I am very excited to say this! Steve and I are off to Kosovo. We are heading on our great adventure in June 2012 to spend one whole week learning and living in Kosovo. Steve lived there for 4 month in 2009 and really found the place to be incredibly inspirational and life changing. The country is riddled with poverty and brilliance. About 17% of the population lives in extreme poverty. While on the other hand Kosovo has one of the highest percentages of higher educated young adults (such possibilities). The countries struggles to have stable infrastructure and development. Many depend heavily on NGO's and Charities. Families are growing, children are valued highly and relationships are extremely important.

A beautiful culture frapped in war, racism and death.

I really would love to find some positive way to get involved. To do something that really beings to empower the people of Kosovo. But first I need to see if my heart can be about the place. And like wise I realize how important it is that Steve and I go, as a married couple, and see if it is a work we both can be about. We really want to be a part of something that we can work at together.

We are connected with a few of the local churches there and I can not wait to get involved with what they are doing as well. One of the local groups is looking to start a community center that has a 24-7 Prayer Room on the top floor. I think out of everything this excites me most. I would be honored to go to Kosovo and get involved in prayer.

We have a couple of friends here that are looking to move to Turkey to do mission work. They said that recently they were advised by a wise mentor to be asking themselves/asking God "What type of work do you want me to be about in Turkey?". I thought this was a great question because so often I just shoot from the hip; go somewhere, be available and not having a clue if any of the skills and talents I offer line up with what the group or organization is trying to do.

Using this same frame of mind I am really excited to go with steve and ask, both as individuals and as a couple, what type of work would God want us to be about in Kosovo? If our talents and skills fit in with the work/vision they are focused on? And if there really is a place that God has prepared for us in Kosovo or are we just pushing ourselves there?

CAN'T WAIT FOR JUNE TO GET HERE!!!

P.S. Should I try and start learning Albanian???

I help organize a few learning sessions for our community. I have this deep desire to see the Bible be really fresh for all people, no matter age, race, sex, culture, education or family. For people to see it, not as stories of generations past for generations past, but as stories from past generation that give incredible life to today's generations.

One practice I just did with our community was taking time to re-imagine the scene of particular Bible stories. This is done by reading a story from the Bible. Pausing to creatively imagine how those characters and places would be in our culture and experiences. Then writing down this imaginary take to help set up the scene and connection to story characters. This is done either by describing the setting through explaining smells, sounds, visuals, textures and tastes and/or developing the character through detailed description of physical appears, personality, emotional state of being etc. All based off our imagination.

Below is an example of this exercise. I highly recommend it as it worked really well in my experience.


Based on Raising Widows Dead Son, Luke 13:10-17

 ^11-15Not long after that, Jesus went to the village Nain. His disciples were with him, along with quite a large crowd. As they approached the village gate, they met a funeral procession—a woman's only son was being carried out for burial. And the mother was a widow. When Jesus saw her, his heart broke. He said to her, "Don't cry." Then he went over and touched the coffin. The pallbearers stopped. He said, "Young man, I tell you: Get up." The dead son sat up and began talking. Jesus presented him to his mother.
 ^16-17They all realized they were in a place of holy mystery, that God was at work among them. They were quietly worshipful—and then noisily grateful, calling out among themselves, "God is back, looking to the needs of his people!" The news of Jesus spread all through the country.

2. Pause take the time to use your imagination to connect to the story.
Where would the place this story have taken place looked like? smelled like? would it have been light or dark? was it loud or quiet? what color could have been there? What would the woman have been like? Does she remind you of anyone you personally know? where would she have been coming from? What emotional baggage would she be carrying? What type of physical conditions would she be feeling? What kind of clothes would she be wearing? Write this down to create your fresh take on this bible story.

3. Then read your imaginary description based offer your personal experiences and culture out loud to begin to prepare you for a re-freshening of the bible and that particular story. You might need to repeat the music or choose a couple songs to last this whole process.
4. Then re-read the Luke 7: 11-15 and let your personal imagery bring this story to life.


5. Reflect on these three question to further deepen your encounter with Jesus through the bible.
  A. How do you relate to the character in this story?
  B. What does it tell you about Jesus?
  C. Can you see God's Kingdom in this Story?

I am listening to this song as I pray this Monday Morning... there is a part where the singer just yell/sings "THERE IS HOPE!"

then just repeats and repeats and repeats .... "YOU'RE THE LOVE"

It just reminded me how any bit of love I get to experience... from my husband, my friends, my family, my neighbors... its all a reflection, a bit, a glimpse of this great love, Gods great love for me (and for you)....

and it brings such hope in all things.... hope... I love that word. It puts such goose bumps on my skin. All those things I desire to be put right, to be good, to be more.... they can and will happen... that is what hope is...

Have a listen and let Hope and Jesus Love truly wash over you! :D

We headed out to our allotment and planted broad beans and carrots the other day. What blew me away this time was the difference in seeds... broad beans are these massive beans that need to have aggress amounts of space on our allotment. We had to plant them 12 inches across and apart from each other and then we had to cover them with a net. Word on the street is that if we didn't do this the birds will try and snatch them up.The carrot seeds on the other hand were so tiny. We hoed long rows and then just sprinkled in bunches and then gently recovered them in the earth.

Our little allotment has so much potential at this moment.

Planting these two very different seeds made me so amazed by our world. I mean have you seen carrot seeds?? From those little things to get full huge carrots!?! Woah! And Broad Bean seeds feel soooo smooth and round, yet you get these long skinny beans!?!?

Seeds to fruits amazes me. It reminded me that often what we plant looks different from what we will harvest... but its still important that, as we plant we keep the fruit in mind. The beans are going to sprout and get big and bushy... the carrot are going to have to have a couple harvest of little baby carrots in order to let bigger carrots grow... even as we plant these seeds we must remember the fruit that we intend to harvest.

Also, it is a good reminder that small seeds are a bit less work and big seeds need more time and attention. What small seeds of good are you planting in and around your life? Sometimes it's the little things we do for the people around us that really matters the most! This is a challenge for me.. I often think the bigger the seed the bigger the fruit... but as the little allotment is teaching me, that is not always true!

And so my prayers go...

Well, with these first few days of March comes the groggy morning stretches and yawning of our little Colchester Boiler Room Community allotment. I went out today just to have a peak at our slightly stirring, slightly snoozing patch. A few greenhouse supplies lay scattered, some winter veggies seem to be nudging their little noses out from the warm brown earth covers and the sweet morning breath of spring eagerly filled my nose. I hope to keep a little dairy of my allotmentting adventure...

Adventure 1: We are hoping to plant brussels sprouts, carrots, spinach beets, broad beans and cauliflower in the next couple of weeks. (I am told these are the hardy veggies that can still stand some of our cold english spring nights).

The carrots, spinach beet, cauliflower and broad beans will go directly in to our raise bed soil (we built and dug them over this winter).
The brussels sprouts will first get planted into a pot to make sure the coldest part of winter is really by us. (I'll report back when we get them into soil).

As I am laying out these 5 packets of seeds I am challenged to think of 5 hopeful prayers I have for my community this summer. Allotmentting is such a great prayer tool! This summer I pray:
1. To see more 20 and 30 year old on our estate fall deeper in love with Jesus and join His community
2. To meet all my neighbors and know them more then just a casual wave
3. To find and come alongside the poor in my neighborhood
4. To have 24 hours of unstopped prayer facilitated by our Colchester Boiler Room
5. To help develop the first steps of a starting a Discipleship House here in Colchester

 If you want to experience a bit of magic this spring/summer come join in planting some veggies this season... and sowing your prayers into them as well. I can testify one of the most magical things a human can experience is seeing a plant through its planting, nurturing, growing and harvesting season! And definitely one of the most miraculous experience a human can have is seeing God answer prayers. I'm so very excited to grow and see some magic!

Today is the day before the Lent season begins. Pancake Day, as it is known to many. But what is up with this idea of eating pancakes on this particular Tuesday? Pancakes are traditionally made on this day because many Christians believed in giving up things like eggs, butter and fat (the main ingredients of the beloved pancake). But there is more to this day then just eating pancakes...

It is also know as Shrove Tuesday. Shrove comes from the ancient word "shrive" which means "to confess".

Today our community is gathering to celebrating the eating of pancakes, as well as introduce the idea of confession.

Below is an interactive prayer activity on confession. It links together the growing obsession with PostSecret (an art initiative that involves people anonymously mailing in homemade postcard with a secret written on it) and the value of confession (telling God the wrong things we've done).

This prayer activity can help people understand the concept of confession from the understanding of "keeping secrets"...

Materials Needed:
Paper/Printer: to print pictures of PostSecret postcards
postcards
pens/pencils/markers
some container or box for confessions to be posted in (I painted a red box and set it on a low table)

(I also just printed out the blow fact/statements and hung them on strings around the "postbox" in our communities prayer room, so people could read for themselves how to walk through what confession is and how to engage... but really it could be set up whatever way suit your group)

I've been praying lately for the people around me to be awakened... to have their eyes be opened. I recently went to a prayer conference in Germany and, though there were some kick ass speakers there, two of the most random moments stick out to me...

One was after a long day. Charl Young (i.e. old house mate, good friend, shameless dreamer) and I were sitting in the lobby of a typical German youth hostel talking about expectations and current life issues, when in breezed Mike Mawhinney (i.e. husband's old house mate, nurse, and recent sheesha smoker) and in the course of 5 minutes I found myself saying "I don't pray for revival"...

Fast-forward to the next day when Brian Heasley was introducing the new couple (Abby and Charlie) that would be taking over for the 24-7 Ibiza Boiler Room Community. Lots of great spiritual things were said, but the moment Abby leaned over and said her prayer in and for Ibiza was "God I am jealous for more in my time" my ears perked up.

One week later. Back in Colchester. Getting back to the preverbal "grind". I find myself entering prayer space with the words of Abby's prayer burning on my heart. These words pounded on my heart begging me to pray for revival, but then like an annoying freckled-faced bully from school I would see my twisted 'German-hostel-lobby-face' saying, "I don't pray for revival".

Its not that I don't want the love, knowledge and acceptance of Jesus to spread wildly through out this world... its just that I've heard of revival... no... I've heard of revivalS... and they just don't seem sustainable. They come as quickly as they go and leave in their path nothing more then old stories of other times and other places.

But what about his time? What about this place!?!?!? I want change to came... God I pray that it comes swiftly, but I want it to come and LAST... from Age to Age.

How can I pray Abby's prayer to be jealous for God to do more in my time and also not pray for the type of revival that crashes lower then it ever went high?

I don't know, but lately I find myself praying a prayer that says I am jealous for more in my time... followed by a plea for my town, my people, my neighborhood to be awakened. For their eyes and ears to be opened to see and hear what has been around them all along. But more and more I am realizing how uncomfortable waking up is.

Every morning I hear an annoying alarm, the sting of the morning sunlight hits my eyes, and the cold hands of the morning air send shivers down my spin. I hate waking up. Today as I laid in bed wishing the wakeful world away... I remembered the prayers I have been saying for my town, neighborhood, and people to be "awakened"... I scrunched my face...

Why would I pray for anyone to have to experience the torture of waking up... I wouldn't wish it on an enemy... would I?

In my half awake, half asleep self I tried to remember just one morning I really enjoyed waking up... it was hard at first because my brain was so set in thinking that being awakened was simply torture... but slowly I started to remember happy times waking up... the smell of my dad's coffee brewing in the morning, or  the smell of my mom's famous cinnamon rolls wafting into my bedroom, or Christmas morning when I knew there were gifts to be opened, or the days I had made plans with friends to go on grand adventures, or the recent mornings when I woke up because my husband was rubbing my back and giving me kisses...

I guess there were lots of times I wanted to wake up, was excited, and found the experience comfortable, enjoyable, inspiring and lovely.

I mean, the very idea of people coming awake, being alive, being revived... hmmm

Maybe as I am jealous for God to do more in my time I do pray for revival... but not a hyped up, one season of life type of revival, but the kind that starts with a generation being coxed to wake up...

I realized I can try and wake up the people around me harshly with annoying alarms, cold showers, and blinding righteous sunlight...

Or I could consider compassion... and as I pray for an awakening for this generation maybe I should consider putting on the morning coffee, turning up the bedroom heat, baking some tummy grumbling cinnamon rolls, and gently rubbing backs and giving loving kisses....

Maybe then we would see a revival spread through out the land... the kind that last from age to age... the kind that awakens a generation with a smile and joy-overflowing.

Now that kind of revival I totally pray for!