something to give...

"an image flashed across my tv screen
another broken heart comes in to view
i saw the pain and i turned my back
why can't i do the things i want to?
i'm willing yet i'm so afraid
You give me strength
when i say

i want to be Your hands
i want to be Your feet
i'll go where You send me
i'll go where You send me
and i try, yeah i try
to touch the world like You touched my life
and i find my way
to be Your hands

i've abandoned every selfish thought
i've surrendered every thing i've got
You can have everything i am
and perfect everything i'm not
i'm willing, i'm not afraid
You give me strength when i say

this is the last time
i turned my back on You
from now on, i'll go so
send me where You want me to
i finally have a mission
i promise i'll complete
i don't need excuses
when i am You hands and feet"

~ "hands & feet"... audio adrenaline

The little boy in the picture is Nayrobi. He is in preschool at Josue 1:8, the school in Los Brasiles. This is the community where we spent most of our time during our stay in Nicaragua this past June. I am sponsoring Nayrobi through NRN (Nicaragua Resource Network), which is the group we went down there with.

I am so excited for the privilege to sponsor Nayrobi. See... I have been so blessed by God. No, I don't have a lot of money. But I have a home. I have a family, I have friends, I have a church, I am in school, and I have a job. I have food to eat every day and I do not have to wonder where my next meal is going to come from.

Have you ever heard of Rob Bell? Check out this little clip of one of his videos here... We watch his dvds in Sunday school sometimes, and with each one I see, I am struck again with the simplicity yet truthfulness of the message of them. They are so relevant to life; this guy shares some crucial truths that sometimes we overlook and take for granted.

How often do we really think about our food being a gift from God? Or how about our home? How easy is it to take for granted that we have clean water? So many people do not even have clean water to drink. In Nicaragua, we had to drink bottled water instead of getting it from the faucets. How often have you stepped into a cold shower and complained that you really want a warm shower?... Yet, how many people in this world have no shower? No toilet? How easy is it to complain about cleaning the bathroom??

Mr. Bell, in his video "Rich," comments on the bumper stickers saying "God bless America"... He says God has blessed America. He as so, so blessed us as Americans. And yet we look at commercials or at our neighbors or friends and see something they have that we don't have, and we begin to think that our stuff is not enough. Contentment is so important, so crucial. We cannot go about our lives wanting everything we see. Pastor Steve said this morning that biblical giving is sacrificial. We have to give up something. It is generous, not skimpy. Biblical giving sees a need and does not think twice about giving to fulfill that need.

I am sponsoring Nayrobi because I have something to give. So maybe it means I won't get the latest Newsboys cd the day it releases. But it means that this adorable little boy has clothes for school. He has good food and water. I have seen the homes in Los Brasiles firsthand... I have personally walked through them, and I can tell you that these people live in homes that consist of maybe a small bedroom and that is it. They have a hook on the wall where they can hang their couple of outfits. They don't have any television or dvd player... and even if they did, they don't have any electricity to make it work. They cook outside, and whatever food they have, they have to go and buy it daily. They don't have any refrigerator to keep it cold. When you go and walk through these homes, and these people invite you in like you're royalty... they have nothing, yet they want to share what they have with you.... it brings tears. The tears are coming to my eyes as I sit here remembering these sweet, generous people. I cannot even imagine living like they do. They have joy though, they have smiles. It is so amazing to see the poverty and the dirt, and yet see them smiling and welcoming you into their home.

I had something to give... that is also why I cut my hair in June. Sure, I was going to Nicaragua (and then to be a counselor at camp) and didn't want to deal with the length of my hair in the extreme heat and humidity... that is why I cut it when I did. But I figured somebody else needed it more than I did. It was something I could give.

I really, really encourage you to check out the video I included the link for. It is just a short clip of what is an exceptional video. Let God speak to your heart through it... please.