Greetings, Dear Friends!



And to those visiting, I extend a special welcome. I post every Wednesday and my goal is to nourish and encourage you along your way.

Today is a recovery day for me. My husband and I co-chaired a large benefit banquet along with Christian artist Sara Groves and her husband Troy.

The banquet was to raise funds for the International Justice Mission. IJM, among other things, rescues young girls from the horrific life of human trafficking. They restore stolen land to widows. And they help free families and whole communities from bonded slavery.

Prior to the banquet, my husband and I sat in a conference room with the leaders of IJM. We bowed our heads in prayer, and invited God to be big in our midst.

We were surrounded by our heroes. The dignity, and bravery, and humility we saw in these people made our knees weak. They regularly put themselves in harms way for the sake of the poor and the oppressed and they consider it an honor to do so.

I loved Sharon Cohn's opening prayer, "Oh, Lord, we are so grateful for the humility of Your invitation...that you would want us to join you in this work..."

I looked around the room and wondered, "Does Minnesota even know who they have in their city? If they did, would the media be here? Would the Governor come and show his appreciation? Would the business owners and pastors all make the time to meet these great Kingdom people?"

It makes me think of Jesus in His day.

When He was in town, many knew, but not everybody cared.

But Heaven knew. And the angels knew. Even the demons knew and they were no doubt gathering for the sake of opposition.

If we could peel back the natural realm and see only the spiritual realm, we would know when trouble was brewing; we would know when someone important was coming to town because we would see the Calvary mounting, and would see the demons taking their position.

Instead we all too often lean on our own understanding. We esteem authors, actors, and rock stars but overlook those who live to make life better for others.

Thankfully, we don't have to wait for the natural realm to be removed in order to be in tune with what really matters.

We just have to follow Jesus and listen to what He says.

As we cultivate a deep and abiding relationship with Him, we'll quickly recognize those He recognizes. We'll quickly know when a battle is brewing. And we'll be more compelled to be His hands and feet to a lost and dying world.

Oh, Lord, give us eyes to see, and ears to hear, and a heart to do your will!

Be blessed, my friend~

Until next week...