Better Than OK

I'm a passionate person.
I've said it before, and I'll continue to say it.
(Sometimes I feel like I should've been Italian because of it, but that's besides the point.)

There isn't much that I can't get really passionate about with a little bit of time...
I'm passionate about all forms of art. I'm passionate about sports. I'm passionate about what I get to do for a living. I'm passionate about bridging the gap between culture and Christ. I'm passionate about the people I love. I'm even passionate about making sure everybody tries a bite of my food if it's awesome. (and don't get me started about Cheeto, my dog)

There's something about that uncontrollable feeling welling up inside of me that, well, wells up inside of me. I can't get over it. And you know the feeling... it's that feeling when it just 'clicks' and you feel like your body is about to explode... or implode... or do something that is completely foreign to the mundane, ordinary, everyday routine of life.

I hate routines.
I hate the ordinary.
I hate the mundane.

I think that one of the "tricks" of the enemy is to take the passion out of life.
To tell us that the ordinary is normal and that normal is ok... and that ok is ok.
The world is ok with ok.
But the problem with ok is that Jesus promises us a life better than ok.
He promises us a life that is better than anything we could dream of. 

And I think that the danger for those of us who follow Christ is that we could normalize the abnormal.
To make the supernatural seem natural.
To take the awe from the awesome.
And to stop feeling the Presence of the God who never leaves us.

I think I've let the passion slip a little from my life lately.
I think that I've let other voices scream louder in my ears instead of listening to the Voice that spoke creation into existence.
I think I've let others ideas of who I should be, steal from who He created me to be.
I think I stopped living for a little while and was merely existing and functioning and thinking it was ok.

I don't want ok.
I was created for a life that's better than ok.

So, here is a silly question.
What are you ok with in your life that isn't ok?

Weeks Like This

I’m not sure what to say or where to start.

I don’t have any profound words. Or really any words at all.

I don’t even really feel. The only thing I feel is like I’m just functioning, and that’s not enough. I wasn’t created just to function.

That’s not You. And that’s not me.

For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. (Ephesians 2:10)

I understand the apathy of this culture better today.

When everything and everyday can be so extreme, how can you be expected to continue to feel everything?

Feeling hurts. Feeling is hard. Feeling is exhausting.

But I want to. And I have to believe that You do.

We started this year asking to go deeper. To dive below the surface and find You.

God, show me Your glory. Show me Your power. Show me You.

Teach me how to do it like You. How to feel like You do. How to love like You do.

This has been a week of extremes.

This week feels a lot like ashes, mourning, and despair.

Show me the beauty and gladness and praise in this week.

When we get asked to pray for a woman covered in sores from head to toe on our way to church… I need to feel You.

When we hear stories about 8 year olds and 65 year olds being raped in the community that I just walked through and rescued an 11 year old from… I need to feel You.

When we drop that same 11 year old off at social services with a social worker who doesn’t believe her or have any visible compassion for her, to find the safest permanent home for her… I need to feel You.

When we walk through the children’s ward in a government hospital and see burn victims, broken limbs, and writhing children… I need to feel You.

When there’s blood dripping from the same bandage that was placed on a tiny 3 year old burned arm 2 weeks ago, staying three cots down from a little girl covered in entire head bandage from her own burns from almost 4 months ago… I need to feel You.

When I don’t want to leave weeks like this with the people that I love to go ‘home’ to my new apartment and fancy church in the land of abundance… I need to feel You.

You come for moments and weeks like this.

You come to set us free.

You come to bind up the brokenhearted.

You come to restore and to redeem and to trade beauty for ashes, gladness for mourning, and praise instead of despair.

Feeling-Sustainer, Life-Giver, Heart-Holder, Tear-Catcher… come.