Thoughts by the fire (and thank you's...)

I am sitting at the dining room table in my house from here I can feel the warmth and hear the crackle of the fire burning in the fireplace. I LOVE this time of year!

Today was wet and windy, and I spent the afternoon looking after two of my favoutire little boys, Noah (10 months) and Micah (14 months). At one point, i knew it had started raining because of the loud drone as the drops hit the pavement with such force. I opened the door so the boys could see the rain, and after a few chorous's of 'Rain, rain go away' and 'It's raining, It's pouring', we closed it again and retreated onto the couch. There we snuggled up and read stories for about a half hour - having two little guys, especially these two, sitting still for that long is pretty amazing, and was a precious time for me. Just so peaceful.

I am excited to tell you a little more of the dicussions we have been having as YWAM Seattle. It has been a very uncertain season, as I am sure you have gathered from my emails and blogs, but i am hopeful that this time is coming to an end.
We seem clear and in agreement that we want to run a DTS next year. We are also sure that this school will look very different from our others and are excited as well as a little nervous as we start to create a vision statement and work towards finding the practical steps we need to take to make this happen.

We believe that as we live together in community and with purpose, we are a light in our neighbourhood, and our city. As we move forward with planning the school, we are also seeing the importance of putting some more words or definition to us as a YWAM community.

I am really praying for God's direction and more of his heart as I continue to work with Bethany Community Church and especially for the Aurora community. Every day as I walk to the church or around the lake, as I ride the bus, or get coffee I am around hurting people. From the homeless man who walks along my street with a plastic bag hat, to the insecure college student, from the little old lady that sits at the coffee cart at the lake every day to the kids going to school. So many people, each one with a different story...

Seattle is one of the least churched cities in the US (We fight for the title with Portland) It is a place that many homeless young people seem to end up. After being rejected as they drift across America, they somehow end up in the North West, in Seattle and then find acceptence from others in the same position. More conversations than I would like to hear include a story of being rejected, humiliated and abused in someway by the 'Church' or someone representing Jesus. Our ministry here cannot only be about telling people about the freedom that is found in Christ because people have already experienced the opposite. They often know more about faith and Christianity than many Christians I know, but things have been so tainted by the way Jesus has been falesly represented that they cannot believe.

We have to build trust through true relationship and by living life well. Loving and caring for oneanother in a way that shows Christ's love. We must restore hope in the hearts of the people of this city. We must invite others to live alongside us, and we must be transparent. We mustn't be afraid of rejection, but instead have integrity as we share about grace, by giving it freely.

As my desire to mobilise the church as a whole into action continues to grow and take shape, I am realising how vital it is that our ministries begin at home, with our families and our neighbours. We are called to reach out to the poor, the widows and the orphans, but we also called to love our neighbours. I want followers of Christ to get out into the Aurora neighbourhood and serve hot meals to the poor, but it must be partnered with walking next door and inviting the neighbours over for dinner, or offering to babysit or do a DIY project. I want to encourage people to really do something that involves sharing everyday life. It doesn't seem right to go out one evening a month to tutor disadvantaged children in the poor neighbourhood, or serve food at the soup kitchen, and tick that off as doing our part in the great commission. That feels more like we are serving for our benefit?

Volunteering in these ways is far from bad, infact it is a great blessing when done with the right heart. However it can't stop there, otherwise we are just another 'do-gooder' just another person who one night a month pulls out our God card. A person who makes their faith known as the reason they are serving but then goes home and yells at their family or continues an affair, or struggles with addiction all behind closed doors. This is when a seperation happens between Loving Jesus and acting like we are religious - just like the pharasees.

We are all guilty of this to some degree I am sure, I know I am. It is hard to be honest about our struggles. I think part of that might even be to do with our own expectations of what a Christian should look like. We want to be seen as perfect because deep down we think we have to be - our lives should be perfect because we are Christians, right? Please know that this is a journey I think I will always be on untill I am in heaven, learning to live in the freedom of Christ, embracing that I am fully known and fully loved, while being very aware of all my faults at the same time. However, I have had glimpses of what this freedom can be like, and I know it is the true Good news of the gospel. This is what I want people to know about my Jesus; His love, his forgiveness, his redemption and his freedom.

My prayer is that as I live life with others, they will see me. A complete person, who has as many struggles as victories, who laughs and cries, who doesn't have all the answers, but knows beyond a shadow of a doubt that she is loved and forgiven. I want my life to truly be a testimony of God's mercy.

My ministry in Seattle has taken a few different directions, but I see how God is refining me and us as YWAM Seattle. I have a peace and an excitement for what is happening and what will be as a result. I feel very blessed to be here, and have the opportunity to follow God's call on my life in this way. Thank you all so much for your faithful support. I hope you sense some ownership in the things God is doing here, because you play such a significant part in what's happening.

God Bless x