The Vision is Jesus

The Vision – By Pete Greig, author of Red Moon Rising

“So this guy comes up to me and says:
“what’s the vision? What’s the big idea?”
I open my mouth and words come out like this:
The vision?
The vision is JESUS – obsessively, dangerously, undeniably Jesus.

The vision is an army of young people.
You see bones? I see an army.
And they are FREE from materialism.

They laugh at 9-5 little prisons.
They could eat caviar on Monday and crusts on Tuesday.
They wouldn’t even notice.
They know the meaning of the Matrix, the way the west was won.

They are mobile like the wind, they belong to the nations.
They need no passport.
People write their addresses in pencil and wonder at their strange existence.
They are free yet they are slaves of the hurting and dirty and dying.

What is the vision ?

The vision is holiness that hurts the eyes.
It makes children laugh and adults angry.
It gave up the game of minimum integrity long ago to reach for the stars.
It scorns the good and strains for the best.
It is dangerously pure.

Light flickers from every secret motive, every private conversation.
It loves people away from their suicide leaps, their Satan games.
This is an army that will lay down its life for the cause.
A million times a day its soldiers choose to loose,
that they might one day win
the great ‘Well done’ of faithful sons and daughters.

Such heroes are as radical on Monday morning as Sunday night. They don’t need fame from names. Instead they grin quietly upwards and hear the crowds chanting again and again: “COME ON!”

And this is the sound of the underground
The whisper of history in the making
Foundations shaking
Revolutionaries dreaming once again
Mystery is scheming in whispers
Conspiracy is breathing…
This is the sound of the underground

And the army is discipl(in)ed.
Young people who beat their bodies into submission.
Every soldier would take a bullet for his comrade at arms.
The tattoo on their back boasts “for me to live is Christ and to die is gain”.

Sacrifice fuels the fire of victory in their upward eyes.
Winners. Martyrs.
Who can stop them ?
Can hormones hold them back?
Can failure succeed?
Can fear scare them or death kill them ?

And the generation prays

like a dying man
with groans beyond talking,
with warrior cries, sulphuric tears and
with great barrow loads of laughter!
Waiting. Watching: 24 – 7 – 365.

Whatever it takes they will give: Breaking the rules. Shaking mediocrity from its cosy little hide. Laying down their rights and their precious little wrongs, laughing at labels, fasting essentials. The advertisers cannot mould them. Hollywood cannot hold them. Peer-pressure is powerless to shake their resolve at late night parties before the cockerel cries.

They are incredibly cool, dangerously attractive

Inside.

On the outside? They hardly care.
They wear clothes like costumes to communicate and celebrate but never to hide.
Would they surrender their image or their popularity?
They would lay down their very lives – swap seats with the man on death row – guilty as hell. A throne for an electric chair.

With blood and sweat and many tears, with sleepless nights and fruitless days,
they pray as if it all depends on God and live as if it all depends on them.

Their DNA chooses JESUS. (He breathes out, they breathe in.)
Their subconscious sings. They had a blood transfusion with Jesus.
Their words make demons scream in shopping centres.

Don’t you hear them coming?

Herald the weirdo’s! Summon the losers and the freaks.
Here come the frightened and forgotten with fire in their eyes.
They walk tall and trees applaud, skyscrapers bow, mountains are dwarfed by these children of another dimension.
Their prayers summon the hounds of heaven and invoke the ancient dream of Eden.

And this vision will be.
It will come to pass;
it will come easily;
it will come soon.

How do I know?

Because this is the longing of creation itself,
the groaning of the Spirit,
the very dream of God.

My tomorrow is his today.
My distant hope is his 3D.
And my feeble, whispered, faithless prayer invokes a thunderous, resounding, bone-shaking great ‘Amen!’ from countless angels, from hero’s of the faith, from Christ himself. And he is the original dreamer, the ultimate winner.

Guaranteed.”

All the Single Ladies Hilarity

If you know me well, then you know I'm a stalker. In the worst way. I love looking at people's facebook page, reading countless blogs... anything I can do to make myself feel a part of someone else's life. There are some people I even claim as a close friend, although we've never met just because I'm enthralled in the things that they write and the pictures that they take.

One of my favorite blogs belongs to Heather Whittaker. She has an adopted boy from South Korea and their story made me fall even more in love with the idea of adopting a child. One of the funniest videos I've ever seen was done of her sweet Losiah in the car one day. It was so funny that it made TWO news stations in Atlanta. If you like Beyonce's song All the Single Ladies, then check this video out here. You'll laugh so hard you might cry. Or wet your pants.

Safe House Teachings

Yesterday was the first step to the fulfillment of a dream I've had for years.

My friend Kristin and I went to Wellspring Living's Safe House to teach women who have come out of prostitution and the sex slave trade. We taught on who God is and who He says that they are. We gave them opportunities to share their dreams and talk about what they want to do in life. We affirmed them and prayed for them. It was amazing hearing their stories. We only encouraged them to share about hopes and dreams and inspirations, but they were more than willing to delve into some of the rockier life issues they've had. Most of their dreams were birthed during their darkest seasons, so it was incredible to hear the passion that was behind their words.

These women have BIG hearts and BIG dreams. They want the most out of life. They've seen the worst that the world has to offer and now they're ready to dance to the beat of a different drum. Show the world who they really are and what they have to offer. They are meant to bring hope to other women, to inspire destiny, to empower and champion those around them. To make a better life for those that come after them. It's going to be incredible once they start believing in who they are and start walking it out.

The world needs more women like these. Passionate. Generous. Loving. Gracious. Compassionate. Women like these need our help, our encouragement and prayers. We have to believe in them and continue to empower them. They need us to stand behind them and with them.

So I'm in. Are you?

Trafficking

The sex slave trade is an issue that runs rampant in our country. Yes, right here in America, not just in Cambodia and India and the Philippines. And Atlanta is one of the top cities in the world that imports women and children and forces them into prostitution.

There are more slaves RIGHT NOW than have ever been on this earth at any other point in history. People estimate anywhere from 30-200 million people in slavery today, 80% being sex slaves. It's unbelievable that this is allowed, accepted, and even encouraged in some cultures today. Check out this short video from a group called Exodus Cry, based out of IHOP-Kansas City for a general overview of what is happening in the world right now as we speak.

So how can we help? What can we in suburbia do that can shift the pendulum to the other side? What does it look like for us to call down justice and see it manifested in the earth?

Prayer. God hears the prayers of His people. He despises injustice and longs to see the righteous prevail. Our prayers move heaven and we can't afford to be shy. We have to make declarations. We have to boldly approach the throne of God on behalf of the orphans, the widows, and the oppressed. God IS a God of justice.

Supporting women who have been freed. There are safe houses all over the world that rescue women, give them medical treatment if needed, psychological help, and teach them a trade. There are a couple of organizations that allow you to buy items that these freed women have made- and your money goes to help them as well as the facility or home they live in. Night Light. Free the Slaves. Not For Sale. She Dances. All of those are places that go to help women and children in this industry see the freedom that they were meant to always have.

Hold an awareness raising event. 5k. Jewelry party. Concert. Art Show, Etc.

We CAN make a difference. We just have to do something.

Moving!

Today we start the BIG move...across the apartment complex from building 10 to building 7. So its really not a BIG move, but a move nonetheless. Its amazing how much stuff you accumulate over a year. We've found it hard to be cut-throat about getting rid of stuff because of all the sentimental value that comes with each item. And things that I want Patrick to get rid of tend to be his most important treasures. How can you display and decorate with a Wheaties box and baseballs? Boys are beyond me. I'm going to have to call in the Pottery Barn advisory team for this one...

Today we paint, tomorrow our stuff starts to be moved. Saturday the heavy pieces go because of the assistance we'll have from some very manly men. Today I'm working from home, finishing laundry, folding clothes, putting shoes and clothes in boxes, packing up jewelry, doing some spot cleaning, and taking pictures off the wall. Hopefully this afternoon I'll start painting, with Patrick joining me when he gets off work at 4:30. Although the day is long ahead of me, I've already successfully brewed a cup of coffee, showered, checked my email, and spent an hour on facebook. Awesome. Great progress.

March Resolutions

So I never really came up with New Year's resolutions, I came up with New Year's declarations. But now I'm wishing I had a few resolutions or goals to work towards this year. So here is my 3-month delayed set of New Year's resolutions:

Run a race. Any race, even if its just a 5k.

Start an etsy site for my paintings.

Start writing a book.

Exercise 4 times a week.

Grow mint, basil, and cilantro...again. And keep it alive long enough to eat it.

Have someone mentor me, and find someone that I can pour into.

Read at least 2 books a month.

Middle East

My favorite thing to do in the entire world is travel. I love missions because I love experiencing new cultures- the tastes, the smells, the sounds, the people. We can learn so much from other groups of people and the way they live.

I've been blessed to have gotten to travel a good bit in my 24 years of living- to South and Central America, Europe, Asia and Africa. All unbelievable places with lively people and unique customs and traditions. This May I have the opportunity to go to the Middle East for two weeks. This will be my first trip that I'll be leading, and I couldn't be more excited. This is something I could spend my entire life doing- traveling and seeing God encounter people with His love.

Here is a picture of one of the shirts we'll be selling to raise money. It's not very clear in this picture, but it's the only copy of the design I have. It says "Love: Be the encounter" in Arabic. So many people are only one encounter away from God's love...and because I have been freely given to, I now able to freely give. People need God's love. They need to know they're valued. They need to know that they have a great destiny in store for them. God is just longing for His people to know His love. He is good. He is loving. He is not angry or spiteful, resentful or mean. He is always good. And always loving. And He loves to give good gifts to His children.

Now if only the whole world knew how incredible they are...

Musical Seasons

For years, certain genres of music have defined seasons of life for me. As Patrick and I are packing to move to our new apartment, we've been listening to everything from Counting Crows to Juanes, from Toby Keith to Jesus Culture. And each time a song comes on, I'm immediately transported to a time when that song or artist was all I listened to.

My junior year of college, there was guy by the name of Rick Pearson (Candi Pearson Shelton's brother) that passed away. Rick had leukemia and was a worship leader at North Point. Hundreds of people would read the blog his sister started to update friends and family on his medical condition. I remember laying on the floor in my room just crying out for healing. I would skip parties and hanging out with people so that I could read people's comments and prayers on his blog. I felt like I was encountering God in raw ways every time I opened it up. At his funeral (which 1,000s attended), they played a song that he had written and put on a children's worship cd. It had been recorded months before they discovered his cancer, and it was life-changing to me. I do not know what tomorrow holds for me. I may find that days ahead are hard for me. But I know that You are great oh Lord. And I know that You are good! Even when I don't understand, even when I can't see your plan, I will never cease to lift up my hands and worship you my God.

The summer I spent in Kenya, I only listened to two songs: Regardless by Jimmy Needham (because that was the only song I had at the time that didn't mention sin or darkness, but only spoke of glorifying God) and Inside Out by Hillsong. God gave me huge revelation while we were having an impromptu worship session one night in Nairobi about the song Inside Out. And from that point forward, some of the lyrics became my deepest heart cry.

The first time I truly encountered God's love was in ministry school. I'd heard the song "How He Loves" hundreds of times, but for some reason, the night Lindy Hale spoke about her dad- this song sunk into every part of me. She had her son Matthew sing a song that her dad wrote for her and used to sing to her, and then Matthew went into the chorus of "How He Loves." I never felt anything so real in my entire life. God showed me parts of Him that I didn't know were there. He told me secrets about my family and about the qualities He put in them, just so I could experience Him on earth. It was an incredible night of weeping and not even being sure I could stand any more of His love. Now I hear that song and just want to soak in His love and go back to the time where I really encountered His love for the first time.

Although there are other songs that have defined seasons for me, this blog is already long so I'll save the rest for another day. God is good all the time.

Hair Dye and Rick Pino

Some would call today a waste, however I would call it PERFECT. I went into work for 2 hours and then had to take my friend Theresa to the airport. I originally had plans after that to burn some work-out dvds from a friend but that fell through. So I went to Rite Aid and bought hair color, 2 cadbury creme eggs, 2 reese's eggs, a fastbreak candy bar, and a lighter. A good variety of essentials. Yesterday I bought new earbuds because mine had kicked the bucket. It's been a good week of buying important and needed items. I realize I could have gone back to work, but then I couldn't use my hair dye, finish my book, or play on twitter.

I was listening to Rick Pino this morning and am always so encouraged by his music. He has a way of inspiring courage in people and making them feel not alone. I've had a really hard time at work recently and some of Pino's lines really struck me... "There's a fourth man standing there in the fire, you're not alone," "your Father's coming down to shut the mouths of the lions," "The Lord is with you mighty warrior, so rise." Listening to this music really empowers my soul and allows me to see from a heavenly perspective. If only I could readily walk in these Truths minute by minute without a lull in between. But the time will come when I won't need music to remind me of these Truths, but they will be written on my heart and be a part of soul.

A Thousand Splendid Suns

This is the book I'm currently reading. Yes, I'm a little behind the times, but I'm okay with that. Ministry school books have kept me preoccupied for the last two years, so I'm finally doing some "catch-up" reading.

This book is phenomenal. The author, Khaled Hosseini is a one-of-a-kind writer. He has a way of fitting every sentence and word around a certain emotion that he wants to invoke in you. Everything from his word choice, hand motion and flick of the eye revolves around this one emotion, creating layers and layers of meaning and depth in each plot line. I've never really noticed that about any other author, but I've wondered how Hosseini's stories can be so sad, yet so engaging. Each sentence supports a very specific feeling, without actually specifying the feeling.

I encourage all readers to pick up this book, as well as The Kite Runner. Both are quick and meaty reads.