After while, crocodile!

Yes, moving to a new community means a lot of goodbyes, but-- let's get excited about this, people-- it also means a whole lot of fabulously interesting hellos!

For the next six weeks, I'm going to be focusing exclusively on these hellos. So adios, teléfono. See ya later Facebook. Pinterest, we need some time apart.

For all of you wonderful people who don't know how you're going to be able to live through six weeks without me (or my pins)... fear not. When I was off in T-town last year missing the Sanctuary, the Lord pressed on my heart again and again that prayer was more than big enough to cover the 500 miles. Even though I couldn't play jump rope or sing the moose song with the kids, I could lift them up to my Heavenly Father (who could give them much better hugs than I could, anyway).

In the same way, I'm asking you to join me on this journey by faith. I won't be able to fill you in on the details of what God is doing, but I would love for you to lift me and my team and our neighborhood up in prayer, trusting that God is working. 

James tells us to pray when we're in trouble, and sing songs of praise when we're happy.

Since I won't be around to let you know for sure, let's assume that there are going to be moments of trouble and moments of happy.

Because there will be moments of trouble, please pray for...

gentleness within our team

humility in our training

energy for our work

compassion toward our neighbors

Because there will be moments of happy, please rejoice that, Lord-willing...

God is using community to strip us of our selfishness

we are being equipped for our service by our training

our work is making the name of Jesus famous

we are coming to a deeper understanding of God's character through listening to our neighbors' stories

Anddd don't forget that good, old-fashioned snail mail is always smiled upon. Check with my momma for my address! (Specifically, someone should take it upon him/herself to inform me of the outcome of the football games. And I'm def expecting a copy of Lecrae's new album. Just sayin'.)

Until the cinnamon rolls (I know, now I want one too)!

The Church of... what's the name again?

Every new season of life (or chapter of life, if you fancy book metaphors) means lots of hellos. Lots of “what’s your name?”s and “where are you from?”s. Lots of “really, you too?”s and “I’d never thought about that before”s.

But every season, every chapter, means lots of goodbyes too. That’s where I am right now. Looking forward to Mission Year, but acutely aware of what I’ll have to leave before I get there. I’m back in T-town for the week, seeing my roommates (114 for lyyyfe) and all the other wonderful people I missed over summer.

Lots of ‘em are from the Church of Movement Toward Freedom, my faith family here. I went yesterday to catch up, exchange phone numbers with a few folks, and say goodbye again. In a lot of ways, it felt like a celebration of the relationships I formed in the spring. The kids were there, which brought back memories of homework help in the afternoons and sweaty games of tag at twilight. The women were there, the ones who spoke so much truth and poured so much love into my little freshman life. The songs we sang were powerful reminders of the truths God pressed into my heart last semester (“I got J-O-Y, joy, joy in the Holy Ghost!”).

One of the most poignant moments of the morning was when Brother Willy sang a song that he wrote a few years back. At the time, he was in a group home in another part of the country, and missing his family very much. He explained that he was in a difficult place of rebuilding, and particularly aware of his moment-by-moment need for the Lord. I scribbled down just a few of the words:

“Everything I do, Lord, I'm tryin’
The Devil do his lyin’
But Lord, I'm tryin’.”

In the midst of lies, he held to and acted on Truth.

What is the capital-t-truth? That God ruthlessly pursues His rogue creation. With my eyes turned to the coming months, I’m excited about understanding and communicating this in new contexts, with new people. And then, God-willing, eleven months from now, there will be another celebration of truth and love.

Y’all. This is going to be a CRAZY RIDE. Stay tuned! :)

The ABC's of Middle School

This summer, I spent about 400 hours (but who's counting?) with middle school girls. The following is my thought-provoking and insightful reflection.

all skin colors are not equally gifted when it comes to cutting the rug (“I think we came outta our mommas already dancin’ around”), but all equally enjoy attempting

boys are the most interesting topic of discussion, ever

candy alone can sustain you for at least five days

drawing on people while they sleep is terribly entertaining (who am I kidding... I already knew this one)

every moment is an opportunity to whisper and/or giggle

FLAME and Lecrae are cool no matter which side of the train tracks you grew up on

green-eyed monster is on the prowl… particularly when we’re talking about—you guessed it—boys

having a boyfriend is a sign of social status

inviting a boy over is tantamount to confessing undying affection

justin bieber is not that cool anymore

k means “I’m not listening”

lighting up my world like nobody else is what you do, baby

money is primarily useful for buying shoes and candy

nineteen-year-olds are not real adults

one direction. let me repeat: ONE DIRECTION

pencils and shoulder pads... enough said

quiet is not familiar territory

robot dancing is generally acceptable when the catdaddy, dougie, wu-tang, and wobble are beyond one’s skill level

stuffed animals are still really, really cool

trips to the bathroom should NOT be made alone (well, I guess this is all females)

under the pretty face is a girl working out her identity

very few moments are inappropriate times to start belting 1D lyrics

wedding planning—no matter how real the wedding—is exciting… and serious business

x factor is more commonly known as “that one thing”… and you’ve got that one thing

you don't know you're beautiful, and that's what makes you beautiful

zipping one's mouth is no easy feat

(Find the number of 1D references and add the average number of times middle school girls say "like" per day to find the chances out of 10 that I would spend another 400 hours with my sweet girls. Starting just as soon as I get back from my therapist. :) )

The Dream Keeper

"Bring me all of your dreams,
You dreamer,
Bring me all your
Heart melodies
That I may wrap them
In a blue cloud-cloth
Away from the too-rough fingers
Of the world."
-Langston Hughes

After four summers at the Sanctuary on 8th Street (safe place for kids in the Springfield neighborhood; the purplest building downtown; a place where "hope has happened" for 20 years), I still can't tell you my job title.

Some days I call myself a Band-Aid-Put-Onner.
Other days I have to be a Tear-Dryer.
Or a Girl-Drama-Diffuser.
I even make a fabulous Tickle Monster.
(Other less savory titles relate to a rat and an upset tummy. Miss Mary remembers. :) )

But those are the easy parts of my job. It doesn't take immense talent to wash off a cut or rustle up some Kleenex. What's harder-- and much more important-- is being a Dream Keeper.

Every little kid has dreams. Getting a new football. Playing football. Being like her mom. Being a mom. Meeting someone famous. Being someone famous. Reading books. Writing books.

Some of these are surface-level. But some, the "heart melodies," go right to the core of who we are as humans. Being loved. Feeling valuable. Having the power to make decisions.

Our heart melodies were composed to bring loud and lovely praise to the Father. He created us with needs that only He could satisfy. And as He fulfilled those needs, He received astounding glory, glory beyond measure. But then the Fall happened. Since then, there have been two problems.

1) Some of our heart melodies are out of tune. We desire and dream of things outside of what God wants for us. When our dreams are wrong, they show that our own hearts are broken.

2) Sometimes no one listens when we sing. Our dreams can be stunning, really something beautiful, but they go unfulfilled because the people and systems around us are broken.

So we have to take our heart melodies to the cross. All of them. Our off-pitch notes, our pretty tunes, and the ones we're not sure about. In light of the Son's perfect obedience, we have to examine our desires and leave the wrong ones to die with Jesus. The other ones, the dreams that line up with His will, He holds for us "away from the too-rough fingers of the world." And just as certainly as Jesus rose from the dead, we will see these dreams come true. Today, tomorrow, or in Heaven.

So as a camp counselor, as the kids share with me their dreams and as I hear their heart melodies, I invite them to the cross. I lead them to lay down some of their dreams. Popularity. Having lots of money to spend on themselves. Drinking and partying to have a good time. As for the other dreams, the ones about love and value and power, I urge my campers to dig in their heels and hold on to them. When the kids are too weak, by God's grace I can stand in the gap and help them fight with the truth of God's Word. We trust God to show us His love, give us our value, and fill us with power. And He, our holy Dream Keeper, "is able to guard what we have entrusted to him until the day of his return" (2 Timothy 1:12).