New Path Lies Ahead. . .

It'd been two years since I stepped out of occupational ministry, and while I worked at our local Home Depot and served as a vocational ministry I still felt that God would lead me into occupational ministry once again but I could never expect that it would be as wonderful a place as InterVarsity. As of December 1st, I'm now officially the National Director for Church Engagement with InterVarsity. 

As missionaries we raise partnership support in order to fund our roles and projects and while I still have 40% left to raise to be fully-funded, I am now able to actively fill my role. I'm incredibly grateful and excited to step onto this new terrain - some of which is contained in this short 4min video -  as well as a quick Christmas Greeting from the entire Whetstone5!  

During this process, I've been reminded that I've not yet arrived and am still becoming - like my entire family and I assume, all of us. As I write on Christmas Eve, I'm faced with how wonderfully beautiful and incredibly challenging this season can be for many of us, and how I'm sure it's been exceptionally so in 2020.

Traditionally the season of Advent -which we just traversed as Christians- is characterized by a posture of readiness in anticipation, centered on waiting. Once again I've been challenged in this season. I've prayed daily that Christians - including myself- would allow our lives to be reexamined and realigned after Jesus's way of living - the way of Hope, Love, Joy, and Peace. 

While I see much division, polarity, and disunity in our world and amongst Christians, I still have faith that in Christ, there is commUNITY. Yet, believing God is good all the time can be difficult. This has been a struggle throughout my life, but especially after having lost two major career jobs and loved ones to diseases like cancer and COVID. 

However, I grip tenaciously in faith and trust that God so loved the world and cared so deeply that God advented (came) among us, as one of us, to "flesh" out His love story. 

The world around us is not much different than when Jesus arrived on the scene. Jesus was born during the Roman empire which governed with brutality and terror. Jesus' family experienced genocide before becoming refugees during a time of classism and racism. Yet, God came because God is love and love gives of itself even when it may be rejected. 

Jesus faced rejection and still called people to love - love even enemies and to follow him and learn about a faithful, good, and loving Father God. Paul reminds us in his letters that God calls us all, even in the midst of our own dark world. The prophet Micah announced that God lifts people out of destruction and into hope. And out of God's deep grace and love, God still does. 

In Christ Jesus and through the Holy Spirit, God faithfully calls, strengthens, and empowers us to be a people who live the law of Love and share the gospel of Peace. 

I've been confronted that while I anticipate and hope for much in this season - like healing, less death, peace, unity, and more - there really is no true waiting without trusting. So I'm praying in anticipation - excitedly so this Christmas Eve - that the God who is always faithful to advent, would come redemptively and restoratively in us all, filling us with a Christ-centered trust and other-focused love. 

I believe we can trust God to transform us into a people who walk humbly and gracefully as ones who have beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks, because;

We are filled with a deep trust in the One who trusted us so much that He became us.

We are filled with a deep trust in the never-stopping, always-adventing, ever-expanding Love that is Emmanuel- God with us in our becoming and through all of our seasons and paths we traverse. 

We are filled with a deep trust that is Hope, Love, Joy, and Peace - who is Jesus withIN us!

We've seen a lot of paths in our mission and ministry from Kansas City to Italy and from San Diego to Singapore and from Alabama to Idaho. Looking back, we can't help but be grateful for a God who has been loving, faithful and good. We also can't help but be thankful to all those who have joined us through prayer, giving, and much love. 

Finally, I hope you'll continue to stick with us on this new path that lies ahead. 

Buon Natale / Feliz Navidad / Merry Christmas Everyone!