My 5th Pillar

 pil·lar/ˈpilər/

Noun:

A tall vertical structure of stone, wood, or metal, used as a support for a building, or as an ornament or monument.

I haven't written in a while...not because I don't have anything on my mind....but quite the opposite.  God is blowing my mind and opening my world up in a way that has never happened before.  And I haven't been able to quite get my brain around it enough to put it into written words........

There are 3 main "things" in life that, as I look back, I see how God used to impact and shape me the most.  And they are:
1.  my parentals
2.  two summer long mission trips to Europe and Asia
3.  Bible Study Fellowship
4.  Adopting Meili

I see these things as the pillars of my life that God has given me.  He taught me soooooo much through each of these experiences and revealed Himself in ways that forever changed me. 

And now God is putting into place the 5th pillar in my life.

In short, God, in His complete awesomeness, called and led my small group from church to follow Him to be in relationship with the tenants at an apartment building in my city.  This is not just any apartment building....it is where the lowest (with the exception of the homeless community) in socio-economic status, in my city, live.  The apartment building has 200 units.  If you googled this apartment building, you would see the following results: reports on gangs, violence, domestic abuse, drugs, police, police, police, shootings, etc.

All last year God spent leading us to serve Him at this apartment building.  And then in November, just 2 short months ago, a member of our group, my awesome friend Becky, moved into this scary place.  Let's be real, it's scary.  And what God has done in the last 2 months is completely freaking incredible.  Marc and I and my kiddos spend quite a bit of time every week there at the apartments and/or with the apartment people.  In just 2 months God has begun to open our eyes to the culture of people who live in American Poverty.  And, most importantly perhaps, we are falling in love with these people. 

It all really doesn't make any worldly sense.  And what is happening in our hearts is happening so fast.  It's all I can do to TRY to process all of this with my own kids......

Our small group deserves no glory.  Marc and I, nor any individual, deserves any glory.  But God....oh God, HE is totally deserving of all glory as He is reaching down into a very poor community and is in the process of revealing Himself to some very very special people....who have experienced some very very hard things in life. 

And we get to watch and have a front row seat to watch Him do His thing.  It is INCREDIBLE.

Not to mention that God's word is coming more alive to us than EVER before.....These are the 4 passages that are closest to my heart right now and that I am experiencing in a very real way:

Isaiah 1

Seek justice,

encourage the oppressed.

Defend the cause of the fatherless,

plead the case of the widow.

2 Corinth 4:5

For we do not preach ourselves, 

but Jesus Christ as Lord, 

and ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake.

1 Thes 2:8

We loved you so much that we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well, because you had become so dear to us.

Matthew 4:19...and all over Scripture....

"Come, follow Me." ~Jesus