks. I cannot believe that all the work put in over the past year is finally resulting in Emily being here! I am super excited about her being here and have been blessed in so many ways by her already. I look forward to all that God will teach Emily and I through each other in the next year. If you would like to know more about Emily--who she is, what all she is doing here, etc.--check out the link to her blog on the sidebar.

My sister's first child is due in five days! In five days, I will be an aunt! Can you believe it? Boy or a girl? We'll find out soon. I'm planning to be in Lubbock Sept. 8th through the 13th to meet my new neice/nephew.

As I mentioned at the first, I've moved! I am now living right next door to the church house. Increadibly convenient for work and church! My place is cute! It's a red brick quadruplex in which Emily and I both have an apartment. Two-bedrooms, new appliances in the kitchen, a nice mint green color on the walls (not my favorite shade of green, but it works). I'm using one of the rooms as an office space which is incredibly nice to have after officing out of our living room for a year. The place is nice and cozy and I'm settling in nicely!

Personal update: I'm continuing to grow and be challenged in this mad, mad world of Northeast Portland. I didn't think mission work was supposed to be this hard! Okay, so I was a wee bit naive, but I'm learning. I'm learning about how God loves me and how to love myself better. I'm learning how to love others and make choices that result in a proactive lifestyle. I'm learning, I'm growing, and I'm being stretched daily. Okay so there's a lot more to it than that, but Lord willing, as I set aside more time for blogging, you will see the truth of where I am in me and in my walk come out more.

So that's the wrap up! Blessings!

Seedy Joints

I had an interesting experience today. I have told many of you about the seedy joints (porn shops, strip clubs, etc.) that are rampant in this town. Well, today I was practically, I repeat practically, in one. Christense and I went with a young mom from PUMP to visit her sister. Sister lives in a tiny one-bedroom apartment above a strip club in downtown Portland. I have to be honest that in all my life, I have never been in such a seedy joint (Mom, no worries, I was perfectly safe).

We walked down narrow hallways with high ceilings towards Sister's apartment, tucked away in a corner behind the third floor stairwell. The rugs on the floor were so threadbare that you could literally see through them. Every floorboard creaked. The walls were yellowed with peeling paint. And it was impossible to breath through the thick cloud of smoke.

Sister seemed just as rundown as the building; however, the building was probably at least half a century old, Sister is only 23 years old. She has some learning disabilities and has had a long history of drug use. It soon became apparent as we sat with Sister why she had pulled on a heavy jacket on such a mild day as she answered the door. Her far off gaze suggested the recent drug use.

Did I come away from this situation with a heightened awareness of my own blessings? A heightened awareness of the lost around me? No what I learned was to break free of my comfort zones, my own desires--in this case my Sunday afternoon nap--to just love someone for a little while. I don't know if Sister will even remember me the next time we meet, but I know that today I showed the young mom Jesus' love and Sister Jesus' love.

From the Bible Belt

Two months later! Okay, so I've discovered that I am really bad at this blogging thing. So if there is anyone out there still checking this, Thank You!

I am currently in Lubbock, TX. It was a trip that I wasn't so sure about. I didn't know if my journey here would be the best for Micah Project and PUMP. But God has proven again and again that I am right where I need to be. From the random girl who came up to me in the coffee shop after hearing me speak at LCU chapel--she may be a great intern possibility--to my meeting last night with the elders at Greenlawn church of Christ--completely an impromptu meeting--God has been in the business of orchestrating an awesome trip. The network connections that I will make during these two weeks--one in Lubbock and one in Abilene--will be a mighty work of God brining His church together to support and encourage each other.

The longer I am in the Northwest, I am realizing how important it is for Southern churches--the Bible Belt--to support Christians in the Northwest. The Northwest is the most unchurched region of the nation, and as I have gone through culture shock throughout the past several months, I have realized a lot of what that means. The people of the Northwest are lost--they are aimlessly wondering--they need to hear the Truth. The Harvest is truly great, but the workers are truly so few. Please pray for the Northwest, please pray for our community. Please pray for Portland. This city, this region, needs your prayers and your support!

Spanglish and the Missing Plot

One of my personal pet peeves is when a movie forgets to end--when there is no real resolution to the plot and you walk out thinking "that's it?" Spanglish is one such movie. (Sorry if I just ruined the flick for someone who really wanted to see it.) Kristi and I went to see it at Kennedy School (an old school that has been renovated into a theater, restaraunt, etc.) last night, and I just couldn't help being extremely disappointed with a movie that looked so good on the previews and then wasn't.

Sometimes I think life is like that, however. We want the happy ending or at least a good termination to the current happenings and goings-on. We want everything wrapped up in a nice neat package that we can film, edit, and deliver to the masses. But the truth is I often find myself at the end of some trial, adventure, or whatever saying "that's it?"....But that's not it. Were as my hopes for the ending of Spanglish and other such movies to be redeemed will not be fulfilled, my hopes for the ending of this week's trial, or last month's fast-paced goings on will be fulfilled. God has plans to redeem every moment of them. He has desire and plan to give our lives purpose and ultimately to fully redeem the plot of our lives in Heaven.

The Guy who "already knows all our needs, and will give us all we need from day to day if we live for Him and make the Kingdom of God our primary concern" (Matt. 6: 32-33) is the same God who encourages us daily to press on and not give up hope because He is waiting for us with open arms. Praise God that He truly will never leave us or forsake us!

It's a new year

Recap of the holidays:
Christmas: Red-eye home the night of the 22nd. Two delayed flights and a mad dash through DFW later, I was home for the holidays. Fabulous Christmas with friends and family! Good to see my Amber's (Amber S., her husband Josh and son Colton and Amber L. who's living in Boston these days)! Enjoyed my family and found out a secret that I will share with you soon, but for now it is not my secret to share :)
The 27th: Flying back to Portland that night. Oops! Maybe not. Flight delay causing me to miss my connecting. Stayed one more night in good ol' Lubbock.
The 28th: Home again after a six hr. lay-over at DFW. It was my own fault really, I chose to be bumped from one of my flights and take a free $300 travel voucher, and I got to fly first class from Orange County to Portland. (I was re-routed through Orange County.)
The 31st: Series of Unfortunate Events Awesome! Definitely worth seeing, and if you haven't read the books, do. Game night at the Tuckers'! Lot's of Fun!
The 1st: Football, movies, and calls to lots of friends and family.
Happy New Year everybody!

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas everybody! In about 10 hours, I will be boarding the “Red Eye” to DFW and then on to Lubbock early tomorrow morning. Yes, that’s right, I’m insane and am flying all through the middle of the night, but hey, it was cheaper! I will be in Lubbock until late Monday afternoon, and then it’s back to the Northwest for New Years.

Have a merry Christmas everyone! Enjoy family, friends, food, and fellowship!

Mark 2:1-5

And Jesus seeing their faith said to the paralytic, ‘Son, your sins are forgiven’ (NAS, Mark 2:5).
The healing of the paralytic man has been one of my favorite stories of Jesus’ miracles for a long time. These four men who went to such great lengths to bring their friend to Jesus amaze me. They literally dug a whole through the roof just to get him there—to get him to Jesus!
Surely they had tried to push through the crowd in and surrounding the house. Why wouldn’t the mass let them through? Were they putting their own needs first—“Forget it, Jesus is going to heal me first” or “He’s going to heal my kid first”? Did they not want these men to bother or interrupt the Teacher? They were having a hard enough time hearing as it was. Why were those in the crowd so lacking in faith? Why did they not clear a path? Why were these men forced to dig through the roof? Surely that caused a much greater disturbance. By that time the whole crowd must have been mad at them. The people at the back were mad because they were insisting on being first. The people nearest to Jesus were angry because their clothes, hair, faces—everything—were covered in dirt from the crumbling roof. Yet these men persisted at the risk of the whole town being angry with them.
What had the paralytic done for these men that made them love him so much? Or maybe he had done nothing at all. Perhaps these men just loved him so unconditionally that they could not help but bring him to the One who could heal him. These men understood how to love and how to believe. They would not let any obstacle stand in the way of their love and their faith, and Jesus understood. He saw their faith, He saw the way the paralytic trusted them, He saw how the four men loved the paralytic, and He loved him too.
I want to love people like that. I want to go to that length to bring people before Jesus. Let us be persistent and press against all obstacles to bring others to Christ. Let us love as these men loved. Let us loved as Jesus loved.

Home Again! Home Again!

Welcome home to the Northwest! I’ve been in the South for a week and a half recruiting for interns at ACU and OC. I also got to spend Thanksgiving with my family. It was so encouraging to be with my family again—my biological family, my Southside family, my ACU family, and my new OC family. I was so glad to see everyone!
It is good to be back with a renewed vigor to work on God’s ministry here at PUMP. I am very excited for Micah Project, and I cannot wait to see what all God has prepared for this new ministry. It is so humbling to be a part of such an awesome ministry. Thank you for the support that I receive from each one of you!

Confessionals

So does anyone actually check anymore to see if I have posted? I wouldn’t blame you for not. It seems that it has been almost a month since I last posted.

Major Events of October: My sister visited, which was great fun. It was her first trip to the Northwest, and I greatly enjoyed having her here. Also, a group of us from PUMP went to New York City for the Urban Ministry Conference (UMC). I love New York! It is a fabulous city full of so much history, culture, and diversity. Quick highlights: a performance by the New York City Children’s Choir, seeing the Lion King on Broadway, a carriage ride in Central Park, rampaging about Times Square, ice-skating in Rockefeller Center, walking across the Brooklyn Bridge, visiting the Statue of Liberty and Ground Zero. To find out more about UMC, go to www.CitiesforChrist.com

Currently I am finalizing plans for a recruiting trip to ACU and OCU. I will be in Abilene Nov. 28th-30th and in Oklahoma City Dec. 1st-4th. I will also be in Lubbock the week before for Thanksgiving with my family. I would love to see everyone and anyone. I’m really looking forward to the trip even though it will be fast and furious.

Incoming Blessing!

I wanted everyone to join me in praising God! I just got the official word that the Betenbough Foundation is going to grant Micah Project $10,000. I am more than excited. God has truly provided for us in a big time way, and this means that we will be able to move forward in His ministry. Thanks to all of you for your prayers. We are well on our way to receiving funds for our entire program budget for this year. Praise God!

Unless the LORD builds a house, the work of the builders is useless. Unless the LORD protects a city, guarding it with sentries will do no good. Psalm 127:1

We can make our plans, but the LORD determines our steps…Those who listen to instruction will prosper those who trust the LORD will be happy…We may throw dice, but the LORD determines how they fall. Proverbs 16:9, 20, 33

To check out more of what I have been doing, go to http://www.micahproject.info