The Rhythms of His Heart

“ In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one;” Ephesians 6 When we think of Roman Soldiers and their shields we often think of heavy steal armor. One place I read said that Roman soldiers fought with wooden shields covered by a piece of leather. Before they would head out into battle they would soak their shields in water.  Why?  The enemy would fight them with flaming arrows. They lit the arrows on fire so that the wooden protective shields would burn and they would be able to get through the frontline of the soldiers linked shields.   The Romans would soak their wooden shield so as soon as it was hit by these flaming darts the fire would be extinguished and the enemy could not come against them. I wonder if in all the preparations of warfare if this one small act of soaking your shield in water was deemed unimportant?  I wonder if the big tough Roman soldiers as they obeyed this...

Fighting to be right or laying down my rights?  Living in the uncomfortable tension  of this is so hard most days! There is that feeling in all of us (me included) that feels like we need to be right...to prove that what we say, think or feel is right! Then I read Philippians 2 and think of Jesus! He laid aside His rights, His proving of Himself, His glories of Heaven and stepped in to a world that He didn't always agree with??!!! What?!! It blows my mind every time! He knew what to fight for and what to humble Himself in all for Peace!

It is part of my calling to use my voice to advocate for the broken, marginalized, left out Youth of Portage (and people in general).  I want to be Jesus to them.  I want to see the one who sits alone at the lunch table, the one who is different, the one who seems happy living for his next buzz at a party, the one who is afraid and lives in shame of showing how hurt he really is.  Yes, I want to do this...I want to be like Jesus, but how? STEP IN TO THEIR SPACE NO MATTER HOW SCARY, MESSY OR AWKWARD IT IS!  LISTEN & UNDERSTAND THEM AND CALL THEM TO KEEP GOING! (See Phil. 2:1-11) A few years ago a lady I know embodied this well.  I was at a ladies Christmas gathering and we were singing songs.  My dear friend who lead the singing asked the ladies to get up during the song and dance/do the actions as we were instructed. I sat there enjoying...or at least telling myself to enjoy watching the ladies.  The sting of my palsy -worn body bites hard in m...

This week a Youth came into my office and every time I see him I am reminded that God is moving. He is at work and there is hope in the middle of the sin-stained stories of the Youth of Portage la Prairie! Over the last few years I have watched this Youth begin his walk with Jesus, get baptized and now he is mentoring younger kids here at YFC and his church. He has hopes to be in Youth Ministry one day!   The other day I listened to him bravely share how God speaks to him about his own story being used to make an impact in God's Kingdom. On his arms are marks of his past--marks of pain where his parents’ divorce, self-hatred/self-harm and depression had come to his skin's surface.  Conversation was really honest that day.  He looked at me and said, "Sometimes I put my hand over them (the scars) and ask God to take them away! I haven't been healed of them, but every time I do this God always says the ...