Say Thank You and Celebrate

A very near and dear friend of mine shared with me the forward in her book that she’s reading, “Bittersweet: thoughts on change, grace, and learning the hard way” by Shauna Niequist.  To me, it’s everything I’ve felt--just didn’t know how to put to into words.  To me, it’s unbelievable that such pain, hardships, heartbreaks and failures truly can AND WILL catapult you into a place where you truly feel like you’ve conquered the world.  They show you how to heal.  They show you how to mend.  And they bring you to a place where your most vulnerable issues are your strongest foundations in life….

This inspired me today, I hope it does you.

“ The idea of bittersweet is changing the way I live, unraveling and re-weaving the way I understand life. Bittersweet is the idea that in all things there is both something broken and something beautiful, that there is a sliver of lightness on even the darkest of nights, a shadow of hope in every heartbreak, and that rejoicing is no less rich when it contains a splinter of sadness.

Bittersweet is the practice of believing that we really do need both the bitter and the sweet, and that a life of nothing but sweetness rots both your teeth and your soul. Bitter is what makes us strong, what forces us to push through, what helps us earn the lines on our faces and the calluses on our hands. Sweet is nice enough, but bittersweet is beautiful, nuanced, full of depth and complexity. Bittersweet is the courageous, gutsy, earthy.

Nearly ten years ago, my friend Doug told me that the central image of the Christian faith is death and rebirth, that the core of it all, over and over again, is death and rebirth. I'm sure I'd heard that before, but when he told me, for whatever reason, I really thought about it for the first time. And at the time, I didn't agree.

What I didn't understand until recently is that he wasn't speaking to me as a theologian or a pastor or an expert, but rather as a person whose heart had been broken and who had been brought back to life by the story God tells in all our lives. When you haven't yet had your heart really broken, the gospel isn't about death and rebirth. It's about life and more life. It's about hope and possibility and a brighter future. And it is, certainly, about those things.

But when you've faced some kind of death- the loss of someone you loved dearly, the failure of a dream, the fracture of a relationship- that's when you start understanding that central metaphor. When your life is easy, a lot of the really crucial parts of Christian doctrine and life are nice theories, but you don't really need them. When, however, death of any kind is staring you in the face, all of a sudden rebirth and new life are very, very important to you.

Now, ten years later, I know Doug was right. I've thought about his words a thousand times in the last few years, a season in my own life that has felt in some moments like death at every turn. I've begun to train my eyes for rebirth, like looking for buds on branches after an endlessly long winter. I know that death is real, and I trust that rebirth is real, too.

Christians, generally, aren't great at lament and mourning. Jews are really better at lament, maybe because they've had more practice. My favorite part of a Jewish wedding is the breaking of a glass. Like most Jewish traditions, there are a whole bunch of interpretations; some say that all the shards of broken glass suggest loads of future children and future happiness. Some say that the breaking of the glass references the irreversible nature of marriage; in the same way that the glass can never be put back together after it's been broken, two people can never be separated once they've been connected by marriage. But my favorite interpretation is the one where the wine in the glass is a symbol for all of life, and when the bride and groom drink it, they accept both the bitter and the sweet aspects of life. They accept that sometimes they'll celebrate and sometimes they'll mourn, in the same way that sometimes they'll drink wine and sometimes glasses will shatter.

This collection is an ode to all things bittersweet, to life at the edges, a love letter to what change can do in us. This is what I've come to believe about change; it's good, in the way that childbirth is good, and hearybreak is good, and failure is good. By that I mean that it's incredibly painful, exponentially more so if you fight it, and also that is has the potential to open you up, to open life up, to deliver you right into the palm of God's hand, which is where you wanted to be all along, except that you were too busy pushing and pulling your life into exactly what you thought it should be. So this is the work I'm doing now, and the work I invite you into; when life is sweet, say thank you and celebrate. And when life is bitter, say thank you and grow.” 

SING a new song!

I love music.  I love the whole world of music.  I love tappin my toe to a good beat and being “that girl” in the car next to you at a red light when my favorite song is on the radio.... Everything about the art of it, the way it makes people feel, the way it motivates, inspires, drives, and heals.  I love music.

And now I live in a city full of musicians.  And my heart lives in a continent full of hopeful spirit and talent.

And not trying to pursue a musical career, sometimes I ask God why He has given me this passion.  Why He speaks to my heart through music and creative expression.  I’ve been so impacted by it, that’s it’s literally been steering my Lifeship all these years. . . So, WHAT do I do with it?

Since I can remember, I have wanted to introduce the arts to children in impoverished areas all over the world, to heal them, teach them, train them, igniting their passion to use it for the Lord, and empowering them to use their talents to further succeed in life.  And when the bible calls us to walk out the mandate given in James 1:27—I want to do so through Music.  

*I want children to know they’re beautiful and talented.
*I want them to know how special they are because they have gifts the Lord specifically chose them to have.

*I want them to feel a healing they’ve never felt before.

*I want children to know they have a Future, because they have a Hope.

This May, my Visiting Orphans co-worker Frank Pass, our partner Artist Johnnyswim, a team of musicians, and I will be heading to Gisenyi, Rwanda, bringing the gift of music to share God’s love with over 600 orphans. 

Music is an important part of the Rwandan culture, communicating God’s love that transcends language and cultures, and it plays an important role in the lives of Rwandan orphans.  We will be uniting this team’s unique talents and skills into a themed mission trip to teach the youth in Rwanda how to use their musical gifts!  We want to empower these children to use their talents to further succeed in life.  We want to show them, not only is Music an opportunity for expression—it’s an opportunity for healing.

JAMES 1:27 is clear when it states that, "pure religion is to visit orphans and widows in their distress."  And I’m asking you to consider how saying, “Yes” just might change you forever.  I’m praying you want to share your God given talents with the world, in places that need it the most.


We are inviting people with many varieties of musical experience including singers, songwriters, worship leaders, music teachers, children’s music leaders, production, instrumentalists, etc.  We are looking for various talents and skills to contribute to this amazing team of Musical Missionaries!  So, I want to challenge individuals that have shown a passion for the Lord, have a heart for the Orphan, and want to share the love of Jesus through Music to ask yourselves,

“What can I do with it?” 

Please consider joining me, my Co-Leader Frank Pass, Abner and Amanda Ramirez, and the rest of the Music Mission Team to Rwanda this coming May!! 

CONTACT FRANK PASS or MYSELF for more information on becoming involved!

"Sing to him a new song; play skillfully, and shout for joy.”  -Psalm 33:3

 

SIGN UP for the MUSIC MISSION in RWANDA HERE!


Visiting Orphans is a registered 501c3 whose mission is “to awaken the body of Christ to be the hands and feet of Jesus to the 163 Million orphans by visiting them, loving them, and sharing the Father’s heart.”

www.visitingorphans.org

Frank Pass (Rwanda, Ethiopia, Ukraine Trip Coordinator):  frank.pass@visitingorphans.org
Amanda Herdina (Executive Assistant):  amanda.herdina@visitingorphans.org

How far can you Fly?

The Bible quotes “fear not” 365 times.


God wants us reminded EVERY DAY of the year that we should not fear.  That we should not worry.  That we should lay all our cares aside and trust in His will for our lives.


So why is it that Fear strikes as one of the biggest wedges between us and God?


Fear comes to us at every angle.  In every situation.  In choices we make, in people we meet, in places we travel, and jobs we do.  Fear resides.  And isn’t it just like the enemy to come to us in our every day lives?  Attacking us in our every day situations?  When we would least expect it, because it’s “our EVERY DAY NORM”. ?


A thought occurred to me last night.


I’ll be the first to admit I have fear.  I’ve been scared out of my wits.  I’ve been terrified out of my mind.  I’ve been worried, anxious, nervous, and … fearful.  I’ve been all of those things.  And as I was thinking about the times I’ve been the most scared--the most glorious and amazing things have happened afterward.


From the ripe ‘ole age of 4 when Dad FINALLY let go of the bike seat and I rolled down the hill without training wheels.  I was terrified. But ya know what ?  From that day forward, I learned how to ride a bike.  A big girl bike.


When I committed to being in Speech and Theater growing up and that terror of going on stage RIGHT before my cue should have called me right back into submission--but relishing in it instead and giving the performance of a lifetime.


When my car was packed, loaded and ready to hit the road to Cali and fear crept so deep inside me that I literally disappeared for 4 hours before the trip.  But I somehow got in that car.  Made it California.  And the true path of my life was paved from that day forward.


When I had to make the decision to stay where I was most comfortable with a familiar world and paying job, or uproot, head east to Nashville, a territory unknown, having to put my career behind me--that anxiety and stress again came back heavy. … I’m still finding out today that it was one of the best decisions of my life.


When I stepped off the plane in a foreign country: disease, death, poverty, sickness, weakness, and hardship I’ve never experienced before surrounding me--I gasped for air.  I gasped for Courage.  I’d never felt fear so strong, trying to hold me back… but I’ve never come out so far ahead in the end.


See…. in me?  God uses my fear.  He knows it’s going to come.  So that’s when and where He takes me by the reigns, steers me into complete and utter terror, and drives me straight into what He knows best.


And I come out alive.  Better than alive.  


I’m learning that God is using the evil Fear that is surely intended for ‘bad’, and completely making it Good.

I’m learning that my fear is actually my ammunition.

I’m learning that the need to feel alive will bring you to the edge, but Fear will keep you from jumping.  God will use your fear to make you fly...

I’m learning that if I’m not scared, it’s not worth my time.

And if we aren’t giving ourselves enough credit to accomplish what God has planned for us, why should we expect Him to?


PSALM 27 inspired me today:


"¹ The LORD is my light and my salvation— 
   whom shall I fear?
The LORD is the stronghold of my life—
   of whom shall I be afraid?

 ² When the wicked advance against me
   to devour^[a] me,
it is my enemies and my foes
   who will stumble and fall.
³ Though an army besiege me,
   my heart will not fear;
though war break out against me,
   even then I will be confident.

 ⁴ One thing I ask from the LORD,
   this only do I seek:
that I may dwell in the house of the LORD
   all the days of my life,
to gaze on the beauty of the LORD
   and to seek him in his temple.
⁵ For in the day of trouble
   he will keep me safe in his dwelling;
he will hide me in the shelter of his sacred tent
   and set me high upon a rock.

 ⁶ Then my head will be exalted
   above the enemies who surround me;
at his sacred tent I will sacrifice with shouts of joy;
   I will sing and make music to the LORD.

 ⁷ Hear my voice when I call, LORD;
   be merciful to me and answer me.
⁸ My heart says of you, “Seek his face!”
   Your face, LORD, I will seek.
⁹ Do not hide your face from me,
   do not turn your servant away in anger;
   you have been my helper.
Do not reject me or forsake me,
   God my Savior.
¹⁰ Though my father and mother forsake me,
   the LORD will receive me.
¹¹ Teach me your way, LORD;
   lead me in a straight path
   because of my oppressors.
¹² Do not turn me over to the desire of my foes,
   for false witnesses rise up against me,
   spouting malicious accusations.

 ¹³ I remain confident of this:
   I will see the goodness of the LORD
   in the land of the living.
¹⁴ Wait for the LORD;
   be strong and take heart
   and wait for the LORD."

YOU COULD HAVE series, #2 CAMOY @ Vista Print

It’s honestly as simple as smiling while you’re talking.  I’m serious.  When you’re on the phone, try it.  Smile while you’re talking to the other person.  I promise they’ll feel the positive energy through the phone.

….

That’s where the 2nd edition for my YOU COULD HAVE series was inspired.

I dread talking on the phone.  I’m just throwing it out there.  But what I dread the most is having to talk to customer service reps.  I know, I know.  See?  I already have a preconceived judgement as to how my experience will be.  And usually, 9 times out of 10… I’m right.

HOWEVER,  I had to call in for technical help on a print order through Vista Print.  I held my breath as Ms Camoy took over the conversation…. … and I’m so glad she did.

“I tell ya what ma’am, I’m just gonna stay on the phone with you while I help you with this order and walk you through it, is that okay?”

As we continued uploading and editing the pictures needed for this order, she began asking me questions about each picture.  “OH!  He’s so precious, where’s he from????”  “So… Visiting Orphans, that’s your company you work with, what all do you do?”  “OH!!  So, are these some of the children you visit?”

Each question she asked squealed with excitement, and it was like she couldn’t get enough information fast enough.

“So, which country is this little angel from?”
“So, do all these children not have parents?”
“So, when you visit, do you BUILD them the Orphanage, or how does it work?”
“Where do you visit”
“Do you have children?”…..

“No ma’am, I don’t have a child.  I have 163 million of them…”

“Ooooh, honey.  That’s beautiful.  That’s beautiful, I love that.”  Camoy’s interest in Visiting Orphans just played on my passion and we sat and talked about everything we do.  She went as far as going to our website, finding out who I was on our Staff bio’s, read it, asked me some other life questions….  All the while, yes, our pictures were still being uploaded and would throw in an edit question here and there.

Camoy proceeded to tell me she was from Jamaica and that they would LOVE to see a program start up in her country. She knows there are plenty of orphans that could benefit from our organization and it would be so amazing to have us visit her home country.

I smiled when I was able to say, “Well, Camoy… we just might be.”

Our order was processing and we were to the checkout page, when from out of nowhere, she offered to waive all the uploading charges, give us a discount, and faster shipping at the lowest rate.

You see…. Camoy COULD HAVE just went about her job description, helped me get my pictures up and edited, sold the order, and hung up the phone.

Camoy COULD HAVE just been annoyed with the illiterateness of my technical capabilities and been abrasive with her customer service attitude.

BUT SHE DIDN’T.

Camoy was SUCH a delight to talk to. Very helpful, very happy, and so passionate about what we do.  Which made me RE-passionate about what we do.

Camoy, YOU COULD HAVE completely fell into my stereotype of the ‘typical’ customer service rep, ruined my experience with Vista Print, and led me astray from having any faith in your business and/or character.

BUT YOU DIDN’T.

Thanks for that.

don’t rush.

I could NOT pass sharing this to all of you.  Some of you, hopefully Most of you, know me well enough to know that I strongly believe the Arts are an integral part of life, and how I press on and on about the importance of “slowing down, stopping and smelling the roses…”  This story, written and based, in D.C. is absolutely what I’m talking about.

Read on.

And then ask yourself -- Would you stop?

‎"In Washington DC , at a Metro Station, on a cold January morning in 2007, a man with a violin played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time, approximately 2000 people went through the station, most of them on their way to work.

After about four minutes, a middle-aged man noticed that there was a musician playing. He slowed his pace and stopped for a few seconds, and then he hurried on to meet his schedule.

About four minutes later, the violinist received his first dollar. A woman threw money in the hat and, without stopping, continued to walk.

At six minutes, a young man leaned against the wall to listen to him, then looked at his watch and started to walk again.

At ten minutes, a three-year old boy stopped, but his mother tugged him along hurriedly. The kid stopped to look at the violinist again, but the mother pushed hard and the child continued to walk, turning his head the whole time. This action was repeated by several other children, but every parent - without exception - forced their children to move on quickly.

At forty-five minutes: The musician played continuously. Only six people stopped and listened for a short while. About twenty gave money but continued to walk at their normal pace. The man collected a total of $32.

After one hour:

He finished playing and silence took over. No one noticed and no one applauded. There was no recognition at all.

No one knew this, but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the greatest musicians in the world. He played one of the most intricate pieces ever written, with a violin worth $3.5 million dollars. Two days before, Joshua Bell sold-out a theater in Boston where the seats averaged $100 each to sit and listen to him play the same music.

This is a true story. Joshua Bell, playing incognito in the D.C. Metro Station, was organized by the Washington Post as part of a social experiment about perception, taste and people’s priorities.

This experiment raised several questions:

In a common-place environment, at an inappropriate hour, do we perceive beauty?

If so, do we stop to appreciate it?

Do we recognize talent in an unexpected context?

One possible conclusion reached from this experiment could be this:

If we do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the best musicians in the world, playing some of the finest music ever written, with one of the most beautiful instruments ever made…

How many other things are we missing as we rush through life?"

Video : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=myq8upzJDJc
By: Sean The-Rules Goveas


* * *

This is so powerful for me.  Yes, I’m that person that does like to stop and smell the roses.  I like to think I notice the little purple flowers growing randomly out of a concrete sidewalk’s crack.  I like it when my co-workers take my advice, drive a different route to work, just so they too can enjoy the wonder God created with the beautiful autumn colors on the trees.  When the clouds catch the sun just right.  When we see shooting stars.  When we remember a certain memory because of a certain smell.  I like to think those are little pieces of Heaven on Earth.  Gentle reminders of our awesome Creator above.

So when I read this story today, I may have gotten choked up.  I may have gotten frustrated with the people that didn’t pay attention.  I may have thought… "Well, I like to think that I would have stopped." … But in reality--in the fast-paced world we live in...would I?  Would you??

You Could Have. #1

drumroll please…..

…. Okay, take it back.  Honestly, I didn’t want to use my first blog of the “You Could Have” series as one that blew your socks off, right off the bat.  ‘Cuz then I’d have to live up to those standards every time I did an entry. …   ;)

However.

This one will blow your socks off.

I can’t limit this first entry to one specific person.  So, this first entry is going to go and be different right out the door.  In my first ever, initial, inaugural post about how people have such an impact on your life, “You Could Have” launches as follows:

THEY Could Have… totally impressed me with their dedicated abilities

It started off as an idea.  Give 2 Go.  It started off as a simple idea to raise awareness for orphans around the world, benefitting Visiting Orphans as a whole.  The concept grew, the design began to liven, and the event elements began to shape.

What started off as one casual, Friday morning brainstorming conversation, ended up as one amazingly, beautiful night of music and testimonies.

But it’s the people that put it together that get this Nod in the ‘ole bloggeroo.  It’s the people that worked day and night to make sure it was a flawless event, from ground up.

It was the Visiting Orphans staff.

When I say that these brothers and sisters pulled together to make things happen, I don’t mean just laying a table linen down and clicking on a lamp.

• I’m talking, sawing 16 feet 2x4’s and building--literally DRILLING together structures and frames to make an amazing display structure
• I’m talking, cleaning out your entire house at home to bring in and create the most creative and visually appealing merchandise display known to man
• I’m talking, using every hidden and nonhidden talent you have to put into designing and creating flyers and marketing materials so our guests could have something to take home at night.
• I’m talking, originating the most organized, clean, and easy-to-follow ‘systems’ to handle our crazy mission trip giveaway---not only in preparation of the night, but DURING the night, and then for days after
• I’m talking, when no one’s even around, using your last bit of strength to breakdown, haul and unload the mess that no one else wanted to deal with
• I’m talking, using every bit of your energy to help post, tape, string, light, lay, build, set up, and RUN an ENTIRE evening’s festivities so our guests could enjoy their time
• And I’m talking, using your every last bit of patience to work with and deal with a crazy brain like me…

AND DOING IT ALL WITH A SMILE

Autumn Kerr, Alicia Jordan, Frank Pass, Casi Mattox, Merrill Durham, James Jonas, Kathleen Carney, Rachel Cook:  You could have stayed within your comfort zones, only helped out to your content, and rightfully told me I was crazy.

But you didn’t.

You all were and ARE so amazing to not only me day in and day out, but to each other--to VISITING ORPHANS.  Every day we get to come to work is such a blessing.  You all bless me every day just because you’re you.  God has given you each such creative talents, each such amazing administrative, and yet not boring, characteristics.  You continue to surprise me with the tasks you’re able to accomplish and the goals you’re able to set and reach.

You are all my inspiration.

THANK YOU VO’ers for SUCH an amazing job well done at our concert on Friday night.  It was such a cool experience to see everyone in their element.  And if you weren’t in your element, you were able to  branch outside for the Cause.

It’s an honor to be a part of such an amazing group.

"YOU COULD HAVE … totally impressed me with your dedicated abilities".

AND YOU DID.

a SNEAK little PEAK at the fabulous work by the VO Staff, pics done by the amazing Rachel Jay

Ima People Lover. What.

I just gotta say.  I love people.

I love all walks of people.  I love the people that laugh at your jokes.  I love the people that cry your tears with you.  I love people that hold your doors for you.  I love the people that take their time going through a green light because they're on their phone, not paying attention but have the biggest smile on their face during their conversation.  I love the people that grumble the second they wake up and don't stop grumbling until they fall asleep again at night. I love people that let their kids put their groceries on the counter in the checkout lane.  I love the people that drive across town to get the cheaper gas prices.  I love the people that will stand up for their friends, in any situation, no matter how it makes them look in the long run.  I love people that belt out a good 'ole church hymn but can't sing a note.  I love a happy person.  I love a sad person.  I love waitresses.  I love cowboys.  I love librarians, park rangers, politicians, and brain surgeons.

Yes, I love people.

Now, I may not be the person that will meet a stranger and strike up a conversation that lasts 4 hours.  I may not be that person.  (Although, there definitely have been times that I was).  But I definitely am the person that can grab my coffee, sit on a park bench, and watch people--all day long and be completely entertained.  And completely satisfied.

I love that our God is a creative guy.  I love that he made painters and musicians and film directors, athletes, fashionistas, computer-techs, and dancers.

But what I love most about people is how MUCH of an impact EACH PERSON on this Earth really, truly has.

I love it because I understand it.

I fully, wholeheartedly believe, that if every person on this earth knew that he or she had an impact--positive OR negative--in any given situation, that the world would be much different.  I think that if people took the time to care, took the time to really evaluate how much of an impact he or she has, that person would truly feel a significance he can create.  And on the same note, if every person took the time to relay to another person that he or she impacted him, the ripple would continue.

I'm going somewhere here with this, I promise.

I come across and meet a lot of people in my day to day.  Whether it be the grocery store clerk or the mail man, the movie teller or the mechanic, I'm affected by how they act during our 'interaction'.  One small move, one little word can completely reroute my attitude for the next couple minutes.  I could be on cloud nine.  Or I could get totally bummed out.

And whether or not any of us want to admit it, the way other people act around us, truly has an impact on our heart.  It may not affect our entire being or character.  It may not change our outlook on life..... but it may.

I have made it my personal mission to address these scenarios when they happen.  Yeah, yeah, yeah, who am I to tell someone they messed up my day just by the way they acted in the bank over lunch hour?  But who am I NOT to tell someone they MADE my day...

I am taking a challenge in this next year to cover these people in my blog, in entries entitled, "You Could Have".  I want to point out that during one small small second of time, one small gesture that 'you could have' totally blessed me.  or could have totally hurt my feelings.  or totally threw me off the concentration course today.  or totally motivated a new goal.... You Could Have...

These will be your every day people that you meet in your every day life.  They could be in your life for a minute, or in it for a lifetime.  But fact of the matter is, these people have affected me.  And i want them to know, good or bad, that they've made a difference....

So now that I've explained my initiative, stay tuned for the first entry, You Could Have.    Let's see where God wants to take this one.