There are some places and moments that start to fade away almost instantly, their memory becomes faint all too quickly. There are other places and moments that stick, as if they have found a home in the deepest parts of you, they wouldn’t leave even if you tried forcing them out. India held both for me, as I have spent the last two months reflecting, I realize that India left me with more of the deep, weighty memories than it did fleeting, fading ones. This was a surprise to me, but I can confidently say that India and her people will be with me forever. The woman in the picture at the top of my email is one of the women who can never be erased from my heart, and she will keep me conscious of my purpose and intent in all that I do. She lives in a slum in a beautiful, mountain city of northern India. To say that her life is rough, or that we should have empathy on her is minor in priority of all the things that I could tell you about her. The note worthy, priority taking fact about this woman is that she is a warrior, that she is a survivor, that she worships Jesus in despite of the rough and empathy evoking aspects of her life! My friend, this woman has been told since the time she was young that she will never amount to anything, that her destiny will bring her failure, and that she is small in the eyes of men. Her dignity and honor have been stolen from her time and time again, this theft has left her swallowed by the belief that she is nothing and deserves less than nothing. She was left intimidated by the darkness around her and the people that lurked within it, her only hope, the saving she needed would only come through the light of Christ. Today, she is a believer, she has turned to face the darkness and yell into its depth the name of Christ. Though the world around her still tells her the lies that are all too familiar to her, she is, for the first time, standing against them, allowing herself to be saturated by the Truth. In addition to her relationship with Christ, have come strong friendships, relationships that stand with her not against her, relationships that protect her in the name of WHO GOD HAS CREATED HER TO BE…who protect her out of knowing who GOD IS!
In my humanity, I look at her and feel that empathy, I want to scream of the horrors of her life. I want to force you to understand how rough her life is, that the word rough doesn’t even begin to describe the vacuum that starts to suck out hope when I sit with her in her tent and simply observe. But, As i dive into, bury myself, and walk in the knowledge of WHO GOD IS, it is then and only then that my hope is strengthened, that Understand that all in NOT lost, and that she is ALREADY as redeemed daughter of God. I know the saving has been done by Christ, and I can tackle the possible, the little things that will bring change to her circumstances, to her physical well being. I can link arms with her, united in a hope that is not ours alone, and smile for we have both been saved, and won’t rest until all have heard!
We have finished our first week in India, and it has been amazing. Every time I come to a new place, I decide I want to stay here forever, but in this place that conclusion came much sooner than ever before. I suppose that simply speaks of how wonderful this place is, and the people we have met have exuded the glory of God unknowingly!
We spent our first week trekking through the mountains stopping at villages along the way, sharing the gospel with people who have NEVER heard before. It was incredible to see the genuine hospitality and deep culture in the villages we stayed at. Each time we arrived in a new place, we asked if anyone could house us, and without fail there were multiple offers. We shared from home to home and we were granted opportunities to share in several schools.
It was not only a rich time spiritually, but it was a bonding time for us as a team too! Please keep us in your prayers as we transition to a new type of ministry in the city this week. I am excited for, yet again, a new opportunity and one rich with possibility that will require us to lean on he Lord in new ways!
I have lists of new things I want to see this year, but when they all refine themselves in their request, they are all actually just different, not new. They are all rooted in desires, hopes, even longings of the past…repetitive, but different slightly now. It is almost as though they have taken time to mature, or to include a time appropriate pun, its almost as if they have aged…aged alongside of me, with me. So, for the hope, or faith they’ll be fulfilled, I want to write them down, to have a small little alter of remembrance found here in the pages of this journal. An alter found in the scribblings of my life, found amidst what are notations, weak glimpses of God. So here I go, I will build one of many paper alters. The first metaphorical stone I want to place is the stone of intimacy! As I look at this stone and run my hand over its surface, it is different, I can tell that for the first time I am willing to let this cost me something. I no longer cast these faithful stones at the foundations of my alters aimlessly, leaving them unsteady and moveable. Today, now, I get down on my knees I turn the stone over in my hands, trying to believe again today that I am your beloved and at the same time knowing that the gentle placing of this stone will require something of me that I have never paid before. It comes with a cost that my flesh would never offer up on its own, but a cost my spirit could never refuse. I find my hand smoothing out the sand both with the intentions of placing this rightfully and holding off its declaration a moment longer, just a moment longer, please! Done. The stone lays nicely in the sand, but now to place another, the stone of intimacy won’t be satisfied lying alone. I feel a little like David, knowing this moment is going to deserve and hold me responsible for the use of these stones resting in my hand. Their beauty is evident while in my hand, but their worth is left untapped until I use them, until they are placed. The intimacy laying in the sand can only be followed by the equally costly stone of obedience. The character of this stone can be found on its well-worn surface, but its weight is unlike any of the other stones. If I say, in the safe place of intimacy, that I am willing to pay the joyful price of intimacy, then obedience is my proof. In obedience, I turn my hearts longings and declarations into seen, heard, understood and honest actions, this is where I bleed, where I weep, where I celebrate, but mostly where I let my flesh lay dying, where I declare to the world that you are my God, that you are worth it all. But I have a request. God, protect me. I anticipate the arrows, I can envision the onslaught of fires, temptations, lies, battles, confusion laced with judgment. Know this, I walk into them regardless, but I am standing here feet sinking into the sand, weighted with the reality this stone ensures and I ask you, protect me God!? Please, draw me into the secret place, hold me in that moment just before I turn my back! Place your cheek next to mine and remind me once again of who you are, scream it if you must, but don’t leave me! I am yours, in the light and in the dark, in the chaos and the silence, in the battle and in the peace, I am yours! In that moment, God pick up these stones and rub them together, let worth come from the unhindered unity of intimacy and obedience. If I’m lost God, lead me, lead me back to this alter, let me climb on it and yet again offer myself to you, to yet again be stripped bare, humbled and found, discovered at the point of honest, pure dedication to you. Let me lay these stones in the sand again, don’t tell me how many times I have returned to this place, to this moment, let me build it again, let me deny myself again so my understanding of who you are will be found in the painful joy of the stones of intimacy and obedience finding their rightful place again! And again! And again!
It is incredibly easy to see the Glory of God during the summer, especially in a Coloradan summer!
I am going to miss a good chunk of our summer, though, but it’s for exciting things. I am leaving on Saturday to head up to Lynden, and wrap up the final details for a trip to Thailand happening with my home church. I am incredibly thrilled to have an opportunity to take a small team to Thailand. I see NCCTK (my home church) as family, and this feels a bit like getting to take a discovery trip with family. We will be exploring the effects of Human Trafficking and learning together, both how things often start and how we can all be a part of the solution and redemption of so many precious lives! We will also be stopping over in Cambodia, briefly, and I am excited to get my feet on the land there again!
Please keep us in your prayers, we are a team of 7 women. The details have all come together, but prayer for covering and wisdom would be priceless to us all. The joy in my heart over this trip is undescribable, getting to go to a nation I love, take friends, and build deeper relationship on the field and with other passionate people is a gift. Know that your prayers are necessary and appreciated deeply!
Put God’s Will First. “Behold, I have come to do Your will, O God” (Hebrews 10:9).
A person’s obedience is to what he sees to be a need— our Lord’s obedience was to the will of His Father. The rallying cry today is, “We must get to work! The heathen are dying without God. We must go and tell them about Him.” But we must first make sure that God’s “needs” and His will in us personally are being met. Jesus said, “… tarry … until you are endued with power from on high” (Luke 24:49). The purpose of our Christian training is to get us into the right relationship to the “needs” of God and His will. Once God’s “needs” in us have been met, He will open the way for us to accomplish His will, meeting His “needs” elsewhere.
Today’s Oswald Chambers entry seems to tie in so perfectly with what God has been speaking to YWAM North America! Read the entire selection at this website:
There really is nothing quite like quality time with your family. I suppose the perfect vacation for the Brim family really only needs three things…fun, food & enough laughter to make you cry. In hindsight I would say we packed our time full with all three!
I heard about this while at the Acts 1 Gathering I wrote about in my previous post. It sounds like an incredible experience and were I overflowing with time this summer I would jump at the chance to be a part. Check out the website and the video…just think, you could have more than an average summer, you could walk away changed!
I am really excited to share with you about a Y gathering I just got back from. A group of Y North American Leaders gathered in Tijuana, Mexico to hear the Word of The Lord for us as a mission. To be vulnerable with you, I would have to say that I had no idea what to expect before I got there, but left feeling so refreshed and with a renewed excitement over what God has called me to!
This Gathering was swung into motion due to a word given to our Mission’s founders about 5 or so years ago. The word described to us that there is a second wave of young people that were going to be mobilized into missions and that Y needs to be ready for this wave. As we started our time together, it became really clear that God was focused less on His previous words and more on the conditions of our current hearts. We spent time repenting of things that could be standing in the way of the release God wants to entrust us with! There are few other things as enriching and reviving as spending time with other believers worshiping, repenting & hearing God’s voice. This just might have been the best gathering I have been to yet.
The end result of our time together was less about structures and strategies and more about answering this questions, both personally and for our Y communities, “What do we need to do in our hearts and communities to further welcome the presence of God?” I want to leave this update with that question, I think the beauty of it’s inquiry is that we can all ask that question of ourselves..but don’t stop at asking, take time to asses, repent and hear God!
