January 28 #graceupongrace

On January 28, I will be launching a new website for Grace Upon Grace (www.grace116.com). On this site will be a new blog, called Ever Within Grace.

This site here (wendtonanadventure) has been a faithful online journal in the 4+ years of life, ministry, and friendship since hearing the call to move out of Minnesota. I love writing and sharing of what I know (and definitely what I don’t), so I hope you’ll visit me again on the new site. 

Here are a few pictures to get you amped up about what’s going on www.grace116.com as I prepare and plan for its launch! 

get in it

Isaiah 1:16-17

“ Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean; remove the evil of your deeds from before my eyes; cease to do evil, learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow's cause.

I have seen their terror. I have seen their agony. 

I have seen darkness, bruises, scars, branding, drugged highs, withdrawal lows; I have caught tears, seen destruction, and watched the wrestle. 

I know some names of these precious survivors and I could tell you stories. 

Human Trafficking is real. 

27 million women, children, and men are enslaved around the world because of power-hungry, manipulative, and perverse people exerting authority over the sanctity of life.

http://thecnnfreedomproject.blogs.cnn.com/2013/01/04/christian-students-pledge-to-end-slavery/

http://enditmovement.com/#Mission

There is hope for victims. 

I have seen light penetrate the darkness, love soak into the hurt, & healing come from the pain. I have watched 100% redemption and radical transformation. Victory is real. 

We can end it. 

I believe so much in freedom: free from enslavement to power, free from the entanglements that bind us up, freedom from the need to exert control over others, personal freedom & jubilee & liberty! 

Galatians 5:1 (ESV) Christ Has Set Us Free

“For freedom Christ has set us free…”

John 8:36 (ESV)

“So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.”

to love another

"To love another person is to see the face of God" -Victor Hugo, "Les Miserables"

This is only as true as if Christ saw God in the face of us, those whom He had redeemed and restored. 
Why? 
Because Jesus Christ is the fulfillment and wholeness of all of Creation; of all history past, all of history present, and all of history future.

Typically the quoted phrase above is associated to romantic or committed love, not in correlation to a spiritual and relational love. However, I have a Savior who pursues me hastily, fully, and gregariously. Christ was so compelled by love (John 3:16, 2 Corinthians 5:14) that He, who was supremely supernatural, became meekly small that He might dwell among you and I, and even within the manger of our hearts. 

In coming to live life from a baby onward, Christ loved. He is love (1 John 4:8). In spending Himself on the Cross, Christ saw His Abba Father in my face, my gaze & expression, that put Him there. 

That Christ would see the face of God in my countenance is vividly stunning to me. While I can hardly comprehend this holistically, I can let it in. I can let it penetrate my soulish cling and clatter. I can let it inspire and inform. I can let it engage and sustain. I can let this Friend be intimate with me and I can agree with the Creator. 

After all, I was made in His image (Genesis 1:27). So were you. Which means I am a reflection, a glistening mirror, of Almighty God Himself. So, in loving me, Jesus surely sees a familiar face. And so it is for you.

"Lord God, thank you so much. My words scarcely fall, but flat and limp, but they come from an overwhelmed heart in recognizing You. My gratitude echoes for eternity and my heart is quenched within your Presence. Cause me, Oh Christ, to know you more truly, receive you more intently, remain with you more faithfully, and enjoy you more steadily. Instill within me, oh Heavenly Father, Your ability to love recklessly, fully, and eternally. Grant me eyes to see others that I might find them. And find you. In the most precious Name of Christ. Amen"

musings on a babe

Luke 2:11-14 (NASB)

^"for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased.”

Babies are some of the most miraculous and incredible creations! I have been privileged to witness two different ultra-sounds of babies in utero. I have actually been a witness to the birth of a little baby boy. I have been giddy, weepy, joy-filled, blessed, honored, and wonder-struck. Biology grants God creative expression, even our bodies cry out of the glory of God! 

Babies demand and captivate attention. I have never once regretted spending affectionate time relating to an infant. I have never once disregarded their worth because they only know how to 'need' from me. On the contrary, if I open myself up to risk loving that little one, showing the love of God, or nurturing their life, even but for a brief moment in Kenya, rural Haiti, downtown Minneapolis, in the homes of friends, urban Atlanta, or cuddling with family members; I find that I am the one who has need. 

I need Jesus daily. 

I need Jesus hourly. 

And yet I have never been more confident in his beautiful grace, his buoyant favor, and his adoration. 

I need Truth to speak the word of life, not my own understanding. 

I need clarity when ideas are swirling and whirling. 

I need the lies to minimize and my savior to rise up.

And yet I am reminded by my faithful Father that invites me to arise, walks with me, and urges me from the path behind (Isaiah 60:1, Amos 3:3, Isaiah 30:15-21).

I need an honest answer from myself when I cry out, prostrate on the floor: "What are you fighting for, Kristine?"

I need healing and encouragement and to feel lovely. 

I need to know that the risks life & obedience demand of me are worth it. 

I need to know that prayers are heard. 

And yet I am so so aware of the One who is Faithful and True (Revelation 19:11). I am so so confident in the Creator and the Sovereign Lord for 'beautiful muchness' that flows from His throne (John 1:16).

I have never once wished I hadn't risked sharing love onto a little one. I have never once wished I had sought my Friend less often, found Jesus later, or embraced less of Christ. He has always been worth it. Always. His are the words that give eternal Life. Christ can be known. I'd like to live more and more of my minutes letting him know me. 

John 6:68-69 (NASB)

^"Simon Peter answered Him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have words of eternal life. We have believed and have come to know that You are the Holy One of God.”

Of Shepherds & Advent

Luke 2:8-11 (ESV)

The Shepherds and the Angels

^"And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord."

Shepherds had a difficult job - their jobs and their livelihood depend on their attentiveness to the animals under their care. Without a shepherd, the herds would have wandered away from safety.

This tender mercy and intentional care even surpassed typical "work" hours and into the night. While exhausting, each shepherd is to take into account the greater good of the herds, the families, and the community.

What are you watching over? 

A vision? A bank account? A child? A ministry? A family? A career?

Are you keeping attentive and intentional?

As Christ Followers, I believe that each of us has a specific part (great or small) to play as a shepherd, a care-taker, with our own specific role within our community.

This Advent season, I am taking notes from the shepherds - remaining still enough to pour into my environment right where I am; and intentional enough to hear, receive, and move when the Angels sing and my Abba Father speaks. 

Jeremiah 3:15

“‘And I will give you shepherds after my own heart, who will feed you with knowledge and understanding.

Ezekiel 34:7

“Therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the Lord:"

small beginnings

Zechariah 4:10

“Do not despise these small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin”

God has no beginning and no end. His redemptive plan was set in motion long before Christ was born, but Christ’s earthly dwelling began a new phase of Heaven on earth: Life-Light illuminated a longing world.

The Life-Light

^1-2 The Word was first,
the Word present to God,
    God present to the Word.
The Word was God,
    in readiness for God from day one.

^3-5 Everything was created through him;
    nothing—not one thing!—
    came into being without him.
What came into existence was Life,
    and the Life was Light to live by.
The Life-Light blazed out of the darkness;
    the darkness couldn’t put it out.

^6-8 There once was a man, his name John, sent by God to point out the way to the Life-Light. He came to show everyone where to look, who to believe in. John was not himself the Light; he was there to show the way to the Light.

^9-13 The Life-Light was the real thing:
    Every person entering Life
    he brings into Light.
He was in the world,
    the world was there through him,
    and yet the world didn’t even notice.
He came to his own people,
    but they didn’t want him.
But whoever did want him,
    who believed he was who he claimed
    and would do what he said,
He made to be their true selves,
    their child-of-God selves.
These are the God-begotten,
    not blood-begotten,
    not flesh-begotten,
    not sex-begotten.

¹⁴ The Word became flesh and blood,
    and moved into the neighborhood.
We saw the glory with our own eyes,
    the one-of-a-kind glory,
    like Father, like Son,
Generous inside and out,
    true from start to finish.

¹⁵ John pointed him out and called, “This is the One! The One I told you was coming after me but in fact was ahead of me. He has always been ahead of me, has always had the first word.”

^16-18 We all live off his generous bounty,
        gift after gift after gift.
    We got the basics from Moses,
        and then this exuberant giving and receiving,
    This endless knowing and understanding—
        all this came through Jesus, the Messiah.
    No one has ever seen God,
        not so much as a glimpse.
    This one-of-a-kind God-Expression,
        who exists at the very heart of the Father,
        has made him plain as day.

John 1:1-18

With sincerity I can share of what I know: He is good, He is True, He is best, He is “at just the right time,” He is Mine. I hope beyond hope that He is Yours.

Job 33:3-4 (ESV)

^“My words declare the uprightness of my heart, and what my lips know they speak sincerely.  The Spirit of God has made me, and the breath of the Almighty gives me life.”

advent kingdom

“Our Father, who are in heaven, Hallowed by thy name –

Thy Kingdom Come” (Matthew 6:9-10)

The Kingdom of Heaven came down in the Son of Man.

The Kingdom of heaven –

            The perfection

            The perspective

            The Holy Holy Holy (Revelation 4:8)

            The Throne (Hebrews 1:8, Revelation 4:2)

            The Fire & the Water (Revelation 22:17)

            The Glory

            The Truth -

was encompassed in the fragility of a young child.

Isaiah 7:14

“Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.”

You and I cry out for the coming of the Lord, maybe even moreso now than ever, with the hope that He really will fulfill and satisfy us. Oh, Heaven Come! We are filled with expectancy for the future (John 14:3, Habakkuk 3:2), but remain here as we wait for that day.

As I look back on the past few years, I have noticed that I am consistently consumed with emotion as I participate in church during the months of December and October. I can’t explain that one to you – at all – but I can share that this year during Advent (“to come, to reach”) I am groaning with pure confidence and unadulterated searching for more of the Kingdom. I KNOW much of our God’s journey within me, and the adventure He’s included me on. I can speak sincerely of that (Job 33:3-4). I also know how truly I desire for His Kingdom in this world, in my heart, in my life. Oh, that He would press in to blot more and more of the lingering soulical mish-mash out, so that more Kingdom can be expressed in me and through me. What once was is just not enough anymore.

Heaven came down – as Light, as Hope, as Prince of Peace, as Immanuel, as Son of God, as The Way, as Friend, & as King.

The gigantic portion of heaven fit into the heartbeat of a baby. The cosmic perspective of eternity sat within the cadence of a toddler. The truest form of perfection was a man, a son. Heaven came down.

God was so so full, he willingly chose to separate part of himself from Himself and commission Heaven to live on earth in our Immanuel; that is supernatural! No logic can explain it, nothing natural can contain this truth.

And If I believe that the Word is True, Good, and of God, then I cannot live in denial or coax my way in comfort. My life must be an honest & vulnerable outpouring of the message of God – my life must be, in wholeness, a mirror of His Character that He might be revealed.

2 Corinthians 3:3

“And you show that you are a letter from Christ delivered by us, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.”

Heaven came down and the Counselor remains in us, that we might be the Kingdom here on earth (John 13:34-35) to one another. This advent I am embracing a personal theme of 2012, “favor and freedom,” and I am leaning into 'sincere faith' that my Savior came for me.

John 3:16-17

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.”