Ask and let breath in...

"The Children's Song" - Josh Garrels from Josh Garrels on Vimeo.

In this world you will have trouble.

But Jesus overcame the world.

And our body is His Temple.

And we will worship forever more.

Music is sweet and soothing to our souls. It has a way of drawing us in, it's the language of beauty that can tend to aches in ways that none else can. It reminds us of something more, of infinite creativity, of life. This is who I'm listening to right now and he's incredible. I think I’m partial to artists who don't open their mouths much when they sing...hahha. Really though, there is heart to this music and Josh is a brilliant musician. Check his stuff out!

For those of you who don't know me well, I'm an International Development student. I’m in the middle of deciphering how I’m going to bring my love for music, songwriting and story telling, into all this. God’s slowly unraveling it. One of the reasons I'm in this program is because I'm interested in people, passionate about justice and tenacious when it comes to sharing a piece of Love that I've had the honor of getting to know. However, the program can be quite trying at times, a bit despondent to say the least, causing me to raise a ton of questions, wondering how there can be so much suffering in the world? God often has to remind me that he is BIG and this stuff isn't too much for him to handle.

I'm a pretty curious gal, constantly asking for new insight. I think that in our journey with God it's so crucial to continuously inquire. He can take care of our questions and wants to share His heart. It's better to be someone who is consciously seeking out new revelation, even if it takes time for answers, than comfortable in the coffin of a boxed mind.

I've been challenged lately to begin to ask for God's heart for his kids. You see worship comes from a place that is giving, willing to offer, and when we approach God with an open heart, ready to listen and not just hand over our lists, He begins to share His secrets; the great mysteries of Heaven. One of my favorite proverbs is 25:2:

"It's the glory of God to conceal a matter; to search out a matter is the glory of kings."

As royalty, inheritance is a given; inquiry is our glory. Pray into the change you desire to see, God will give you his heart on the matter. Even if all you've got are coals to start off with, God will breath on those coals and create a fire if you let Him. This fire of love will compel you to act, to worship with your whole self. I'm currently in the process of organizing a clothing swap fundraiser for 'Not for Sale' (don't worry if you haven't gotten an invite yet, they're going out Friday). Not for Sale is an anti-trafficking movement that is adamant about raising awareness about the sex-trafficking industry and providing support for victims. This is a huge grievance that God has placed on my heart, to the point that I'm currently spending the majority of my undergraduate research on finding the holes in the system. It's a weighty subject and I’ve been in tears over it more than once this semester. God reminded me that if this is how I felt, imagine how he felt, he wants to see freedom more than I do, and that's A LOT!

In 1833 the Britsh empire legally abolished the slave trade. In 1981 the US went to war over it. In 2010 Human trafficking is one of the largest businesses in the world and comprises over 27 million people in what’s now known as modern day slavery. 80% are sex trafficking victims where women are forced to service over 40 men a day. Every 30 seconds another person becomes a victim. The average age of a victim is 14, some as young as 4. The main option out, death. 99% of the victims aren’t freed…yet! –A21-

Also, I want to be clear, this desire to combat slavery is in no way an attack on those involved in the sex trade. I think people's hunger and desire for love, intimacy and the unknown are counterfeited by the option of false freedom hidden by the name of another.

"The Apostle Paul gave us an excellent example to follow when he went into Athens (Acts 17:22-31); he used the people’s desire for the unknown to bridge them to the True and Known God, Jesus Christ."

What would happen if people began to realize that their bored because their energy is being used up in slavery in the name of 'sexual liberation,' when the real appetite is for love, giving not taking. Hmm...

The reason I quoted Josh Garrels Children's song above is because God doesn't promise that in this world we wont have trouble, but He does fulfill His promise to overcome the world. He makes a way, Light wins, Love conquers! In all this conflict we've been promised victory, which is amazing and my hope is in the one who beat death! Lets do this thing together, as a body of children who house the presence of God, who will live lives of worship in spirit and truth.

Where do you need breath?

Oh and I have to give credit to Sam Radics for discovering this dude:) Love you hunny!