Enemies of Injustice.

The following link is to a speech that was given in front of 22,000 college students at Urbana 2006. It is a call to become an enemy of injustice. It is very well written, and its stories of rescue and redemption brought me to tears. It is well worth the small amount of time it will take you to read it.

Please read it here and leave me a comment letting me know what you think. If you are like me, you will want to find some way of expressing the deep emotion it provokes in your spirit. I pray that it moves us all to not only feel, but to act.

"He will rescue them from oppression and violence, for
precious is their blood in his sight." ~ Psalm 72:14

Headlines from my life.

There are a lot of things going on in my life, and I haven't spoken to a lot of you since many of these new developments. So, this is a catch-all update blog. Hopefully this will prevent me from forgetting to tell someone something important and telling someone else twice instead.

Item 1 - Friends.
Jason and Ryan are both out and doing very well. It is crazily wonderful to have them around again. Ryan is working at the car dealership with my Dad and Jason is working a few different jobs, still looking for something dependable and steady. Both are saving up for a place to live. Jason just bought a car and Ryan is still trying to save up enough money to get his driver's license reinstated. Please continue to pray for them as they adjust to life outside the walls and try to carry their responsibilities with honor, integrity, and strength and love rooted in Christ.

Item 2 - Residence.
My sister and I are buying a house! I think most of you probably knew that already. We were supposed to close yesterday, but our mortgage basically exploded over the weekend (while we were both out of town) and we had to run around like crazy people all day yesterday trying to fix everything. Hopefully, we are all set at this point and lack only the final walkthrough. We are supposed to close Friday afternoon, and we'll be moving all day Saturday (the 10th). In true Smith fashion, we began packing last night! Feel free to come lend a hand! :-)

Item 3 - Work.
My job at ProVision is going well. I have two more months in which to finish my orphan care research and write a large document detailing my findings. I just got back from the Christian Alliance for Orphans Summit last weekend in Ft. Lauderdale. It was incredible to be around people who are passionate about the same things I'm passionate about. And it allowed me to soak in information from people who have been doing this for longer than I've been alive, which is always a great resource. I could write a series of blogs about the conference alone (in fact, I might post my summaries later). My work is also moving offices, which means that I not only have to pack and move everything at my home, but also at my office. ha ha

Item 4 - Future Work.
Details are still being nailed down (which makes me nervous, as I'm a habitual planner), but the plan is still for me to begin working full time with One Vision International in July. If you are interested in financially supporting the administrative needs of this organization (i.e. my salary), please contact me for more information on how you can do so. There are also many opportunities to get involved with One Vision, including pancake breakfasts, a golf tournament, and of course, tons of different mission trips happening this summer! Let me know if any of this peaks your interest!

Item 5 - Family.
My grandfather passed away last week after a long and painful battle with cancer. He loved the Lord with all his heart and was a faithful servant, loving husband, and incredible grandfather. His love for us, his passion for the gospel, and his unremitting sense of humor will be deeply missed. But we are thankful that he is no longer suffering and is with his Lord, Savior, and Treasure Jesus Christ. Desiring God had a great blog this morning about the death of the apostle James, and it really helped me as I think about my grandfather and his life. I was unable to go to the funeral because of the conference (a very, very difficult choice for me), but my family told me that he was buried with one of his favorite books that I bought for him. Even though I know material things mean even less now than they did when he was alive, it helps me feel closer to him.

Well, I'm trying to think of anything I've forgotten, but I'm coming up blank. My sister and I are both under a lot of stress right now, so if you get a chance, say a little prayer for us! I'm sorry if I've missed any of your calls recently. Hopefully this helps explain (though not excuse) my recent lack of communication. Leave me some love!! Yes, I equate blog comments with love. I'm high maintenance and irrational like that. :-)

Be still and know...

Hundreds of words are swirling in my head, and I know that I will be unable to capture even a fraction of them here with any sort of clarity.

I could write about the millions of hurting children in the world. I could write about three that I know and love particularly. I could write about the intricate ways that God orchestrates the details of our lives so that we have ample opportunity to get out of our own ways and into his. I could write about a recent resurgence of feelings of inadequacy that all but cripple my ability to work or be the type of friend I am called to be. I could write a book of apologies for my failures to love my friends and family the way that Christ loves me. I could write of my greatest hopes and my greatest fears (the greatest fear being - of course - the inability to attain my greatest hope).

But instead, I will write this: God is incomprehensibly in control of his creation. When all the words, stress, thoughts, fears, and failures threaten to consume your mind, know that you can rest in the mighty arms of the one who made you, the one who knows you, the one who loves you beyond any sort of measure, and simply be there, at peace, resting in his ability to cover any inadequacy, any mistake. Know that in him, there is peace, love, joy, and comfort when all the swirling makes no sense.

"Be still, and know that I am God." ~ Psalm 46:10

Response to a Friend.

I wrote the following note as a response to a friend asking for some advice about a relationship that she is considering. As I read back over it, it served as a tremendous reminder to me. I thought I would include it (without her personal details, of course) in case any of you might be interested in reading a bit of my take on this kind of stuff. You’re probably not interested, but those are the kind of self involved, grandios notions that blogging encourages, right? So, here goes.

"...As far as [this guy] goes, I would be really careful. It is so easy to fall in love with potential and then end up being hurt by reality when someone chooses not to reach their potential. Believe me. I have been through this time and time again. If you have questions about [his] spiritual strength, I would take that VERY seriously. That is the cornerstone of a relationship (I know you know that), and if he cannot be a spiritual leader and encourager in your life, you will be fighting a very steep battle in order to try and grow spiritually yourself.

He does not necessarily have to be able to pick you up when you fall. But he needs to be strong enough to point you to the only One who really can pick you up! If he tries to help you on his own, without pointing you to the never-ending, compassionate strength of our Heavenly Father, you will both fail.

Anyway, you know my take on this kind of stuff. This is always my question - Do you glorify God more together than you do apart? Do you have a closer relationship with Christ because he is constantly challenging you to grow spiritually? If not, I have to ask if this is truly the guy for you.

Now, that doesn’t mean that I always do the right thing, even when I know what I should do. Enter every relationship I’ve ever had. But that is the standard. Not holding myself to the standard that we have been given as Christian women is the reason that I have been heartbroken time and time again. And if a guy ever meets that standard, I will know that the relationship has God’s blessing - that he has designed us to be together.

Anyway, that’s all just a bit of rambling from my opinionated little brain. Hopefully it’s not too off the wall for you. I’d love to talk more about this with you, though. I know sometimes it can help just to talk things through."

I know that it is so hard to be lonely. It’s so easy to long for someone with whom to share your life, to talk to about your day, to wipe away your tears. Disney taught us to look for Prince Charming in order to live happily ever after. And it can be devastating when he doesn’t show or doesn’t turn out to be so charming. But know that our Heavenly Father has a plan for our lives, whether or not that involves a guy. In his plan, we find value, fulfillment, and purpose for our lives. With those things, you don’t miss having a hand to hold quite so much. And if you are following the path that God has laid out for you, that is the only place where you will meet the person that he intends to be a part of your path. Follow Christ, and everything else will fall into its perfect place and time.

A Real Life Hero.

I just listened to a story on NPR’s Storycorps (a very cool segment) that I thought I would share. Talk about going the extra mile! This story inspired me and reminded me of the kind of person that I hope to be. This man’s simple actions in the midst of his daily life have probably transformed a life forever. Changing a life - that can not be overstated. It is why we’re here on this globe. Some may not believe in greater purpose. But stories like this inspire me to keep striving to be more like Christ, to be less consumed by my own life, and to be aware of each and every tiny moment with the power to change the course of history.

We so rarely think of our daily decisions as impacting anything substantial. But when you turn around one day and ask how you got here, how you ended up at this point in your life, I believe you are forced to look back and see the impact that each tiny decision had in bringing you to your current state. Writing a letter to a stranger can lead you to your best friend. Turning left instead of right can save your life. Going to one meeting can introduce you to your future boss and put in place a path for the rest of your life. Live each moment as if it matters. Because, believe me, it does.

God, in his sovereignty, has orchestrated our lives into a complex puzzle of choices and "coincidences" that we cannot understand because we cannot see the complete picture. So it is up to us to simply be faithful and carefully consider each step along the way. We often will not understand. But I am grateful for a God that is so high above me that I cannot fathom his ways. If I, in my limited mental capacity, could figure him out... well, he would not be God.

Anyway, I didn’t mean to ramble so much. Listen to the story here.

Update on Kenya.

This blog is a follow up to my earlier blog, "In Common Bond United." If you didn't read that one, I basically gave a very brief overview of the situation in Kenya and posted a couple of relevant articles. For those of you who have been faithfully praying for our brothers and sisters there, I wanted to provide an update. The government and opposition leaders have signed a power sharing agreement brokered by Kofi Annan. This is wonderful news, and will hopefully allow the country to put the violence of the past two months behind them. But there has been so much damage done. Last I heard, over 1,000 people had been killed and hundreds of thousands have been displaced. Please continue to pray for this beautiful country, that they will reconcile and come together as a nation and see each other as people made in the image of God. We thank God for this victory, and pray that it is the first of many to come. Below is a link to the NY Times article on the peace agreement.

Kenya Rivals Reach Peace Agreement

The Story of Stuff.

I thought this was an interesting video that others might like to see. It's about 20 minutes long, and it deals with issues that we should all care about as consumers, and most importantly, as stewards of this earth. Make sure you click on the resources link after you watch the video to find out what we can do about issues like these. Let me know what you think!

The Story of Stuff