Overflowing Grace

One day in Rio de Janeiro, my friends and I went to buy a few snacks at the grocery store close to our host church. When we went to the check out, a disheveled woman, holding a baby, came up to me and handed me a bag of rice and a few other items to buy for her.  As soon as I agreed, she went away and came back with a bag of beans.  She was so bold in the way that she just handed us her food to buy for her.   So many emotions went through my mind and heart.  I felt like a sucker being taken advantage of.  But at the same time, I had enough money to pay for her food, and scripture says that if you are able to help then you should. "If you have two shirts, give one to the poor.  If you have food, share it with those who are hungry." -Luke 3:11. "Do not withhold good from those who deserve it, when it is in your power to act.  Do not say to your neighbor, 'Come back later; I'll give it tomorrow.'--when you already have it with you." -Proverbs 3:27-28.

I have been learning more and more that everything in life is by faith.  Every decision you make, every risk you take, every relationship you invest in, every single day you live.  We can't see the outcome of our decisions at the time we make them, and we don't know what the future holds, so we follow what we think we know and by what we feel in our heart and we step out in faith, hoping that we are staying on the best path.  It all depends on the level of vulnerability that you are willing to have to put yourself out there.  It can be as simple as starting up a conversation with someone you don't know at Starbucks.  It may lead to nothing or it could result in a new connection, friendship, or future spouse.  Or maybe you are taking a risk to apply for new a job.  Maybe you are thinking about starting a new relationship.  Nobody can escape this walk of faith.  Whether you put your faith in God or you put your faith in yourself, nothing is certain and everything is by faith.

We will be starting week 9 of dts this week.  We only have 4 weeks left of our lecture phase and only 2 more weeks until we start our performances here on the island at a school, a prison, and here on campus. This time is so rich with new revelations, challenges, and growth.  I am learning so much about God, myself, and life in general.  The HeartBridge dts has the busiest schedule on campus (8am to about 9pm).  Our days are very long, but our weeks go by so fast.  I know that this time will be over before I know it and I want to savor every minute of it, soaking in as much as I can.   Our second week of dts, we were challenged with this question: "What are you going to live for?"  We have a limited amount of time on this earth so how can we make the most of our time?  We can't take any material things with us to heaven, but what we can bring with us are people.  Our time on earth isn't about us, its about a bigger picture.   For me this made a lot of sense.  I

Soooo goooooood!  These are the words that I have been continuously hearing from my new HeartBridge family and saying myself these past 7 days.   We have decided that it is turning into our HeartBridge slogan.  These 7 days really have been so good !  I love everyone in my dts.  There are 16 students, 8 staff, and 8 different nations represented within our group (USA, Canada, Brazil, Switzerland, New Zealand, Colombia, Korea, and Malaysia).   It's amazing how much you can connect with people in just a week.  I am so blessed by my roommates and everyones hunger to know God and make Him known through their lives. YWAM is such a special place of faith and community living.  I share a room with 5 other amazing girls (3 American, 1 South Korean, and 1 Brazilian).  I love doing life with different kinds of people and learning about different cultures.  It is amazing to see the unity that is on campus with so many different nations and cultures mixed together, living in such tight quart

It's time.  The idea that has been growing within me the last 5 years is no longer abstract, but is right in front of me.  All I need to do is get out of the boat and step onto the water.   What if I fail?  I'm 99% sure I heard Jesus calling me out onto the water, but what if it was just my imagination?  What if I sink?  Everyone back in the boat is watching.  What will they say? What will they think about God?   Staying in the boat would be so much easier.  It's familiar and safe.  There is a sense of security there.  It's comfortable.  I can fit in with the crowd and never be questioned.   But, Jesus isn't in the boat.  He is out on the water.  It's Jesus that I want.  Jesus is who I am after.  And if my feet fail me and I sink, at least it will be in pursuit of Him, and with that I will have no regrets.  Without taking a risk, the unknown will always remain unknown.   Thanks to Peter's risk to step out of the boat and sink in front of everyone, I

Throughout my adult Christian life, I have found myself praying "Lord, please help me to not be like an Israelite!".   It has always amazed me how after God rescued them out of Egypt, after sending the plagues and parting the Red Sea, feeding them manna and quail, they still grumbled and complained, made idols, and worshipped them.  After all of the miracles they saw and experienced, they still doubted and forgot God.  They even wanted to go back to Egypt, where they had been so mistreated as slaves.  It is easy for us to look at them and think, "how could you forget all that God did for you?!", but then when I look at my own life, I can see some of my own tendencies to be just like the Israelites.  These last months, I feel God has taken me into the wilderness.  Even though Houston was nothing like an Egypt, I knew that God was leading me out of that place toward my own calling/promise land. I am wandering in the wilderness with nothing but God to count on, not

A little update on what I have been doing at YWAM: Since coming to Hawaii in January, God has been teaching me and stretching me so much.  I can see the favor He has given me by making me a Mission Builder (volunteer on campus with free housing and food) for my first three months here.  I have had the privilege of serving the School of Performing Arts (SOPA) by teaching their dance classes and by helping to choreograph for various things.  There are only two students in this particular school, but because Kona is the only YWAM base that offers this course, they didn't want to cancel the course because these girls have been waiting for this class in order to finish their degree with the University of the Nations.  Both girls have been in YWAM for years and have hearts for performing arts ministry.  One student, from Malaysia, has had a lot of dance training and has worked with HeartBridge Performing Arts Discipleship Training School (DTS) in Kona for a couple years.  My other s

There is something so beautiful about pure and honest worship.  It doesn't matter if it is "good" according to the world's standards, whether singing, playing an instrument or dancing.  When worship comes from a genuine place in a person's heart, it softens the hearts of those who witness it. Like when you see children dancing and singing freely. Even if it is terrible, we love the freedom and innocence children have as they sincerely put their heart and soul into what they are doing, untainted by the fear of what others may think.  Their pureness of heart speaks so much that it outweighs the quality of what they are doing. But, what if we could combine pure, genuine worship together with excellent skill.  " But  the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father  in spirit and  truth, for the Father  is seeking such people to worship him.   God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.”  -John