the riverfront

I was out last night with some friends. We went to the Night Market, and then we went walking along the riverfront. It was a busy night along the riverfront. There were people eating at cafes and restaurants all along the way. There were a lot of Westerners out and about as well as locals.

There were also a lot of children. A lot of naked children sleeping on the sidewalks covered with just scarves. There were children selling books. There were women carrying around their infants and begging. There were men sitting on the sidewalk holding up plastic bowls, hoping for just a little bit of cash. There were amputees pulling themselves around on carts. There were women inside "massage" parlors waiting for customers.

This is the less than beautiful side of this country. The empty rows of chairs along the entrance of karaoke bars that earlier in the night held young women dressed in silks with caked on make-up rarely mean that the girls have gone home for the night.

This is where I live now. This is what I see. This is what breaks my heart. This is why I am here.

Inherit the Kingdom

Songs have a way of speaking to me in ways that nothing else can. I heard this song a couple years ago, and I immediately fell in love. I love Sara Groves' music because she has a way of writing exactly what I feel in my heart. This song is no exception.

When the Saints by Sara Groves

Lord, I have a heavy burden of all I've seen and know

It's more than I can handle

But Your word is burning like a fire shut up in my bones

And I can't let it go

And when I'm weary and overwrought

With so many battles left unfought

I think of Paul and Silas in the prison yard

I hear their song of freedom rising to the stars

And when the saints go marching in

I want to be one of them

Lord, it's all that I can't carry and cannot leave behind

It all can overwhelm me

But when I think of all who've gone before and lived a faithful life

Their courage compels me

And when I'm weary and overwrought

With so many battles left unfought

I think of Paul and Silas in the prison yard

I hear their song of freedom rising to the stars

I see the shepherd Moses in the pharaoh's court

I hear his call for freedom for the people of the Lord

And when the saints go marching in

I want to be one of them

And when the saints go marching in

I want to be one of them

I see the long quiet walk along the Underground Railroad

I see the slave awaken to the value of her soul

I see the young missionary and the angry spear

I see his family returning with no trace of fear

I see the long hard shadows of Calcutta nights

I see the sister standing by the dying man's side

I see the young girl huddled on the brothel floor

I see the man with a passion come kicking down that door

I see the Man of sorrow and His long troubled road

I see the world on His shoulders and my easy load

And when the saints go marching in

I want to be one of them

"Then the King will say to those on His right hand, 'Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world." Matthew 25:34

It's her story...

I just wanted to take a little bit to explain her story, and why it is hers to tell. You will not see any pictures of the 21 beautiful girls I am working with, nor will I share their names or pictures of the home where they are residing. Why? Well, as much as I know you may want to see photos of them, it is for their own protection and dignity. You see, these girls have been through a lot, much more horror than many of us will ever experience in our whole lives. Their story is one of the few things that they have left that is truly theirs. Who am I to take that away from them? And, really, it doesn’t matter one bit where these girls have been, but instead where they are going. I assure you that these girls are going places. They are brilliant and talented. They have opportunities available to them that their parents and grandparents did not. But, in order for these opportunities to remain available and for these girls to fulfill their dreams, they need to be protected. They need to remain in a safe place where they are loved, respected, and continually being healed by Jesus Christ.

As humans we want our good deeds to be noticed. We want to see tangible evidence of the difference we are making. Thus, I completely understand that people would want to see photos of these beautiful girls, know where they have come from, and see where they are going. However, I don’t really think any of that matters in the kingdom of God because our good deeds are not supposed to be done in an effort to give us a warm, fuzzy feeling but rather that people are brought into God’s kingdom. I assure you that God is working in this place, in this nation. There is still much work to be done, but He is here. I hear Him in the sound of little girls singing “Jesus loves me.” I see Him in the beautiful smiling faces of women who survived Pol Pot’s genocide and now want to give the next generation what they never had. I smell Him in the exhaust while riding in a tuk tuk driven by a man who is rising above the standard to be a Godly husband and father. I feel Him in the hugs and kisses of young women who will one day own their own beauty parlor. I can taste Him in the fried banana chips that someone brought from his village just to share. Believe me, God is here, and He is working, but because I know it is difficult to understand what you just can’t see (I think that’s called faith), I will post pictures of what I can and give you periodic glimpses into the world as I see it.

“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” Hebrews 11:1

“But when you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, that your charitable deed may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly.” Matthew 6:3-4

The earth is the Lord's

Psalm 24:1 says, "The earth is the Lord's, and all its fullness, the world and those who dwell therein." This Scripture has become quite the living word to me. The world really just isn't that big of a place when it comes right down to it. You can get anywhere you want to go in the world in just a matter of hours. There are so many things that are universal--from smiles to pain.

I am now in Cambodia, and I love it. It feels as much like home as any other place I have ever been. As strange as it may seem, any time I have ever left the USA to go to another country, I have never felt that I was somewhere foreign. The food may be different. The language may be different (and I may not understand a word of it). The people may look slightly different. The streets and traffic may look different. I have come to look at myself as a global citizen rather than a US citizen. It is not that I am anti-American, but it is rather that I am pro-God's Kingdom. Because really, the earth is the Lord's. And, as God's child I want to bring other people into His Kingdom regardless of what their passports or birth certificates say. The only citizenship that really matters in the end is being a citizen of heaven. God holds the entire world in His hands. He knows every person that has lived, is living, and will live on the face of the planet. Even though I only occupy a tiny corner of the world on a microscopic dot within the continuum of eternity, I don't want to limit myself in the ways I can expand God's Kingdom.

I have been asked countless times over the last several weeks where I am from (country, state, town, etc.). This has forced me to think about my place in the world--where I came from and where I am going. Who would have thought that a girl from a small farming community in Indiana would be traveling to the other side of the world to actively fight against sex slavery in a country that is fighting to battle back from years of war and genocide? How are these kind of connections made? Quite simply the answer is God. God orchestrates our lives to bring fullness to His world and His Kingdom if only we listen and are obedient to His call. So often I think we doubt God's calling to us because it doesn't make logical sense or He seems to be calling us to do something that we are clearly not trained or equipped to do. It is those times that we forget that the earth is the Lord's. How can we ever dare to doubt that the God who holds the earth in the palm of His hand is able to use us in spite of us?

This has been quite random, but I will try to convey my point simply. The same God who created us in His image with a purpose also created the earth and holds it in His hands. My challenge to you is to look at the world with God's global eyes. I assure you that when you do, your perspective will shift and with it a deep love for those you may never have met who live on the other side of the world.

Jesus doesn't want us jaded

I don't want to live my life jaded.

However, I realized the other day that in some ways I have been. I am speaking specifically in regard to the Church. Until I came to Australia, I hadn't realized how much I had allowed many of the negative things I have seen within churches to cloud my perception of the Church. Honestly, I am a pretty difficult person to offend, at least I have become that way thanks to the grace of God, but I have seen a lot of ugliness in churches over the years. What you may ask? My response: it doesn't matter. It doesn't matter what I have seen, what I have experienced, or how it all happened. Over the last couple years God has really done a work on the inside of me to really think about what it looks like to live sold out for Him, to take the Bible and live it. The Amplified Bible translation of Luke 9:23 reads, "And He said to all, 'If any person wills to come after Me, let him deny himself [disown himself, forget, lose sight of himself and his own interests, refuse, and give up himself] and take up his cross daily and follow Me [cleave steadfastly to Me, conform wholly to my example in living and, if need be, in dying also]." Those are some pretty powerful words and require some serious self-evaluation. If I really want to follow Christ as I claim to, I have some real work to do. It is my heart to examine how Jesus lived His life and to follow in His footsteps, to live as He lived. I really can't do any less. But, I have realized over the last couple weeks that for some reason I have come to expect less of the Church. Somewhere along the way I have made allowances for the Church to fail at being Jesus to the masses, even though I may not have given up on being Christ-like myself.

I had allowed myself to become jaded and without expectation for the Church. Maybe it was some sort of defense mechanism to avoid pain. I am really not sure, but I do know that it isn't right. Jesus does not want us to be jaded or dulled or apathetic. He wants and expects us to be earth-shakers, world-changers, mountain-movers, barrier-breakers. He wants us to love radically and live justly.

I have become tired of hearing people saying that they admire what I am doing and they wish they had the courage to do something like that. Why? I don't deserve to be admired anymore than the next guy. I am simply being obedient to do what God has called me to do. I can do no less. When people ask me why I am doing what I am doing, I simply think, "How can I not?" I was created for such a time as this...and so were you. No, maybe you were not called to hop on a plane and fly halfway around the world to serve. But, you were called. God has called each and every one of us. It is our responsibility to choose not to live jaded, going through the motions in a humdrum life.

My hope in the future of the Church has been restored not because of any massive movement or revival but because I know how much God wants to reveal Himself to this world, and I am choosing to have confidence that His children will rise to the challenge. So, if you haven't heard it before, here's your call! "But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His wonderful light." 1 Peter 2:9 Here is your opportunity to take any blinders off. Here is your opportunity to find out where God wants to you to be and to do it full on! Whether that means that you invest yourself wholeheartedly in raising God-fearing children, in educating the next generation with Godly truths, in stocking the shelves of your local food pantry, in providing a family-less child a family, in using your business smarts to bring finances into God's kingdom, in baking cookies for your neighbors, or even flying around the world to help others find the wholeness that comes in Christ. You are never too young or too old. If we are doing God's will, He will never fail to equip us.

"Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it." 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24

Wrapping up my time in Australia

First of all, I apologize for my lack of updates over the past few days. I have been away from Internet for the past several days, so I have been unable to update. So, I will give you a bit of a picture update to show you how I have been spending some of my last days in Australia.

I sampled lamingtons, which are an Aussie special. Lamingtons are sponge cakes that are dipped in chocolate and then rolled in coconut. They are quite delicious.

I went to Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary last week with my friend Dani. It was so much fun!!!! You can get super close to the animals, and it was beautiful. I even got to cuddle a koala!!!
So, that is not the greatest picture. I was talking to the koala handler. I have a much better picture that the professional people took, but this gives you the idea. This koala's name was Pepsi, and she was lovely (and she even sneezed all over me!).
How cute is this?!?!?
This is a sleeping wombat.
Yes, I got to pet and feed the kangaroos and wallabies. This is a footyoung (a baby kangaroo that doesn't get to go into the mommy's pouch anymore).
This is a big red kangaroo. I love that he is laying like a person and just hanging out.
This is the beach at the Gold Coast. It is gorgeous!!!! It was voted one of the best beaches in the world, and I can see why.
This is the view from my hotel at the Gold Coast. I was on the 15th floor, and it was beautiful.
And, this is Milo cereal, which is delicious. I am a huge fan, and it is somewhat like crack in that it is quite addictive!

So, there in a nutshell is what I have been up to for the last several days! More to come soon...

Eleutheroo

"For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh, that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit."

~ Romans 8:2-4

I just wanted to give a little bit of explanation for you behind the name of my blog. Eleutheroo is the Greek word for "made free." It means to liberate, to acquit, to set free, to deliver. It is the Greek word used in the New Testament for Jesus setting believers free from the dominion of sin. Eleutheroo brings life. It embodies everything that Christ has done for us. And, this idea of being made free is exactly what the world needs. We all deserve to be punished, to be condemned, yet Christ came that we might be free instead. That, my friends, is beautiful. This freedom is exactly what I am trying to take to the world around me. I want to bring this freedom to the hurting, the broken, the lonely, the lost. This freedom is why I am doing what I am doing. It is my motivation to step out in faith and reach beyond myself and my comfort to do something greater.

I encourage you to embrace the freedom you have in Christ. You have been made free! How amazing!

"Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed." ~ John 8:36