Unfinished

I was doing the final inventory on our house in Kansas. I was checking my moving lists, reconfirming our hotels, and zipping up suitcases when I found this book laying on my suitcase. I didn't even have to wonder who the book was from. The Hall's love language is books. And the founder and chief of our love is our Dad. You want to win our hearts over? Books. Come into any of our homes and books are every.where. It's our inheritance.

 I read the titled and started crying. Here is the book cover synopsis, "Two thousand years ago Jesus gave an urgent assignment to his followers right before he left.  At its essence it was not just an invitation to believe: it was a bold call to action. It was a challenge to go into the world to reclaim, reform, and restore it for Christ. Simply stated, the message of this book is that God has invited each of us to join him in this world-changing mission. And if you are not personally participating in God's great endeavor, you could be missing the very thing he created you to do."

If you know anything about my Dad you should know that the man is so passionate about the gospel and taking it to the world. My Dad lights up when he starts talking about all the nations of the world being changed by Jesus. The hardest I have ever seen my Dad weep is when he spoke of abused girls being pulled out of sex slavery and redeemed by the gospel. Girls that were the same ages as his five granddaughters. Want to see Clint Hall, fired up? Ask the man how he is spending his days in "retirement" and he will not shy away from telling you. You cannot listen to his stories without believing that our personal work and the work as Christ's bride is still unfinished. You cannot listen to his stories and walk away unchanged. I hang up the phone with my Dad and I am ready to pack my bags and head for the Congo, or at least an OM Ship, or maybe just the dishes with a new passion. :)

There has been a reoccurring theme in my life the last two years and everywhere I turn the Lord is reconfirming the message. Whether it is has been through our experience at Woodland Ridge that marked our hearts forever, or women's bible studies, sermons, worship songs, personal study, intimate conversations between Mark and I, it keeps showing up on my heart. And I am all, "I get it God, I get it!"

The message?

"Seek out the broken. Find them. Run to them. Set aside all the selfishness and excess in your life (very much revealed to me in our study of  '7' by Jen Hatmaker) and by MY power cover yourself in the messiness of others. Sara, stop being comfortable stuck in the muck of the American dream."

News flash: we are not called to put all of our energy and resources into living out the American dream.

OOOOUUUUUUCCCCCCHHHHHH!!!

Oh, I wish I could dive into the 12 step plan God has given our family on how to do this. I wish I could have a whole blog series on how we are putting feet on that in our family. I cannot. Not yet :)

I can tell you some verses that our taking root in our hearts. Verses that are waking me up at night. Verses that are begging me to dig deeper in order to see how they are to play themselves out in our daily lives.

James 1: 26 & 27 ~ Anyone who sets himself up as "religious" by talking a good game is self-deceived. This kind of religion is hot air and only hot air. Real religion, the kind that passes muster before God the Father, is this: Reach out to the homeless and loveless in their plight, and guard against corruption from a godless world.

Psalm 68: 5 & 6 ~ A father of the fatherless and an advocate for the widows, God makes a home for the lonely; He leads out the prisoners into prosperity.

Mark 14:7 ~ You will always have the poor with you, and whenever you wish you can do good to them.

Isaiah 58: 6-9 Paraphrased by yours truly, "You thought fasting just required you to fast from food. You went through the motions, but your heart was a million miles from me. Instead, this is the fast I want you to do; loosen the bonds of wickedness, undo the bands of the yoke, let oppressed go free, take your food and feed those that are hungry. Bring homeless, broken, people into YOUR home, cover those who are naked, and do not keep being comfortable stuck in the muck of the American dream. Expose yourself, inquire after painful, heart wrenching circumstances. And THEN you will find Me, your God, your Father. You will know my glory."

Oh friends, I am the not same. We are not the same. Our hearts are yearning for what God has for us each day. We are unfinished in every way. It only takes looking into a mirror (or trying to get a family photo) that reveals the brokenness right under our roof.

We want Jesus. More of Him, less of us.

As every good Hall does, my Dad signed the book he gave us; "This book is a great reminder of what all of us are to be about doing wherever God sends us. You go to Mississippi with my blessing and "let your light shine for all the world to see!"

Unfinished,
~Sara