Solution- HillsongU

It is not a human right
To stare not fight
While broken nations dream
Open up our eyes, so blind
That we might find
The Mercy for the need

Singing, Hey now
Fill our hearts with your compassion
As we hold to our confession

It is not too far a cry
To much to try
To help the least of these
Politics will not decide
If we should rise
And be your hands and feet

God be the solution
We will be Your hands and be Your feet.

Higher than a circumstance
Your promise stands
Your love for all to see
Higher than protest line and dollar signs
Your love is all we need

Only You can mend the broken heart
And cause the blind to see
Erase complete the sinners past
And set the captives free
Only You can take the widows cry
And cause her heart to sing
Be a Father to the fatherless
Our Savior and our King
We will be Your hands, we will be Your feet
We will run this race for the least of these
On the darkest place, we will be Your light
We will be Your light

Remember.

1. Remember who you are.
2. Remember who God is.
3. Leave no man behind.

(Diane Cobb: Summer '07)

The Fellowship.

I am part of the "Fellowship of the Unashamed."
The die has been cast.
I have stepped over the line.
The decision has been made.
I am a disciple of Jesus Christ.
I won't look back, let up, slow down,
back away, or be still.
My past is redeemed, my presentmakes sense,
and my future is secure.
I am finished and done with low living, sight walking,
small planning, smooth knees, colorless dreams,
chintzy giving, and dwarfed goals.

I no longer need pre-eminence, prosperity, position,
promotions, plaudits, or popularity.
I now live by presence, lean by faith, love by patience,
lift by prayer, and labor by power.
My pace is set, my gait is fast, my goal is Heaven,
my road is narrow, my way is rough, my companions few,
my Guide reliable, my mission clear.
I cannot be bought, compromised, deterred, lured away,
turned back, diluted, or delayed.

I will not flinch in the face of sacrifice,
hesitate in the presence of adversity,
negotiate at the table of the enemy,
ponder at the pool of popularity,
or meander in the maze of mediocrity.

I am a disciple of Jesus Christ.
I must go until Heaven returns,
give until I drop, preach until all know,
and work until He comes.
And when He comes to get His own,
He will have no problem recognizing me.
My colors will be clear.

("The Fellowship of the Unashamed" by Dr. Bob Moorehead)

Identity.

"We are the warriors.
The lovers
the dreamers
the cries
the laughter
and the pleas.
the joy
the sorrow.
the redeemed
the Children.

We MUST be nothing less, nothing more. There is no job title, no degree attached. Those are simply tasks that we are capable of BECAUSE of our identities in Him."
- Abbey Durbin

Family.

"That's how family gets made. Not ceremonies or certificates, not by parties and celebrations. Family gets made wen you decide to hold hands and sit shoulder to shoulder when it seems the sky is falling. Family gets made when the world becomes strange and disorienting, and the only face you recognize is his, Family gets made when the future obscures itself like a solar eclipse, and in the intervening darkness, you decide that no matter what happens in the night, you'll face it as one." Shauna Niequist Cold Tangerines

Echo.

Read here.

He spoke the words:

“In that day you will call your brothers Ammi—‘My people.’ And you will call your sisters Ruhamah—‘The ones I love.’" - Hosea 2:1

"Then, after doing all those things, I will pour out my Spirit upon all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy. Your old men will dream dreams, and your young men will see visions." -Joel 2:28

"The Lord gave me this message: 'I knew you before I formed you in your mother’s womb. Before you were born I set you apart and appointed you as my prophet to the nations.' 'O Sovereign Lord,' I said, 'I can’t speak for you! I’m too young!' The Lord replied, 'Don’t say, ‘I’m too young,’ for you must go wherever I send you and say whatever I tell you. And don’t be afraid of the people, for I will be with you and will protect you. I, the Lord, have spoken!'" -Jeremiah 1:4-8

"Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good. Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another; not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer; distributing to the needs of the saints, given to hospitality. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep. Be of the same mind toward one another. Do not set your mind on high things, but associate with the humble. Do not be wise in your own opinion. Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men. If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men. Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, 'Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,' says the Lord. Therefore, 'If your enemy is hungry, feed him; If he is thirsty, give him a drink; For in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head.' Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good." - Romans 12:9-21

"We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves. We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair. We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed." - 2 Corinthians 4:7-9

The Call.

It started out as a feeling
Which then grew into a hope
Which then turned into a quiet thought
Which then turned into a quiet word

And then that word grew louder and louder
Til it was a battle cry

I'll come back
When you call me
No need to say goodbye

Just because everything's changing
Doesn't mean it's never
Been this way before

All you can do is try to know
Who your friends are
As you head off to the war

Pick a star on the dark horizon
And follow the light

You'll come back
When it's over
No need to say good bye

You'll come back
When it's over
No need to say good bye..

Now we're back to the beginning
It's just a feeling and no one knows yet
But just because they can't feel it too
Doesn't mean that you have to forget

Let your memories grow stronger and stronger
Til they're before your eyes

You'll come back
When they call you
No need to say good bye

You'll come back
When they call you
No need to say good bye

("The Call" -Regina Spektor)

The Beginning.

This year September came to me with a bitter chill. In exchange for my heart-filled dreams of someday, it handed me loss and loneliness. I released my sorrow through tears every night until my dreams could rescue me from reality for a few brief hours. Then, the alarm would go off, all too soon, and the ache would consume me once again. This pattern continued for the next few weeks until I simply could cry no more. This was my September. A month when it seemed there was no external solace, and I found myself crying out to God like never before. Sometimes it was a bitter argument of “Why’s?” and “How could you’s?”, and other times it was a remorseful apology, “I am so sorry, please forgive me.” But most often I found myself with only the strength to say, “Daddy, I need you.” I wish I could tell you that in this dark hour, I trusted God completely and never doubted his heart. But to tell you the truth, I was too exhausted to find the good in it all. All I could do was wait and see what He would do.

Meredith Grey once said, “At the end of the day, faith is a funny thing. It turns up when you don’t really expect it. It’s like one day you wake up and you realize that the fairytale may be slightly different than you dreamed. The castle, well it may not be a castle, and it’s not so important happily ever after- just that it’s happy right now. See once in awhile, once in a blue moon, people will surprise you, and once in awhile people may even take your breath away.” That is exactly what happened. God brought eight beautiful people into my life when I thought that all hope was lost He used each of them to love me, to give me courage to continue fighting, and to give me a renewed passion for this life. But His story and our season together did not end with my healing. The last two months they have become the true friends I have always wanted. They are the friends you celebrate the little and grand victories with like finally having the courage to declare your major, the day you wake up fever free after eight days, and passing the test you had been dreading. They know how to share the joy and laughter and beauty in life, embracing it with everything they have; when I am with them, every day is an adventure to be had. They have taught me how not only to dream but to trust that placing these dreams in God’s hands, they could actually become a reality.

They are my Ruhamahs and Ammis- my sisters and brothers. They are my family, the real kind that according to Shuana Niequest get made “when the world becomes strange and disorienting…when the future obscures itself like a solar eclipse, and in the intervening darkness, you decide no matter what happens in the night you’ll face it as one.” No matter what fears and attacks have come my way, no matter how deep my heart has been wounded, no matter how far I have journeyed into the dark, I have not faced it alone. They have been there every step of the way covering me in prayer, calling out the lies, and reminding me that “there is good left in this world and it is worth fighting for”. They have never given up on me or abandoned me.

Perhaps what I love most about them, though, is they are the body of Christ. In a society when the word “church” is so often associated with a building, political views, and condemning attitudes, they remind me what the church was created to be- a group of people known for their love. That is who I know them to be…a group of people who love God and others with their whole hearts; people who have a heart for the world, who long to feed the poor, heal the sick, and embrace the lonely. They are a group of imperfect people whose heart cry is that God would use them. As one of them prayed, “Lord I acknowledge that You could use anyone to establish Your Kingdom on earth; You could use anyone to encourage and fight for Your children, my brothers and sisters. You don’t even need to use us to do those things, but Holy God, I would be honored if you would use me. Here I am, send me. Thank you for the honor, Lord.” This prayer echoes each of their hearts. I have no doubt that God will continue to use them to change thousands of lives as they have changed mine.

As months grow closer to summer, soon our time together will slowly fade into goodbyes, and we will embark on the next path of our journeys. Wherever you go, whether to Africa or Chicago or anywhere in between, I want you: Kory, Tyler, Will, Alicia, Kim, Amberly, Abbey, and Casey to know I hold you in my heart. I will carry with me our photography outings, afternoons in the park, endless hours of conversations over coffee and London Fogs, sassy moments, stargazing, and near-death experiences while watching the lights change in the middle of the road. I will never forget our times of intimate worship and prayer, Disney and musical sing-a-alongs, beautiful quotes and story sharing, late nights immersed in music in someone’s car, swing dancing in the parking lot of Taco Bell, spontaneous quests, cheerleading stunts, dreaming out loud and inside jokes like “Intelligent woman + beautiful man= babies!” I will hold every verse, every dream, every word, every sweet embrace, and every moment in my heart wherever I go. Thank you for who you are. I am forever changed because of my time spent with each of you. I love you and thank Dad for you from the bottom of my heart.