Finer than Silver

"My son, if you accept my words and store up my commands within you,

turning your ear to wisdom and applying your heart to understanding,

and if you call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding,

and if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure,

then you will understand the fear of the Father and find the knowledge of Dad."

-Proverbs 2:1-5

It really sunk in tonight as I was walking home from work and thinking about life:

I came to the conclusion that never before have I been in a season that required MORE wisdom, MORE discernment, MORE caution and MORE discretion in my daily life and relationships than I am in right now. As situation after situation popped into my mind of things that I am not sure how to solve or even handle, I realized that I need my Heavenly Father more in my life today than I ever have before. I thought about it even in just the events of my day...

My boss: We went to coffee and she started explaining to me major, heavy situations in her own life that are completely unknown by most people but cause her to live in a constant battle with fear. WISDOM. How do I share her load, Dad? How can I help her bear the weight of such uncertainty??

My Co-Worker and Good Friend: She sat down with me in lunch and cried tears of frustration. A constant conflict with her roommate. Hurt after hurt that has built up and surrendered to a deep resentment. "I'm done! I'm moving out. I'm giving up. How can I forgive someone who is not even sorry or asking for forgiveness? I can not!"

WISDOM. What am I supposed to say to her, Dad?? How do I remind someone about your grace and mercy who has so firmly decided she's thrown in the towel?

My Egyptian brother: A similar situation. Hurt after hurt that has quickly turned to a deep anger. We've had conversations about forgiveness and that true love is not just a feeling- its a commitment to love even when that love is not returned or received. It is sacrificial.... My brother hears, but he's done. He tells me he is done trying. Again, throwing in the towel.

WISDOM! How do I guide him into your truth, Dad, if he doesn't want to listen? How do I hurt for him and feel his pain, but speak truth to him at the same time?

It's like every day I need more wisdom. Even in the simplest interactions with strangers and acquaintances. I'm constantly facing decisions. When do I make eye contact? Do I smile kindly or just walk right by? In this culture, eye contact and friendliness can lead to misunderstanding-especially with the men. So even just walking to work..... Do I greet this person? Should I say something to that one?

A woman sees that I am a foreigner- probably poor, just wants money from me... How do I show her His love? How do I even begin to meet real needs? How do I engage in a culture that is so closed? How can I learn the native language if my job requires only English? How can I fulfill my Dad-given task to testify to Truth, when I am not free to speak it?

What is safe? Who can I trust?.... How do I be the person Dad made me, when so much of me is wrapped up in Him... and I'm not always free to speak of Him?.... Can the Good News be told through a simple life? WISDOM. WISDOM. WISDOM..... Day by day.... Moment by moment... I need more of it! I'm desperate for it.

And so on my way home from work, I clumsily found myself calling on my Dad out loud without realizing it at first... Dad, I need more wisdom! I need your discernment. I need your Spirit.

"If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. " James 1:5-6

Unexpected Opportunities

I met a couple of curious Egyptian girls on the way to meeting a friend today. I was headed out for the day to have breakfast and talk business with a girl named Jessica who is helping me create and run a 5 day children's program/conference at the end of this month. We have less than three weeks to finish planning all of the lessons and activities, and put together everything we need. The time is getting short, and there is so much to do. So today we planned to spend the morning and early afternoon working out some of the details and logistics.

I set out on my way just before nine and planned on taking a taxi to her apartment. However, as I was walking to Road Nine, where I usually snag a cab, I heard a couple girls' voices behind me. I kept walking until they started trying to get my attention. People here will often call to foreigners in that way, with a quick "PSST..." noise to get them to turn around. I usually hesitate to give them my attention because many times they will just ask you for money. This time though, the girls were persistent, and eventually I heard an "EXCUSE ME...." so I turned around. They were two young Egyptian girls, dressed in their headscarves and long sleeved tunics. They looked like they may still be in school or just finishing up with school. They started talking to me, and surprisingly, they spoke English very well. They told me they just wanted to introduce themselves. They asked where I was from and where I was staying. Turns out they live just down the road from me. Said they had just decided they needed to get out and enjoy a walk for some exercise and would I let them walk with me?

Well, RARELY EVER does such an opportunity arise for me. In fact, that has been one of my greatest frustrations since I moved here to Cairo. I work for an international church- geared toward the foreigners who live in the Maadi community. My job requires me to work in the office from 9-5pm five days a week, and so my actual interaction with the Egyptian people and culture is limited. Primarily I work with foreigners of the same language and religious background. But my heart wants to engage the culture and interact with those who are different than I. What little interaction I do get with the people is hindered by the great language barrier that exists between us.

But here were two young girls, OUTSIDE my working environment, not from the same background, completely engaged in the Egyptian culture, but who spoke English wanted to talk with me. So, needless to say, I nixed the taxi idea. I enjoyed walking with them and getting to know them a bit. They are both 18 years old- full of life and enthusiasm. They helped me find my way to where I was going, and even paid for me to give my friend a call when my phone ran out of credit. They asked for my email and wondered if we could get together again. I do not know what will come of it all, but it seems as if my Dad may have dropped this little beginning in my lap. I have been intentional before about asking him for Egyptian friends outside of my work environment. And you can ask that with me! :)

And also remember to ask Him about this retreat coming up March 25-30. It will be called "Objective Detective" and we will be "uncovering evidence of the unseen Dad." :) Each day will be a different character trait. Day 1: Dad is holy. Day 2: Dad is in control. Day 3:Dad "sees me." Day 4: Dad is good. Day 5: Dad is love. Think and ask about these characteristics as we prepare for a great week and wait to see what He does. Thanks!

New Life Now Beginning

Happy March everyone! It's a new day, a new week, and a new month. So hard to believe it came so fast, but here it is. And Spring is hovering in the air. It's always been one of my favorite seasons- coming forth right after the long hard winters of snow and ice. The trees and plants that were once frozen in death come alive with the washing of new water and the healing warmth of the sun. The empty and frozen stick-like branches burst forth with blossoms and the birds start singing a brand new song never-before sung.

I didn't know if Spring would happen here- in this dry land full of polluted air and busy streets. There is hardly any green to begin with, and certainly no snow to melt away. There are none of the usual indicators- no groundhog to see his shadow, or to not see his shadow... No drastic temperature change. But still, I see evidence of a Spring that is coming. I see it on my way walking to and from work, when I pass the beautiful blossoming trees I never noticed in previous months here. I see it in the bright reds and pinks and purples and oranges of the boogumvillia flowers. I see it as I watch these two tiny street puppies I pass on my walk to work every day grow a little bit stronger. I see it when a Daddy passes by me- out walking with his dark, curly headed boy sitting upon his shoulders. Spring is about life and new beginnings. And though I don't see the usual physical evidences of the season here in Cairo, Egypt, I see the deeper evidences of it.

Just this past weekend I had the privilege of seeing Springtime in the hearts of a bunch of young MCC middle schoolers. 26 kids, (only 8 of them girls), all just reaching the age where they are starting to form their ideas and beliefs about life and important spiritual matters. They came to have fun, and we did! They wore me out with all their energy! :) But they also came and, I believe, were met by a Holy Father. One who intended to teach them about living as a part of the body of His Son. They learned about how to build one another up and how to encourage one another to walk the right paths. They learned about the need to confront problems in truth and love. And how to live as a TRUE family. I cannot say how each one was affected, but I know that our Holy Friend was moving throughout the weekend. He is doing something NEW, And I trust that He will finish the work that He has begun in each and every one of these 26 kids (Ph. 1:6).

And I see the evidence of His Springtime in my own heart. The last few months have been a rough road of heartache, grief, and loneliness. It has seemed in a way like the winter months that drag on for all eternity. But I am entering a new season now, and as some of the ice melts away, I am starting to see the evidence of what has been growing underneath the surface all along. He's working in me. He's changing me. He's cleansing me.

You see, I believe that my Dad is all about new beginnings. It's like His very heart beats for redemption. He LOVES to redeem. He LOVES to make new. He LOVES to breathe life into things that are dead! Why else do you think He gives us a new day every 24 hours? A new week every 7 days? A new month every 4 weeks? A new year every 12 months?? Opportunity after opportunity to begin again, to start fresh. And I have also found that the truest joy of Spring is dependent upon the long nights of Winter. Those cold, days are what produce in me a new life now beginning. For "unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only one seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds." (John 12:24) And "those who sow in tears will reap with songs of joy." (Psalm 126:5)