What do you see?

What do you see? Right now. What do you see? Stop looking at the computer screen and glance around you. What do you see?

I see...

• a photo of an old weathered Honduran man strapping some blankets to his equally old burro, preparing to go gather wood in the hills;
• a poster asking, "Does the Bible Provide an Adequate Answer for the Problem of Suffering?";
• a bunch of piles nearly out-of-control;
• Bibles in various languages, devotionals, books on fundraising, writing proposals, "Facing Your Giants", "Guide for Charity Board Members";
• blown up and framed photographs of energetic kids in China, blank-eyed babies in Ukraine, kids playing on a playground in Quinhagak, Alaska, my nephews, a friend & me in Beijing;
• a newspaper headline, "Status quo..." peering out from under a book;
• a partially written thank you note;
• a trash can greatly in need of emptying;
• materials promoting the great works of Back in His Arms Again, chinaconnect; Doma International, Eyes Wide Open International, Orphan World Relief, the CLiF Network;
• a dying plant;
• the bill from the unexpected and unbudgeted engine work on my car;
• a strategic plan for a new ministry;
• bags of Honduran coffee;
• a yard stick.

Every now and then I get into what  my mom refers to as a "funk".  When in one of my funks, I get out-of-sorts with pretty much everyone and everything, and I lack all passion and motivation.  These seem to occur at times which I have taken my eyes off those things which are important - those things which represent my faith, passion, and purpose - and have shifted to the "stuff" which surrounds me.

I don't think that I'm all that unusual.  How often do our eyes get distracted from what is really important and on to the "stuff" which only seems important? How often to we allow ourselves to get frustrated by those things which are really not a big deal, but seem to have the ability to skew our attitudes and outlooks?  Probably more often than we'd like to admit.

The next time you feel yourself sliding into a funk, I'd like to encourage you to take another look around.  While there may be lots of stuff in the way, work hard to look through it and really see and focus on those things which are really important, which give you your faith, passion and purpose.

God in Motion!

There's a song that some of my friends will remember which goes, "It's a world that's changing faster everyday..."  Do you ever feel like that?  That the world is going by faster and faster?

What about the speed that God moves?  Sometimes I feel like I'm waiting and waiting and waiting for Him to do something - ANYTHING - and then all of a sudden BAM He kicks things into such a high gear that I'm afraid that there's no way that I can keep up. 

That's how I'm feeling right now.

The last 36 hours He's been working overtime - and its incredible!  As just a sample...

• Into the Field now has a fund - The Into the Field Servant Fund - with the Columbus Stewardship Foundation which allows us to receive cash as well as non-cash (i.e. stock, etc.) gifts.
• A significant gift that we were expecting for one of our Ministry Charity Projects ("MCP", a ministry we're working with that utilizes the 501c3 status of Into the Field for it's fundraising, support, etc.) not only came, but was DOUBLE the amount that we were expecting.
• Wild Olive Tees - which is an incredible t-shirt ministry started by an amazing friend of mine and two of her friends - has decided to design and sell a shirt whose proceeds will all go towards children in Haiti, and they've decided to donate the funds (and t-shirt donations) through another one of Into the Field's Ministry Charity Projects (Eyes Wide Open).  Not only will this generate important funds for the children of Haiti, but it will also increase the exposure of Into the Field and Eyes Wide Open International to a much larger and broader audience (which means we're now scrambling to get the EWOI website done by TOMORROW.
• I entered the last year of my 30's and am excited about it.
• Was able to connect Wild Olive Tees, Orphan World Relief (another MCP), and a local Christian media outlet...there may be some great and HUGE opportunities in front of us!
• Suddenly we're getting a lot of interest from people in participating in Team Up 4 Orphans - a charity running team (participating in the May 1 Cap City 1/2 Marathon in Columbus) raising money to benefit Doma International and orphans worldwide.
• Was offered an opportunity to promote chinaconnect (another MCP which is sharing the love of Christ to the people of China through service and relationship) to a group of servant-minded people.

And that's not even all of it!  WOW!  He's been busy and I'm exhausted and energized all at the same time!

Keep bringing it on, God!  I've got my XS Energy Drink and my Rhodiola and am ready to run!

A new adventure...heading out Into the Field...

At 4am tomorrow (Thursday, October 1), I head off for a new adventure!  I will be traveling with doma international to Ukraine!  This is a new country, a new ministry, and wonderful new friends for me! 

I am excited about the opportunity to love-on and serve the orphans and others that we'll meet.  I am curious about the experiences we'll have, the cross-cultural learning and ministry that will take place, the laughter which will undoubtedly be abundant (especially when I attempt my limited Russian vocab), and the opportunities for personal stretching of faith and comfort.

I can't wait to see how and where God show's up! 

I'm not sure what my internet access will be like, but I'll post updates as I'm able!  You can also stay in touch with us via Julie Clark's blog (she's the founder of doma).

Pray big...believe big...big things happen!

It's a Small World After All...

My nephews (and their parents) just returned from a fantastic trip to Magic Kingdom where they (ages 4, 6, 36, and 36) experienced all of the wonder and excitement that Mickey and his friends have to offer kids of all ages.

The 4 year old told me that one of his favorite rides was the beloved "It's a Small World." (Ok...are you singing the song in your head?). I've been thinking a lot lately about how small our world really is.

Two months ago I wouldn't have said that I knew anyone working with orphans. Now, I know four. It started with Doug who founded Orphan World Relief. Then I met Julie who founded doma. Turns out that Doug and Julie (and her husband, Dan) know a lot of the same people but had never been able to connect face-to-face with each other.

I was talking with my dad about my upcoming trip to the Ukraine (with doma) and he said that I should meet his friend, Alex, who grew up as an Orphan in Russia. Turns out that "Dad's Alex" is "Doug's Alex". (Doug and Orphan World Relief work with and support Alex's organization - The Harbor - in Russia.)

When Doug and I were meeting, he suggested that I get in touch with Vicki who has an orphan ministry for children with HIV/AIDS (Montana de Luz) in Honduras. I'm meeting with Vicki in 2 weeks. I want to see about introducing Vicki to Heart to Honduras (who is celebrating their 20th anniversary and with whom I participated in a short-term trip in January).

And I want to introduce Vicki and Heart to Honduras to Mike (who lives in South Carolina and who I met through another loop'd-loop connection) who has a ministry called Reading is Power which works to get books to rural Spanish speaking communities. (If you're going on a mission trip somewhere where they speak Spanish, Mike has developed these great "libraries in a box" which meet airline requirements for a 2nd piece of luggage...might be a great gift for you to take with you to those you're going to serve!!!)

Phew...no wonder I'm feeling tired (in a very good way)...hearing the song repeat over and over in my head accompanied by images of the little children dressed in their native clothing...for such a big planet, it sure is a small world! Especially when you're working to serve others and live your life faithfully! How small is your world?