Happy OLD year 2007!


In reflection of the year past, I truly can’t begin to communicate the growth in my life on so many levels. The image I get in my head every time I think about last year is one of me sitting in front of six plates of eggs all cooked a different way. As I entered into 2007 one week I would love scrambled, one week over easy and on and on and on. Being consumed with so many lives through the years, I forgot what I like, what is important to me.

So, 2007 was a year of exploration and consideration. I spent a few moments jotting down some things that were woven into my life and forever will be a logged into my memory bank.

1. I joined a softball league. What the heck? I would drive by and see the lights and people cheering and I thought it would be cool to tell my kid some day. I survived that humiliating experience and have no regrets other then to inform you that I will never be a professional softball player. Sorry.
2. I decided after many years to go back to college and finish a few classes I “pushed aside” when I was in my degree program. They came back to haunt me in my sleep, so I decided that this was the perfect season to tackle them so I can pursue graduate work at Berkley in social work. I finished my history requirements and actually fell in love with history. I almost decided to begin pursuing graduate work in history, but was advised not to. * sigh *
3. Traveled to Portland, OR (twice), WA, PA, CO
4. Read 96 books much lower then last year due to school work * arg *
5. Moved ZERO times unlike 4 x’s last year!!! Yahoo!!
6. Took 2 raw food workshops
7. Live shows: Tainted Love, Mute Math (2 times), Chris Tomblin, Matt Redman, Phil Wickham, Switchfoot, Paseo Padre, Mauve, Drey Reeder, Everyday People, Cheeseballs, Matt Nathanson, Fiest, Delta Spirit, Ingrid Michaelson, Music in the park, Carvel, Shane and Shane and more I am probably forgetting.
8. Saw CONAN in SF!! He winked at me!
9. Went to Mac Expo in SF, pretty cool.
10. Went to 7 KFAX events and worked the world vision table by default and fell in love with the kids and Africa.
11. Spoke at 3 women’s events- awesome!
12. Gave 46 Compassion Network Presentations- I have been found giving them in my sleep.
13. Gave 1 Human Trafficking Presentation for my history class
14. Went to IJM and Not for Sale Events to research if this is something I want to advocate for.
15. Went to 9 conferences to learn everything from how to eat healthy, intimacy with God, spiritual formation, healing, intercessory prayer, missions etc.
16. Was a part of 5 major compassion projects in our city-truly amazing year.
17. Moved into my new office in the government building downtown and launched Compassion Network (soft launch, hard launch is in 2208)


This year was overall progressive. I feel it has prepared me to really embrace all 2008 has to offer.

Some things I look forward to in 2008:

1. Expanding the scope of ministry through Compassion Network. I think we made a dent in 2007, but that was just the tip of the iceberg on what our CITY CHURCH (over 70 individual congregations working together in unity) can really do to specifically address the neediest people and touch them tangibly with the love of Jesus. Other then being in an environment of prayer and worship there is NOTHING on the planet I would rather be doing at such a time as this.
2. I would like to finish my last two classes this semester and finalize if I want to pursue a graduate program.
3. Go to Zimbabwe and then come back and advocate for the people and needs here in America. (child soldiers, sex slaves, forced laborers, kids suffering with PTSD)
4. Rallying the youth in the bay area to get involved through compassion action.
5. Dust off my rock climbing gear and dance shoes.
6. Take a few cooking classes specializing in sauces.
7. Meeting a wonderful man to partner with who has similar vision, compassion and melting heart for God. I finally know what kind of eggs I like.
8. Spending more time with friends and watching some of my friend’s babies grow.
9. Getting a new car.
10. Surprises.

So that’s my annual review and forecast for 2008. I think the theme for 2008 will be: THE YEAR OF SURPRISES

Although, all those accomplishments and activities above sound great, nothing is as important to me as Jesus. Nothing I do or am involved in will ever compare to Jesus. Everything else is meaningless.

Cheers to a YEAR OF SURPRISES, I look forward to sharing next year all the creative ways these surprises were revealed!!

innocent expectation

As I sit here early on Christmas morning my brain has been silenced by the sweetness of a love far beyond what I can grasp. Jesus entered our rugged world as a soft little baby. He entered into history for a time and caused a revolutionary wave that we are still feeling today. Jesus is still making history.

I love how Jesus came as a baby. It shows the innocence and sensitivity of God. I think the story of Jesus would be so different if he entered history as this reckless warrior-like thirty year old. Just picture how people would have responded. He may have been rejected all the more and written off as arrogant, forceful or void of need. But, the author of the story knew this delicate baby boy would be taken as an offering and a gift to humanity. Jesus entered the world in a position of need, yet all along possessing the power within to fulfill our needs. THAT IS POWERFUL! This revelation shows me there are times of need and times to help others in need. There is something beautiful about the giving and receiving in a relationship. There is something magical about the intimacy that is created through this transaction. You can’t have one without the other. What a model for us.

Our culture today says to be in “need”, is to be less than, unstable, disadvantaged, irresponsible and weak. This unfortunate definition has led to a revolution of control and independency. Longer term, the outcome has created not only an age of anxiety, but of hopelessness, isolation, loneliness and disappointment.

Jesus came as a baby. He was vulnerable, needing food, comfort, his diaper changed, warmth, love and a safe place to rest. Mary was the woman chosen by God to be a steward of this precious gift. The important call was placed on her life. Imagine if she didn’t step up to this kingdom task. What if she didn’t assume her role as the saviors’ mother? What if she didn’t care for the needs of Jesus?

This made me think of the call we have on our lives. I was thinking about this last night as I was driving through the canyon. There are significant times in our lives when we have to step up and make a decision that will affect the course of our lives greatly. Since we have free will, the choices we make will set a course having a particular impact either for good, bad or worst yet mediocre. I would rather make the wrong choice and have to get back to God’s best will, then to never a make a choice and live a stale life of apathy. Apathy is a deadly weight to a life of faith.

Mary chose to care for her needy baby. She gave until he was able to care for the needs of the world. He not only had compassion for those in need, he had the authority and ability to completely remove the need all together. This is the Jesus I live for. I need him. I am not ashamed to call him my Lord. If it weren’t for Jesus, I would look at the deck of cards that have been dealt to me and give up. It’s ONLY because of Jesus I have hope for an amazing history in the making.

Jesus- a baby, a savior and history maker. Much cause for celebration and hope today!

SIT, RUN, STAND!

Sit, Run, Stand


This morning was amazing at church. I have been attending a new gospel church. I am the only white girl and I LOVE it! The room is filled with blacks, Latinos, old ladies, kids, and single parents. We are all so different, yet we have one thing in common-Jesus. I have been drawn to this church for the last three weeks because I sense the people there are alive. When people are alive you know they are expectant. You are only expectant if you have encountered Jesus. Each person actually engages and participates in the service. I hear “amen”, “preach it”, “you go” one woman shouted when the pastor was on a roll and “that’s right” when there is a truth about God preached. LOVE IT! There is nothing fancy or programmatic about this church at all. We meet in a vet’s hall and have to put our chair away when we leave. There is something raw and fresh about it.

Anyhow, today as the preacher was going off about different prophecies and fulfillments of the Messiah, the Lord was speaking to me, on the side, about my personal posture or position before him. I scribbled down three words-SIT, RUN, STAND.

I didn’t really know why those words came to me. Yet, as the service went on I kept writing other things down. So I wanted to share some of the thoughts I had and hope this is encourages someone.

SIT- sitting before the Lord is an important practice because it implies that you are not going anywhere and are ready to converse. In the sitting position one can listen for direction in life. It is in this place of waiting where we are able to gaze or fix our eyes on Jesus. Sitting gives us rest for the mobility needed in the future. If we do not sit, rest, wait and listen the next two I will share about will be a LOT harder.

RUN- going from a rested and rejuvenated place of sitting we are now ready to set coarse. This coarse is set in the place of sitting. RUNNING and trying figure out the coarse is not the best idea. You can do it that way, but if you know the coarse you can run a lot harder toward the goal. There is always a point during a run that you have to persevere. That is when what was revealed to you in the time of sitting kicks in. So often we run haphazardly because we are trying to run as fast as we can and listen for direction at the same time. This can work from time to time, but why add more anxiety then needed.

STAND- there’s times during our journey when we need to stand. We need to stand FIRM and we need to stand in the AUTHORITY given to us. Standing is always forward movement. Standing is a mindset. What you believe about God and what you believe about yourself in relation to what have been given is everything. Standing firm and standing in authority can be done in the either sitting or running position.

In the flow of a typical day we may encounter special moments within each posture. You need all three. I spent many years just running, many more sitting and others standing. What I’ve found is that the seasons when I am AWARE of all three, I see power. I see favor. And I see transformation at whole new levels.

SIT, RUN, STAND three simple, yet revolutionary words.

real or imagined?

I have been really thinking a lot lately about how I respond to situations in life. Am I a reactionary person or a woman of peace and trust? Do I live in “hypotheticals” or in reality? What am I really responding to anyway?

Being a visionary and a thinker I find it extremely difficult to stay out of the world of hypotheticals. When I am not in check, this can become the disease of introspection.

Thinking and envisioning are not bad as long as each line of thought is based on what is actually true. So how does one marry past experience, discernment, wisdom and reality with an honest response to the situation at hand? The only thing I can think of, right now, is to see how you feel about it. If there is anxiousness, unrest or a lack of peace it’s probably rooted in fear because of a hypothetical scenario you’ve created in your mind. In times like this, I have to stop and ask myself what the real story is, what the real facts are and then start all over in my thinking.

So many Christians over spiritualize the scenario at this point. In this juncture of my life and spiritual journey I have found MOST of the time I have lack of peace it wasn’t from God at all it was my own fear controlling the situation. Ultimately, my hypothetical scenario won again.

So the challenge- live in reality. Become aware of the deeper things going on in your heart and mind. Take risks. Hypothetically speaking, stretch your comfort zone and go to the places you’ve never gone before. Don’t live in fear, but move forward with courage. It’s attractive.

how he loves

speechless. i sit in awe of what God is doing in our nation. the time is now. may his kingdom come in power and without excuse.

catastrophic daze

I close my laptop
swallow the last splurge of cold coffee
and head out into the warm rain
each drop of originality
finding it’s home
on my velvety blue zippy
as I saunter toward the car
in a catastrophic daze

I fumble for my keys
wet wheels rolling by
and by
and by
hand digging
one hand
two
disappearing deep into an endless bag
searching
searching for a desperate jingle
a tightly clenched silver cluster
liberated by night air
I find her at last
‘thee’ key to my shelter
my freedom
now in hand
with much anticipation
I thrust into the car
closing out the storm.
a gentle tap, tap, tapping on the window
lazy droplets
begging for attention
nothing takes my mind away from
those stories
those pictures
tears thirsty to protect
one
two
three
synchronizing with the rain


A few months ago in my American history class a list was given out for our presentation topics. As I glanced through the list of over 25 people, movements and events nothing captured my attention. Suddenly, I had the gumption to ask the professor what he thought about me getting a group together and doing a presentation on modern day slavery. Heck, we just got done talking about the 13th amendment and how could I sit there in silence when I have proof slavery never ended. The instructor mumbled and grumbled and gave a hesitant “okay” with a sheepish laugh. It was obvious to me that he was disinterested in the topic or thought it wasn’t of value for the two hundred students in my class. I didn’t budge and quickly said, “Thank you”.

Honestly, I really didn’t know what I was getting myself into. I figured this would be an easy presentation because of my involvement with IJM and the Not For Sale Campaign. Getting access to good information would be a breeze and whipping up some cool power point presentation would be the icing on the cake. What I didn’t realize was the gravity of the issue. I spent hours and hours reading stories of people being oppressed and it was absolutely overwhelming. I looked at every site you can imagine and I read some of the most graphic and horrific stories of slavery in San Jose, San Francisco, LA, New York, Texas and Florida. Right here in our own back yard is literally a playground for the “big business” of sex trafficking and forced labor.

I gathered my information and now I have two weeks to create a presentation that will move people to make history instead of just learn about it. Daunting task.

I am angry inside toward people who think humans are disposable. This curdles my blood. I am so mad about this and I hope this presentation will activate some of these young people to do something about it. I can’t eradicate forced labor by myself, but I can be a voice for the voiceless. I can talk. I can write. I can motivate others. I can give.

Every day I learn about someone in history who made a difference. The key is not to become paralyzed by the “what can I do about it, I’m just one person on the planet” mentality that erodes the soul and emasculates history. If a whole lot of people would do a whole lot of something, we would begin to hear more faint voices saying, “I am Free”!

sustainable livelihood

My heart has always been drawn to Zimbabwe and as I was reading some of the revealing information regarding Zimbabwe’s “sustainable livelihood” this evening, tears of compassion filled my eyes. My heart is truly broken for the emerging generation of displaced youth. What are they emerging toward? Well, not only physical displacement, but emotional, spiritual and intellectual poverty as well. I have added a small slice of the heart-wrenching article below. We must do something! We must start creating a united mindset of “sustainable living” in our own city first. When hearts come back to life and compassion is the new poison, it is then we are able to feel the pain.

"[Some of] the biggest challenges in Africa," he says, "are really the relationship and connection between poverty and mental health. The factors that drive poor mental health in Africa are the same as those that drive poverty – wars, internal displacement, HIV/ AIDS and the fact that 60 percent of Africans live below the poverty line. There’s also the fact that so many people who are afflicted by infectious disease, and are so many wars and displaced across Africa. These are the main drivers to depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, alcohol and substance abuse."
Children are a special concern for Njenga. At least 10 percent of all African children are AIDS orphans or child soldiers.
He says, "Anyone who tries to project what may happen to the neglected African child who is a victim or survivor of post traumatic stress disorder, as a result of seeing parents, teachers or siblings mutilated in war…would be guessing."
"One begins to project and understand that in the course of time children who witness genocide in Rwanda are likely to become adults with unresolved grief, PTS disorder, substance abuse issues, depression.… In fact, just thinking about the likely consequences of the traumatic events the African child is going through, we anticipate in 30 years time, we are going to have large African population of deeply traumatized and unstable populations."
It’s not easy to get treatment. Njenga says there’s about one psychiatrist for every half million people in Africa. In Zimbabwe, he says there are only two psychiatrists for every 20 million. Some countries have none at all.


CB- If you are a social worker, doctor, nurse or neighbor- it may be time to explore a trip to Zimbabwe.