CREATIVITY AT WORK
from sketches to masterpieces
You are God’s field, God’s building.
“Pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into the harvest.” Mathew 9:38
I’ve been thinking a lot about prayer and the things that Jesus taught us about it. I’ve wondered about its importance and how much the Father wants us to co-labor with him on the earth. If it’s true that whatever God wants to happen, simply will happen, then why are we called to prayer? Could it be that we can develop a sense, an extra one - the sense of prayer, in which we discover what God wants us to pray? Could it be that we are to use this sense in order to agree with him in prayer and release his goodness and bring change? What a wonderful thought.
How about when Jesus taught about persistence in prayer? He said that even when we inconvenience a friend with insistence we will get what we ask for. How much more will we receive good gifts from our Father as we persist in asking, seeking, and knocking?
There’s one teaching, however, that struck me recently. Jesus said we should pray for laborers to be released. He said this as if there weren’t enough of them, or perhaps too many of them aren’t aware of the readiness of the harvest. He said this shortly before he sent out the disciples to proclaim the Kingdom, heal the sick, raise the dead, and cast out evil spirits. And prior to that he had himself been healing the blind, the sick, and those suffering afflictions. He reaches a dramatic point in which, looking out with compassion, he sees all the lost and confused, harassed and helpless people everywhere and says, “the harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few.” (Matt 9:37) Was he tired? Was he longing for the day when he could send his Spirit to dwell in the hearts of men so that they could do “greater works?” (John 14:12) Is he still looking out with compassion towards the field of hearts all over the world?
I know this letter has far too many questions. I know that there are challenges in each life and time constraints that make it difficult to discern the harvest. But maybe for a small moment, can we think about what it means to be sent? To send a laborer? I think once we follow the Lord into his compassion, it would be our natural cry to ask so many things on behalf of those around us. Who comes to mind right now that could use some prayer, encouragement, or a tangible act of God’s love? This isn’t just a plea for missionaries to be sent out to foreign fields. This prayer is one that may give us courage to touch someone’s life, while we still have time. This call to prayer might be one in which we realize we have become the field; confused and scattered, and need someone to hold our hand in order to heal, live, and be free.
I don’t know what God would do for you and through you - for your family, city, nation, or in the world - if you surrender to Christ’s compassion and cry out for more workers. Actually, the call comes with trials and rewards.
At the very least, you would feel his endless love and patience. In a greater sense, what if your prayers are catalytic for a great harvest of people to understand this kind of love and forgiveness? And finally, what if you lose yourself in his compassion and find your calling to be a sent one? Truthfully, I don’t know why we wouldn’t be sent, even if it’s to our co-workers, neighbors, students, or the person who bothers you the most. Don’t let your heart grow weary, dull, or hard. Tenderize it by listening to the field and the Lord of the harvest, truly listen. Perhaps you can even look at someone who needs your forgiveness, and say, “you are God’s field, God’s building.” (1 Cor 3:9)
”So, neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but God who gives the growth. He who plants and he who waters are one, and each will receive his wages according to his labor.” 1 Cor 3:7-8
We’re Not in Kansas Anymore.
It has been a wild ride these past few months. We are holding on to our Father each step of the way and counting on His strength and not our own. It should always be that way. Somehow our own strength likes to take the reins, but there’s nothing like feeling stretched and weak to make you seek the Lord in an almost minute by minute way.
This summer we enjoyed some time with my (Nancy) parents in Florida as they both are settling into their retirement life. Then we came home to make one of the biggest decisions of our lives as missionaries. Since selling our house in Georgia last January, we had considered buying a home in Quito in order to be good stewards of our calling and to help our monthly expenses go down. We didn’t realize it would be such a difficult task. It was something we talked, prayed, and made charts about over and over. We desperately waited before God and asked for direction.
In fact, we have been seeking God’s heart for Ecuador, for Quito ever since. One would think we already had a heart for Quito since this September, the 21st, is our fifth year anniversary serving here.
In front of what we’re calling The Rumi House. We are now located on the border of the Rumiñahui neighborhood in the city of Quito, Ecuador.
*Celebration pause*
But ever since we considered buying a home, it was like we began to hear an ancient cry. It was the cry of the city, the cry of the broken. We heard the cry of the missionaries that started long ago. We heard the rocks and stones in the historical district cry out for the life of Christ. It was unsettling to be sure. It’s incredible how much we actually walk by faith and not by sight, but when we tune in with our ears, we can still hear,
“who can we send, and who will go for us?”
We were a bit confused because in order for us to live there, it would take some extra strength and boldness. The streets have been revitalised in many ways, only to contrast with the sad reality. In a place full of architectural beauty, enough to draw in foreigners from all over the world, there are also, just a short walk away signs of legal prostitution as well as drug dealing and drug addicts.
In the end, we chose not to live there for safety reasons. We actually chose a home that is considered a gem to us and to those that see it. It is a gem because in the midst of the hustle and bustle, there is a quiet passageway facing a long park, the old airport site. A very busy intersection, might I add, but with the natural quietness of what was once a busy and loud international airport right in the middle of the city. To be sure, we still hear the cry of a city longing to be changed. We see that Christ wants fires of the Holy Spirit ablaze with fresh love from the North to the South of Quito.
Cumberland Community Church Team 2026
During the move, we received two small missionary teams from our home church in Atlanta. We experienced glorious times together. Alongside these wonderful people, we were able to provide great programs at a few of our ministry sites. We were able to share the Gospel in creative ways, and during our SmartBox distribution time, we led several kids, parents, and visitors to the Lord.
It’s true that the mountaintop can make the valley seem uncomfortable. We bask in His goodness with gratitude, and yet, moving to this beautiful house has not been easy. There are routes to figure out now that we are not walking distance from all the familiar things. And yet we feel that this new stewardship is the beginning of what may come. For years, we have traveled to our sites from the North to the South of the city.
Is He now calling us to have a site of our own within the communities of the Historical District?
Historical Center of Quito, Ecuador
We are praying about how to respond to the call of the Lord to help the vulnerable, oppressed, and the poor. We are seeking His will to be in places that most foreigners seldom go and settle, in order to rescue the children of the next generation before they follow the example of their surroundings. Will you please join us in prayer for wisdom, insight, and discernment?
For now, we will continue with our plans to teach at our sites weekly, and switch sites every six weeks as we can’t serve all of them each week. We will continue to disciple and grow with our various communities, and we will continue to seek God for ways to be obedient to the call to be watchmen in the Historical District.
We appreciate your support in prayer,
Please pray for:
Adjustment to our new neighborhood. It is very commercial and we aren’t in the safe “missionary neighborhood” anymore
Kayla to find new rhythms and friends and to learn more Spanish
That we would be wise in how to parent in a city that is considered unsafe
That we would serve our sites well, teach the Gospel everywhere, and see fruit and growth in our young people
Freedom will travel to the States for 8 weeks. Safety and provision for all of us during this very long separation.
Provision for the Big Dream of having our own ministry site: An art and discipleship center.
New Strength
Health and protection
Bus Rules
Inside a typical metro bus of Quito, Ecuador
It was a normal day visiting a ministry site in the South side of Quito, El Panecillo (little bread bun). I was alone, and the bus was pretty empty. I had been communicating via text with one of the teens about some bad influences who had entered their group of friends. I was trying to sort things out, since it did affect our daughter directly, and trying to balance out grace and truth. The back door of the bus remained open even as the bus was moving. Everything seemed peaceful, and my guard was down. Since we’ve lived here, we've had a set of guidelines for how we carry ourselves to and from, especially when it comes to cash or our phones.
Here are the bus rules:
Don’t use your phone on the bus.
Make your phone (or cash) hard to get.
If you must use your phone, face away from people and use the “tri-hold” grip, with your pointer finger on top and gripping tightly—aka “the kung fu grip”.
Don’t place yourself so close to the back exit if you’re going to use your phone.
And in general, don’t use your phone on the bus. :)
So, the person, perhaps he was behind me, or he ran in and out of the bus—he just simply said, “I got your phone!” And he took off as if it were a game.
There I sat fuming all the way home. I dropped my guard; I didn’t follow the Rodriguez guidelines. I got distracted by the situation at hand. It didn’t make me scared, just mad at myself and also mad at the stealing culture that is so prevalent here in Ecuador. Thankfully, my phone was old but very well protected, and none of my apps were accessible. This person probably wiped it and sold it. Not that it was worth much after being used for five years.
Days like this, when something goes wrong or feels impossible in Ecuador, it’s tempting sometimes to just pack up and go “home.” But here’s the thing. Where is home? Since we sold our house in Georgia, I’ve been asking this question. And the answer is not surprising. God is our home.
Many might be asking, “What is Church?”And the answer is, the church is us in Christ. Of course, there are more details, but we must always start there. Each morning. “Lord, you are my home, my very strong tower. Jesus, you are building your Church on the Earth, start with me.”
Because of these very important facts, we have decided that, rather than leaving, we are committing to Ecuador, to Quito. Our time here isn’t done as far as we know. And thankfully, we are going to be able to purchase an affordable and useful house, which will alleviate our monthly expenses in the long run. When I say that making this decision has been excruciating for us, I am not saying it lightly. But just as Christ is building His Church, He is also building dreams. Thankfully, we found a house that will give us space to host people and prep for projects.
We do hope in the future to have a space to run a creative center to alleviate the traveling with supplies from the North to the South of Quito, but that dream remains in His time and in His way. Isn’t it interesting how God will use a building or a house? He will even use the shade of a tree in which to bring about His kingdom. The point is being His body, in person. It’s a very precious gift, “Christ in you, the hope of glory.”
Truly with gratitude,
Untethered Pilgrims
Admittedly, it has been months since I have been able to write. Freedom and I have been feeling like there’s a new season on the horizon since we sold our home in the States. I think there was something quite final about that. Over the years, we have moved many times. We realize that in the midst of so many changes, we lose things and give things away. Things with history, objects that lived with us, stop telling the story of our lives. We have a few keepsakes but no real heirlooms. And while we know that God has called us to be missionaries, it doesn’t take away the pain we sometimes feel as untethered pilgrims, with temporary “tents,” so to speak.
We have been blessed to continue the work we do with kids, teens, and young adults. Freedom was able to publish our latest Revelations of the Artist book in March. Meetings in our home have continued to be a blessing, and we had the pleasure of joining a new home church in Quito Ecuador, called Ekballo Church.
All the while, we have felt a sort of incubation in the Spirit—a type of silence and seeking after Him.
The completion of our fifth year here will come in September, and has shown that we have accomplished what we have set out to do in that time. We felt that we should ask the Lord to show us what the next five years will look like. Interestingly, this is around the time our daughter, Kayla, said she would want to go back home. But she has made Ecuador her home, Quito is the city she loves, and her small group of friends has become a light of belonging that we have prayed for. She is not ready to leave this calling and this place. And neither are we.
So we ask daily, “Lord, show us how our work should change? Should we continue to work in the same way?” There arose a longing for a space of our own. When we look back, we see that a plan for a creative center was always in our hearts, as expressed in our first book. And so, we find ourselves in a huge city, wondering where God would place an art center for ministry, and how it would be possible?
For starters, we do feel equipped for it. We feel trained for this work, and that is a gift from the Lord. We only need to find the place and the community of faith that will be built from it.
We know God is faithful. We can trust Him. Change is something very common to the missionary. We listen, we go, we sow seeds, we water, and then we listen and go again, as He leads.
February and March brought us a season of retreats. Two in which we both served separately, one in which we served together, and one in which I went as a participant. There were definitely some highlights as we saw lives changed and hearts brought closer to the Lord.
KIDS CAMP
During a kids' camp, little girls talked about the names they have been called by their parents, family members, and their peers. Through tears and prayers, we could see God healing them and comforting these painful places in their lives. Some of the girls said these hurtful names out loud.
“Useless.” “Stupid.”
Two girls cried because their moms are gone, one in jail, the other left to the United States. Dads are not even mentioned sometimes.
When we served with the homeschoolers’ retreat, we listened to two young men share about their struggles with loss. As ministry/missionary kids, they have experienced extreme change and loss many times. It’s a reminder that if we are challenged by these things, the kids also feel the effects of it in ways that are probably more difficult.
Teen Retreat
One of our teens said, “I’m losing my friends, and my cousins are also moving back to the States; I just don’t feel I am doing anything important here.”
Another teen said, “I am leaving my life here in Ecuador, my dad is stressed out, and he takes out his frustrations on me sometimes. I just feel like I’m not good enough.”
Still another said, “It’s been a long time since I’ve heard the Lord, thank you for speaking to us.”
We heard several teens talk about loneliness; some made a commitment to the Lord and to each other.
We’ve had some wonderful times in ministry. There are stories that we treasure in our hearts. We are grateful. Even though we don’t have many answers right now, we know God has called us to this beautiful country and its people. My people.
For us, building a “home” means having a place in which to cultivate hearts that love Him. It means that He is our heirloom, our treasure in the pots of clay that we are.
Please continue to keep us in your prayers, and thank you for your continued support. If you would like to support our efforts in opening an art ministry center, you can do so in two ways:
With gratitude,
2025 Reflection
Teen Retreat 2025
As the year comes to an end, we reflect on the blessings we have had. Honestly, as missionaries, we measure our success by how much we were able to pour into the relationships around us. We have said goodbye to some of our youth who have graduated high school, but we have also welcomed new friends and young adults who tell us they are thankful to have a home to come to for encouragement. We have done workshops and outreach to two new communities, all the while, sharing the Good News of Jesus while creating a space of rest and creativity. In November, Freedom was able to lead three teaching sessions at a teen retreat while I led the creative sessions. I have been weekly pioneering art sessions in a site that we previously only saw once a year.
It hasn’t all been output. The Lord led us to a time of rest as well since we haven’t taken time for furlough these four and a half years. While furlough for missionaries usually means meetings, training, speaking, and fundraising; we actually took time to rest at home and focused on some devotional time as a family. Our daughter Kayla was going through sadness, having said goodbye to most of her friends who were all older than her. There are also new connections and friends for Kayla that came out of the teen retreat. We are grateful for this comfort for our daughter and look forward to some new experiences for her. One of our ministry sites remained closed in September and October, so we found that the fall was a much needed time for tender loving care for our family.
Some of the teens we serve — Kayla is second from the right and Nancy and I are second and third from the left. We are partnered with the Bormans (Father & Daughter Team) first on the left and right.
The month of December brought us many new experiences connecting with several groups like End Slavery Ecuador, the Carmen Bajo women’s ministry, and a remote public school in an indigenous community. This group of kids live about four hours from Quito. The small school had only four rooms. We belive the Lord will lead us back there to support and partner with a local youth leader named Sarita.
What we have ahead of us seems, at times, insurmountable and yet we know that God is able to give us the strength we need. We will be going to the States for a couple of weeks on New Year’s Eve to empty out our house in Georgia. We are in the process of selling it as we cannot continue to maintain it without a huge financial toll. We look forward to reconnecting with our sending church and, for Kayla and I, it will also feel comforting since we haven’t been back in about two years. Freedom’s mom, Carmen or Mama Llama, has undergone an intense treatment in her fight with cancer and now suffers from after effects. It will be an important time to visit with her and see how we can help her situation.
We thank you from the bottom of our hearts for partnering with us financially and in prayer. We would not be here without you. One of the greatest highlights this year has been how much hosting we have done out of our home in Quito. We have invited so many people to come and break bread and have Bible study with us. It seems incredible that we are able to serve so many communities from such a variety of backgrounds. How can we be in connection with over 400+ children and young adults, with seven ministry sites from a variety of backgrounds. It can only be because we are not alone. We are empowered by the Lord and we have you, our partners in this ministry. As the year comes to an end, please consider an end of year donation. Tell your church or small group about our work. We would love to share about our passion to reach the children, teens, and young adults in Ecuador.
Gather
Teen Retreat 2025: Going into the Unknown
Does it seem to you that time is going by so fast? I can’t believe we’re arriving at the holiday season. Yet, we can only be in the moment in which we find ourselves. God is so wise to allow us to use our feet to help us meet our most basic needs. Even though we drive, fly, or multitask and accomplish so much sometimes with a click of a finger, we still need to take steps in order to wash our face, prepare our meals, and go to work. Let us savor our small, seemingly insignificant, steps because they are the mode by which we are able to keep in step with the Spirit.
The Lord descended to the top of Mount Sinai and called Moses to the top of the mountain. So Moses went up. Exodus 19:20
Sometimes I read verses like this and think of how quickly I can read it, but for Moses it took breathing, thinking, praying, and laborious stepping up to meet with God on behalf of the people. He ascended the mountain about eight times!
There are days when the six blocks uphill from the supermarket here in Quito, one of the highest cities on Earth, just seem like too much. Dramatically, I say to our daughter Kayla, “Save yourself and leave me here.” We chuckle because she makes strides that appear effortless, while I sometimes struggle to take tiny incremental steps and, after all this time, seem to still be acclimating to this hill. She pulls my arm, doesn’t let me go, and says, “Come on Mother. We’re almost home.”
Both she and I arrive home by each step that we have taken together. How different your walk can be from the person right next to you! How easily you might trod while the other feels pain and exhaustion. This season, let us remember to be gentle. To be slow and kind. To be aware that while the hill isn’t very high, only over 9,000 feet of elevation, we might need to pull someone along with us. That is, to share our strength, to gather a fellow traveler with us. The goal is Home with Christ, but we are not meant to be traveling alone. Those around us may need our support, we may need theirs. And pretty soon we will be gathered together and we will rest.
~Nancy
Thomas has a Question
It had been a wild week. Freedom was traveling for several weeks, and I was determined to host the Y’ALL (Young Adult Life & Leadership) group at our house. It had been a rough week, and yet I knew that I didn’t want more time to pass between meetings. Y’ALL is our monthly gathering for older teens and early 20s, which meets at our house. Hosting it is no small feat. We usually think there will be about 7 people coming, and end up with about 12 to 15. The meeting is pretty long, as some kids come from the outskirts of Quito, and it includes a meal. The idea is that it is long enough for it to be worth the travel, and it should have a meal because it is so long.
I had spent the previous day cleaning with Kayla’s help and several days planning the lesson, putting the worship songs in order, and the only thing left was cooking. However, it is easier said than done. I was still wrapping things up right up to the last minute, and, thankfully, the food turned out decent. This group is mostly bilingual, and the lesson is given in English, with some translation. To be very honest, I am always nervous. It just doesn’t get easier. I have heard it said that pastors and speakers do get stage fright, and that is a comfort. This is just a home group, after all. Let me share a little bit more about myself. My 8-year-old self (yes, even my teen self) would hide in my room whenever, in rare moments, my mother had any guests. You could say I had social anxiety. With Freedom gone, I felt it even more.
I ran an ice breaker and was pleased to see that the kids just wanted a reason to converse. By now, I know these precious souls well. I know that about half of them also suffer from social angst and timidity. After the meal, I mustered up the courage to break up the Uno games and bring everyone to the living room. That night, the living room was full and all eyes were on me. As nervous as I had been, the topic was so dear to my heart, and I forgot about myself. We spoke of Thomas, the one who doubted. We talked about the desire to know, to really know that God is there. We talked about the invitation Thomas received, and what an honor.
“Put your finger here. Look at my hands. Put your hand here in my side. Stop doubting and believe.” John 20:27
“Have you ever thought about it?” I asked. “Thomas was invited to enter his wounds.”
It was palpable, the desire to know God more. We often see Thomas’ questions as a negative thing. And yet the Son of God saw this as an invitation for more intimacy and growth for Thomas. He called him out, not to humiliate him, but to say, “Here I Am, Thomas. I am not surprised by your questions. And I want you to see and believe.”
We eventually talked about getting scrapes, cuts, and scars, and did a little Scar Show and Tell, which brought some laughter. I happen to have a huge scar on my forehead!
When the lesson came to a close, the question arose, “When you enter into the wounds of Christ, it means you enter into an intimate place. Would you now allow the Lord to enter into your deepest wound?” It was as if a mic dropped. This was nowhere in my notes, and it seemed that it was a question from the Holy Spirit. There was a weighty silence. I felt it was a precious moment. With the question lingering in the air, I knew that we didn’t need to answer out loud; it was time to talk to God. We started our worship time, where we could ponder these things.
After the night was over, I kept thinking about it. How close to His own heart are our broken hearts? Even our doubts don’t push him away or draw us farther from His reach. I was marveling at the faithfulness of Christ when a friend started texting me. She had recently survived a bicycle crash in which she needed plastic surgery to reconstruct her nose; this happened in the same month that she lost her father. I decided to encourage her with the same words from our small group. And it was a full circle, we enter his wounds and are healed because we find out that he was willing to enter our wounds, doubts, and fears, to answer our deepest need.
“He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.” Psalm 147:3
As always, we are grateful for your support and prayers,
Delivery!
We did something genius this summer. We invited groups of friends to help us pack our SmartBoxes and write encouraging notes to each child. Sure, we did this last year with our visiting team, but with 250 boxes (woohoo!) to prepare before September 1st, we knew we had to expand the packing sessions to more people. We invited young adults and had packing nights, a visiting team that had several hours to spare asked to help out, and finally, we asked the staff from one of our sites to come over and help us. The latter proved to be extra heartfelt. We were able to get the boxes done pretty well with other groups, and truthfully, we couldn’t get it done without everyone that helped out, but we did notice that the staff from Carmen Bajo expressed pride and honor to be able to help out because they had a relationship with each child. When it came time to write notes, they spent so much time carefully writing to each child and decorating each card. One of the moms came to help out, and when she wrote her card to her son, she did it with so much love and enthusiasm. We realized that the staff needed this, a set aside time to gift-give and encourage the kids they serve day to day.
We feel very safe when visiting our sites, but we must always remember that the shelter of the ministries and churches where we serve is a haven from some really harsh realities. There is a pattern of domestic violence in the homes, often coming from the mothers; the streets offer really bad options, and neglect is common.
Recently, at one of our “packing parties,” I had the opportunity to sit with a young girl from one of the centers. She wasn’t supposed to be there, but she had run away from home and found herself at a SMartBox boxing session. We have known her since she was twelve, and she is now sixteen. Always with a boy at her side, a different one each year, it seemed. We have always tried to connect with her. Nothing seemed to work. She barely said hello and rarely responded to our efforts.
Something changed that day as we sat on the steps to our house. I sat and listened to her reasons for running away. I asked questions about her plans. And I told her that I was glad she was there and that she trusted me enough to share her story. I prayed for her, and then the group left. A couple of weeks went by, and then it was time to deliver the boxes to Carmen Bajo, where she had gone for years.
Something was different. She practically ran over to me and gave me a true hug, not one I initiated. And her smile told me something. “I am happy you are here, thank you for loving me.”
She hugged me several times that day, sharing more about her grief. About her cousin, who is possibly going to jail for stabbing someone, resulting in a fatality; the boy is seventeen!
When I shared the Word of God yesterday, she made sure everyone around her was listening, which is something new and encouraging.
And finally, though she is home now, her mother refused to help her with some school expenses. Another blow. So, as I wrap up this story, I am getting ready to go buy articles for her uniform. It seems like something I can do for her, give her a proverbial cup of water and prove to her once again that God loves her and we do too.
If you gave towards SmartBox this year, from the bottom of our hearts, thank you. You are making a difference. You are helping us create a space so that the Word of God can go just a little further into the soils of hearts softened by a simple gift.
With gratitude,
Eyes to see and ears to hear…
We have been teaching teens and young adults about having spiritual senses. During a recent bible study, I shared about spiritual insight, discernment, and having “eyes to see.” My primary reference was Matthew 13, where Jesus taught the crowds through parables. After the parable of the sower, the disciples came to him and asked, “Why do you speak to the people in parables?” To which Jesus replied,
“Because the knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them."
My question was, why would the Lord give to some and not others? The answer is reasonably simple yet profound. God gives to everyone, and abundantly so. "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son...," For an earthly king, the kingdom is everything. It's his world. And the king's son is the hope and glory of that kingdom. So, how much more did God give when he gave Jesus to us? Jesus is God's ultimate personal gift to mankind. But what we do with that gift will determine our experience with the knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven. When Jesus said that "the knowledge of the secrets" was given, he was referring to the revelation of who he is to the people of his kingdom. This is huge! Many attend church for many reasons. Yet if it's not to partake in the knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, the gift of Jesus will not be received fully. In other words, Jesus is partly taken and not partaken. When the Lord gives us knowledge of himself, it must be eagerly absorbed and consumed, empowering us for abundant living. His disciples followed him closely, surrounding him with their devotion, serving and partaking not just of his teachings but of the essence of his life. He is our source and sustenance. We know we have life abundantly when we are overflowing with his life and his gifts. And to those who have eyes to see will see beyond the gift to the giver of the gift, and for those who have ears to hear will hear not only the words of God being preached but the voice of God in the Spirit. And those who have the heart to understand will not only understand but also overcome the world and will also inherit all things of the kingdom of God.
Read 1 John 5:4-5; Revelation 21:7
In conclusion, what does this mean for us as believers and followers of our King, Jesus? It means that we are citizens of heaven and ought to be identified with heavenly things and the fruits of the Spirit. It means we are ambassadors under his authority, to represent him and his kingdom. It's not only about following principles and precepts. We have the blessed honor of glorifying the Lord and his kingdom.
I have so much more to share on this, but I will leave you with Paul's prayer in Ephesians, "...that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the confident hope he has given to those he called—his holy people who are his rich and glorious inheritance." Ephesians 1:18
Entering In.
I was listening to the song “Most Beautiful” sung by Maverick City for my devotional time this morning. At some point, the song refers to the gaze of Jesus whilst on the Cross. It really hit me. His “yes” came at a heavy price. This is one way we know that joy and happiness are two distinct things. Happiness may have joy in it, but joy goes deeper. Joy suffers well. Joy digs deep. Joy looks forward, calling things that are not as though they were, and then waiting for them with unrelenting faith. The joy of Jesus saw your face at Calvary. I don’t know how else to express it, but mothers know, it’s the satisfaction of enduring love, so you can one day gaze into your child’s eyes. The expectant mother must “see” her child and imagine her or him in her arms. Joy from the womb, one may say, awaits and prepares for the greater joy of the tangible and carnate child. Beholding turns into holding.
I believe the Joy of Jesus, the Father, and the Holy Spirit is still waiting to hold you, tangibly, at His table where the place is set for you, by name. We can enter it, past the veil that was torn, which is Jesus' body, into an intimate place with the God of the Universe. It’s a beautiful thing. Why stay afar? Why only touch the hem of his robe? Why not lean on his breast like John (I’m so jealous of him), and listen to the heartbeat of your Maker?
Imagine yourself entering in. The barefoot steps each have a name. Like grass beneath your feet, or sand, breathe in, breathe out. Prayer, Forgiveness, Faith, Acceptance, Love, Desire, Sacrifice…
I don’t know what your steps are. The essentials, I think, are forgiveness and faith. But the point is, enter in. Enter in.
One day, corruptible will be replaced with incorruptible, and he promises a new way to be with Him. Face to face. Beheld, beloved, eyes wide open. Will there be steps to enter in, at that point? Because I think I will rather stay there and never leave. I love the fact that the resurrected Christ ate food, had scars, lingered, taught, and invited Thomas to touch his wounds.
What joy was fulfilled! And yet, He still waits for more guests to come. He is still growing His family. The names are waiting to be written at His table. He said, “Yes.” Won’t you also say “yes”? It cost Him more than we can know. But in just one breath, you can enter deeper still into His love.
Oh, the riches of knowing Him!
Verses that inspired this post:
The veil and the body of Jesus: Hebrews 10:20
John resting on Jesus: John 13:23
Corruptible and Incorruptible: 1 Corinthians 15:53-55
Heavenly Feast: Revelation 19:9
Thomas sees and touches Jesus’ wounds: John 20:27-31
Enduring Joy: Isaiah 51:11; John 15:11; Romans 15:13