Quest

We have stretched arms to the heavens

  in hopes of touching

  the holy face of God.

We have traveled the seas unrelenting,

  in hopes of finding the Spirit

  that would carry us as the waves on which we were carried.

We have walked the earth unforgiving,

  upon rock as hard as hearts

  in hopes of finding the Rock that would not be broken.

And within the fleeting efforts of our toils,

  we laid our heads to rest.

And in the quiet and still of night,

  with arms drawn in,

  the waves stilled,

  the earth cooled,

 We have found the essence of our seeking,

  to be closer than the breath in which we breathe.

Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh

To the Man on Mansfield Street  

       by Catherine Chandler

I have imagined countless reasons for

your sleeping on the hotel heating vent ---

a lengthy layoff, months of unpaid rent,

a gambling debt, divorce, a private war . .

Or was it something darker, maybe drink,

a need to fill your veins with heroin;

insanity, a secret or a sin

you wouldn’t whisper to a priest or shrink?

The morning traffic soon will wake you up;

you’ll check there’s nothing missing from your bag;

you’ll bind your blisters with a dirty rag

and later gauge the clinking in your cup.

I see the bright-eyed boy you surely were;

I see the tender infant, newly-born,

the Baby who, before the cross and thorn,

was given gold and frankincense and myrrh.

Unlike the offerings of wiser men,

all that I give you is a cigarette,

the time of day, some change, my mute regret

that begs to differ with the word, Amen.

Youth With a Mission: My Meager Attempt at Fund Raising

A few months ago I received a letter in the mail from my cousin, Christiana.  Rather than boring you with my lame attempt to capture the authenticity of her story, I wanted you to hear from her heart directly, and hear the details of what God is about to do in her young life.  After reading her initial letter, I was so blown away by her passion, excitement and commitment to this opportunity, that I decided to help her in any possible way that I could.  After talking with her a couple of times, I realized two things: 1. My finances literally stink right now.  2.  Most everyone's finances stink right now.  Those two sobering revelations shed some light on the one particular area that she needs help with the most:  Getting the word of this opportunity out to as many people as possible.  Let's face it.  The economy is tough right now.  There aren't many of us individually that are able to make much of a dent in her financial obligations, but perhaps if we work together, we can make a real impact!  Since there are so many of you out there that faithfully read my blog, which I appreciate more than you can possibly know, I asked Christiana to write a similar letter to you directly.  

I'll admit, very few opportunities come along in the missions area that I truly believe in 100%.  Most of you know that I can be somewhat of a cynical minister.  This however, is a ministry opportunity that I not only believe in, but clearly see the Spirit of God as the vehicle moving this forward.  All that I ask of you is to read the words of this faithful follower of Christ.  Hear the passion that God has placed in her heart.  Meditate on what He is about to do in her life, and in the lives of those that He will impact through her ministry, and then just pray.  Just simply ask God what He wants you to do.  And together, let's ask ourselves what He can do through us in building this ministry, and what we can do to impact His Kingdom in the most powerful and radical way possible.  Will you join me?               

Brothers and Sisters in Christ, 

My name is Christiana Falbo I am writing to share with you all a rather exciting adventure I am about to embark on. I have been accepted to a program called YWAM, or Youth With a Mission. It is a Christian missionary program that allows people like me to learn and experience God and His works in a surrounding I wouldn’t otherwise be able to. I will be part of a 21 week lecture phase, otherwise known as Discipleship Training School (DTS) where I’ll learn more about missions and what it really means to be a missionary, while living with a group of about twenty people doing the same. After I complete my DTS, we will leave on what is called an Outreach, where we travel to another country (or countries) and put into practice what we have learned. My specific DTS is partnered with a campaign called “Not for Sale” which solely focuses on ending sex slavery and human trafficking around the world. This means that wherever I go for my outreach (I won’t know where until i start my DTS) I will be working heavily with the issue of sex slavery and will actually get the opportunity to see the trafficking first hand and be given the chance to do something about it. The entire program will last five months, which means I will be gone from January to June. I will spend the first three months doing my DTS in Townsville, Australia, and the final two months wherever God decides to take us, but it will most likely be somewhere in Thailand or Southeast Asia.

Learning to trust God’s plan for me in making this decision has been a trial to say the least. I moved to Colorado from Texas about eight years ago. Since then I have become extremely involved in West Bowles Community Church and its youth group. I started singing in the youth praise band when I was a freshman and became one of the leaders as a sophomore. When I was a junior I started helping out with the Junior High group as a leader and just became a leader of the high school group as well. Even though my role as a leader has been to help lead and guide the youth I work with, I have found that I have gotten so much more in return than anything i would ever be able to give to these kids. I signed on to be a leader, but ended up in some of the most amazing friendships with the people I have the honor of leading with as well as the kid’s I’m leading. All of this has made my decision to do YWAM that much harder. While I am beyond ecstatic for the opportunity at hand and the experiences I will be gaining, I am both nervous and heartbroken to be leaving behind what I have called home and the people I have called family for so long. I have really learned how to trust what God is doing in my life and put His plan into action.

I write to ask for your support. In this time, I need all the prayers I can get. However, along with emotional support, I also ask for financial support, as this is a rather expensive endeavor. I know God provides, but I also know that I have to be willing to work. Reaching out for help has been both a hard and humbling process for me, as I have accepted that I can in no way do this alone. I have truly learned the value of a dollar, so asking for support has been no easy task.  I am more than aware of these economic times, as my own family lost our home to foreclosure in 2010. So if you are unable to give financially, just keeping this ministry in your thoughts and prayers is more than enough.  

If you want to learn more about YWAM and my journey, you can go to ywamrto.org , e-mail me at christiana.falbo@gmail.com, or facebook me! 

Much Love, 

                                                                                                                                                       Christiana Falbo

Advent Reflections - 12/25/2011 - Christmas Day

"So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galiless to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to hime and was expecting a child. While the were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, as son. She wrapped himin cloths and placed hime in a manger, because there was no guest romm available for them. 

And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.  But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people.  Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.  This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,

“Glory to God in the highest heaven,
   and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”

Luke 2:4-19

Reflection

Christmas Day is here!  Our journey through Advent together has come to an end.  The expectation is finally culminating and the whirlwind of the Season is coming to a close.  Perhaps you’re about to open Christmas presents.  Perhaps you’ve already torn into the brightly colored packages, taken it all in and someone has inevitably uttered the question, “Is that all?”  Maybe someone uttered the familiar, “Now if you don’t like it, I have the receipt!” Or my favorite from The Christmas Story, “Didn’t I get a tie this year?”  Someone will eventually grab a garbage bag and start picking up the wrapping paper.  Someone will collect and sort the ribbon and bows to be saved and just like that, Christmas is over.  All the anticipation that has been building up for the last month is finally exhausted, we take a deep breath and maybe, just maybe, we relax just a little.  Advent is complete.  Christ has come.

As we reflect on our journey, we find something very interesting in our passage from the Gospel of Luke.  It contains something that might be easily overlooked, but in many ways contains the very essence of what Advent is all about.  As we read the familiar story of the birth of Jesus Christ, we come to a small detour.  For 18 verses we read Luke’s eloquent account with the emphasis being almost solely on the birth of a baby.  And then suddenly, almost completely out of place, we get a glimpse of mom’s perspective.  Just a brief snapshot in verse 19, and then back to the “story” in verse 20:  “Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.”  Despite the magnitude of what was going on, and how the world was about to change, Mary took a few moments in time, paused and reflected on the moment.  Imagine what she might have said.  “Joseph, I love you so much, but just give me a few seconds to take all this in.  I want to remember every detail.  I want to treasure this moment forever.”

Yes, Christmas is here.  Advent has come to a close.  But before we start making plans to take down the tree and clean the house up for New Years Eve, let’s commit to one another to take some time this day and just rest and reflect.  Let us look back over the last month and meditate on the journey we’ve taken together.  Let us remember the hope that we have in God; the hope that came to fruition and was revealed in His Son, Jesus Christ.  Let us cling to the joy that each of us have in the salvation He so freely gives and the eternal life that we posses through our faith in Him.  Let us rest in the love that God revealed in the birth of His Son; the same love that would lead him to the cross 33 years later.  And let us rest; rest in the peace that comes from knowing that we are not alone in this world.  We believe in a God that is not far off.  He’s not distant or difficult to access.  He shares in our laughter, rejoices in our victories and mourns in our losses.  God is here.

Let us rejoice!  Emmanuel, God with us!

Closing Prayer

Lord, Prince of Peace, Savior of the World, You have come as You promised.  As we celebrate today, let us take time to reflect on what this journey has meant to each of us.  Let us just for a moment, hold this time in our hearts and remember Your great love for us; a love so great that You sent Your only Son into this world to live among us.  Today we rejoice in You, we thank You and we sing with hearts of praise: Emmanuel, God with us.

Amen

Benediction

Let us go about our day looking forward with hope, reflecting in joy, acting in love and encouraging peace.  May the peace of Jesus Christ be with each and every one of us.

Amen

Advent Reflections - 12/24/2011 - Christmas Eve

 

“He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”
Revelation 21:4 (NIV)

Reflection

Take a few seconds and enjoy the silence of the moment. Christmas Eve is finally here. Can you feel it? Christmas Eve just seems to have a magical feel to it, doesn’t it? Almost a “real time” sense, as if the events are about to transpire for the first time, and in a sense, perhaps they are. In Christ, all things are new each day, as well as each year. The reality of the incarnation is just as true as it was over 2000 years ago. And as our time together comes to a close, let us carry that with us beyond the Christmas Season. As we reflect over the last month of Advent, let us not think of Christmas Eve as the end of our journey, but the beginning. Hope. Love. Joy. Peace. All things new. Beginnings. Emmanuel, God with us.

Although our verse for today refers to the Second Coming of Christ, I’m amazed that the essential truths apply to His First Coming as well. Through Christ, our tears are wiped away. Through Christ, there is no more death, for we posses eternal life in Him. Through Christ, our mourning, crying and pain subside, as we trust in Him with every heartache and burden. “the old order of things has passed away.” Jesus Christ has come into the world. In the flash of an instant, in a single moment of time, God broke through our earthly realm and became man. He became one of us and in a short 33 years, He would become the perfect sacrifice for each one of us. The burden of sin was lifted. The seemingly endless process of atoning sacrifice was satisfied. Emmanuel, God with us. He was with us. He is with us. He will be with us. He has come. Advent.

Prayer

Lord, today we celebrate the birth of Your Son, Jesus Christ. As we conclude our Advent celebration, we do so with hearts of thanksgiving, praise and worship. Glory to the Father, and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit. 

Amen