My Year End Reflections

2016 has been very... (insert whatever and how many adjectives you want)

Many of those who started the year won't finish it and many who didn't start it will live to see another year.

The political, financial, personal, professional and emotional landscapes for most as 2017 looms may not look promising and at the very least daunting.

But hope...

Hope is, in my opinion, as necessary to life as air. Hopelessness is a deep pit that can swallow you whole.

When our hope is built on shifting, sinking sand it is very easy for us to lose it.

But..

MY hope is built on nothing less than Jesus Blood and Righteousness...

God is still God. The sun still rises and sets. Jesus is still risen from the dead. So therefore I will always have hope because money, people, things, leaders, bosses, jobs, empires, nations pass away but inspite of our best efforts to destroy and eradicate God from our world HE STILL LIVES and HIS PROMISES are still TRUE.

I dare not trust the sweetest frame, But wholly lean on Jesus' name.

He has survived kings and queens, floods, Disasters, World Wars. He is here and has been here and will always be here; Yesterday, Today, and Forever.

He is here in 2016 and He will be here in 2017 and all the years after that. So while things seem uncertain. Take heart that God is and always will be! He is certain. He always fulfills His promises.

He will take care of my family and I. I may not know what that looks like but I know that it will happen because God promised that He will NEVER leave me nor forsake me (Hebrews 13:5; Deuteronomy 31:6-8; Joshua 1:5). Because I have NEVER seen the righteous forsaken or his children hungry (Psalm 37:25-26). Because although we might stumble we will NOT fall (Psalm 37:23-24).

Place your hope and faith in Him for

*On Christ, the Solid Rock I stand, 

ALL other ground is sinking sand, ALL other ground is sinking sand.

The Unlikely Missionary

DHW

*Solid Rock by Edward Mote is one of my favorite hymns

The Revolution is Now

I wrote What If I'm the One to Start A Revolution? 5 years ago. I felt then as I do now that God has one more great awakening in store for America. In the recent months I have begun to feel this great sense of urgency. Not because of our new president but because of how far the message of the American church has strayed from who God truly is.

I have been brokenhearted at how some churches have become so focused on money and trivial issues that they forget that it's about the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

What is the Gospel? 

It's the Good News. It's that Jesus Christ came to earth; lived, walked talked, breathed among us; was killed so that we might have life in abundance and so that the relationship with God that was severed by sin was restored with His Blood; He rose again as He promised; He ascended to Heaven, and He is sitting right now at the right hand of God the Father talking to God on our behalf.

The gospel is NOT we bash you because of the color of your skin. The gospel is NOT religious persecution. The gospel is NOT taking away women's rights. The gospel is not normalizing sexual assault. The gospel is NOT rejecting people because of their sexual orientation. The gospel is NOT being mean-spirited or just plain hate-filled. Where hate abides love cannot abide. God is love and if you are full of hate He cannot abide (but that is another post for another time)

Jesus gives us Christians one mandate;

Go make disciples. 

And He gave us the perfect blueprint. Himself. Never once did Jesus bash, put down, condemn, alienate or be unloving to ANYONE especially not his disciples. Not even to Judas who He KNEW was going to betray Him. He never forced Himself or His message on anyone. He never guilted or shamed anyone into salvation. He gave them the CHOICE.

Choice is God's greatest gift to us. If they chose Him great and if they didn't He left them be but He still loved them because He knew that the way He lived His life was much more important and impactful then the words He spoke.

I'm positive that if Jesus were to visit some of our churches today we might be surprised at the reception we'd receive. (See the Cleansing of the Temple)

Holy Discontent

Bill Hybels* gave a talk and has a book on this concept of Holy Discontent. It is something that bothers you so greatly in your soul that it forces you to act.

I have reached that point. I have always been discontented by the way "people of God" beat and abuse and misinform other people about who God is especially young people. I've been a Christian almost all my life and even I have experienced the hurtfulness of this. I'm speaking from experience. This election cycle and the viciousness of the hate that is spewing from people, especially those who claim to know God  has pushed me to the point where I can no longer sit by and not say anything.

What we all fail to realize is that the only difference between a believer and a non-believer is the acceptance of Jesus Christ. We are still all sinners. We still all fall short. We still all need the grace of God. We do not instantly become better than someone else because we accept Christ. We just become saved by Grace.

It is time for all of us who know who God is and worship Him to stop sitting on the sidelines and stand up for what is right.

I'm tired of being a poor representative of Jesus. We cannot really believe that God is pleased with the way we as Christians have responded to what is going on in our world?

The time has come to stand up and fight for the Gospel and who Jesus is. We've gotten too comfortable. If you don't stand up that is ok. God does not need you or me to make sure that His message of love is preached but He sure would like you to be involved.

I ended my last message on revolution saying,
"So if I'm supposed to be starting my revolution, why am I still sitting down?"

Well, I'm no longer "sitting". I'm in the fight. Through prayer. Through writing this blog. Through speaking up when it is necessary and right now it is very necessary. Man's voice should NEVER be louder than God's voice. Through living my life in a loving and respectful way. Through worship. Through taking a stand when I see injustice.

When I stand before God and He asks me, "What were you doing when people were dying, being killed and being persecuted and you had the ability to offer hope and healing and unity?" I want to have an answer. 

The Revolution is Now.

The Unlikely Missionary

DHW

*This post does not reflect the views of anyone but me. 

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas & Happy Sunday!

There Are No Orphans of God

This time of year can be very hard, especially if you feel alone or forgotten. But I want you to know that in the kingdom of God you are not alone, you are not forgotten, you are loved.

Avalon sings this amazing song called Orphans of God. And whenever I feel my lowest; unloved, ignored, beat down, alone, unwanted, misunderstood, or cast aside - I play this song and remember that I am a child of God and He loves me and for this reason I am not alone. EVER.

I hope this song encourages you as it does me and remember...

You are loved 

and You are loved, 

We are loved.

The Unlikely Missionary

DHW

Praise Break! - Already Here

This song always touches me. We, since the beginning of time, have been waiting for the Lord. But He is already here, in us

Enjoy!

The Unlikely Missionary,

DHW

Reason for the Season

I learned at a young age that Santa was not real and that Christmas was not about receiving.

As far back as I can remember Christmas Day at my house started with church, then we would go visit people who may not have a visitor at a nursing home or the hospital. We would bring them gifts and conversation and sing carols and THEN we went home to eat and THEN we opened presents. We sometimes didn't open presents until well into the afternoon depending on how many visits we made.

As a kid, this was annoying because I wanted to get home to see what I got. Of course. In our little kid mind its all about the gifts! Now as an adult I appreciate that my parents put the focus on serving others and not ourselves.

That's what Christmas in about after all. Jesus didn't come to earth to be born because it was going to be a fun vacation, a reward for being a good Son. We are celebrating the ultimate act of service. Jesus was born to die in 33 years. We don't know when we are going to die but Jesus knew because His birth was an assignment to bring hope and salvation. His mission and death didn't catch Him by surprise.

What I didn't realize as a kid was how much our visits meant to the people we visited. Some of whom may not have had a visitor in a long time. And looking back I know that Jesus was pleased that we took time on His day to be hope and joy. Couldn't you just imagine Jesus doing something like that on His birthday?

The reason for this season is of course Jesus. And this holiday I challenge you to be His hands and feet. If you see someone in need offer a hand. My husband is amazing at this. If he sees a homeless person on the street and he has $5 he's giving that $5. No questions asked. If you know of someone who will be alone this holiday give them a call or stop by for a visit. If you know of a little child who won't receive a gift this year for whatever reason, when you buy your kid/niece/nephew/godbaby/grandbaby a gift buy another to share. We all are always just one step away from amazing blessing or terrible hardship. And Jesus always gave even when what He gave was of high price.

Love today. Show compassion today. Bless someone today. 

Expecting nothing in return. It will enrich your life.

For me, now as an adult, Christmas is my favorite holiday not because I'm gonna get gifts but because I get to be a blessing to people I love and care about.

God loves you, so share that love today. Be His hands and feet.

The Unlikely Missionary,

DHW

U R Loved by Israel Houghton

One of my fave artists.

You Are Loved!

The Unlikely Missionary,

DHW

YOU ARE LOVED

Even if no one else anywhere ever tells you this, I am here to deliver God's message to you that...

YOU ARE LOVED!

I have become overwhelmed by the number of hate crimes that have be occuring since this election and God has been moving within me to act. I'm not a speaker but I am a writer and through my written words God has always helped me to articulate what He wants me to know about who He is.

And I learned this particular truth many years ago...

God said and continues to say, no matter what you are, no matter who you are, no matter what you have done, no matter where you have been, no matter where you are right now, no matter what people may say about you, God loves you. God is love and He can be nothing else. Don't let people tell you that you have to do x,y, and z to gain or be worthy of God's love when the Bible says the exact opposite.

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

John 3:16 (NIV)

Before you were born, before you did or said anything God loved you. He always has and He ALWAYS will. You just have to be willing to believe it and accept it.

Society and so called Christians may want to disqualify you from God's love but they do not have the ability nor the authority to do so. There is one fact and one truth.

You are and always will be loved because God loves you!

Plain and simple. You just have to believe it and accept it.

The Unlikely Missionary,

DHW

Remember you are loved!