For those of us with much biblical awareness we recognize that just about everything is upside down in Jesus' Kingdom perspective. The first shall be last, and the last shall be first. The wisdom of God is foolishness in the world. The least is the greatest. The poor are blessed and the rich are brought down.
God took me down one of those roads last week as I have been working on fundraising for Haiti. I was scheduled to speak at a Mother/Daughter banquet at my aunt's church. It is a little Presbyterian church in the little town of Cambria, about 400 people. I wondered what God might be up to in this little, off the beaten path village.
I had traveled home from Holland, MI earlier that day, which is about a six hour trip. I showered, changed, gathered up my projection and computer equipment, plus brochures, jewelry I was selling, etc. and dashed off to Cambria, a 2 hour trip west, picking up my mom on the way.
I was weary, and thinking, "What good can come from Cambria?" much like Nathanael asked when told by Philip, "We have found the one that Moses wrote about in the law, the one the prophets foretold, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph!" Nazareth, that little podunk village? You are talking about the Messiah here! God wouldn't let the Messiah come from that scrappy little village, that nowhere. Everyone needs to know that he is here...a little fanfare would help. Nazareth, ha.
I know better, but sometimes I get sucked into thinking I need to find people with lots of money, discretionary funds that they would be willing to invest in Haiti. And there may be those people out there, but in my wiser moments I also realize it is usually the humble, the "nobodies from nowhere" that have hearts open to God's spirit of generosity.
And so wearily I arrived in Nazareth...I mean Cambria, and met with about 35 wonderful sisters in Christ. We shared a meal, a potluck, with tables overflowing, and I shared my story of what God is doing through Help the Youth and Beautiful Response in Haiti. Humble, compassionate, generous hearts were opened and the people of Haiti were blessed. Three students will be able to go to school next year because people who have never met them care, people who had never met me before that evening opened their hearts and pocket books.
Once again I learned my lessons in the upside-downness of the Gospel. My heart was warmed and I hope and pray that they will welcome me again. Cambria is a good place for Jesus to show up and blessings to flow.
God took me down one of those roads last week as I have been working on fundraising for Haiti. I was scheduled to speak at a Mother/Daughter banquet at my aunt's church. It is a little Presbyterian church in the little town of Cambria, about 400 people. I wondered what God might be up to in this little, off the beaten path village.
I had traveled home from Holland, MI earlier that day, which is about a six hour trip. I showered, changed, gathered up my projection and computer equipment, plus brochures, jewelry I was selling, etc. and dashed off to Cambria, a 2 hour trip west, picking up my mom on the way.
I was weary, and thinking, "What good can come from Cambria?" much like Nathanael asked when told by Philip, "We have found the one that Moses wrote about in the law, the one the prophets foretold, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph!" Nazareth, that little podunk village? You are talking about the Messiah here! God wouldn't let the Messiah come from that scrappy little village, that nowhere. Everyone needs to know that he is here...a little fanfare would help. Nazareth, ha.
I know better, but sometimes I get sucked into thinking I need to find people with lots of money, discretionary funds that they would be willing to invest in Haiti. And there may be those people out there, but in my wiser moments I also realize it is usually the humble, the "nobodies from nowhere" that have hearts open to God's spirit of generosity.
And so wearily I arrived in Nazareth...I mean Cambria, and met with about 35 wonderful sisters in Christ. We shared a meal, a potluck, with tables overflowing, and I shared my story of what God is doing through Help the Youth and Beautiful Response in Haiti. Humble, compassionate, generous hearts were opened and the people of Haiti were blessed. Three students will be able to go to school next year because people who have never met them care, people who had never met me before that evening opened their hearts and pocket books.
Once again I learned my lessons in the upside-downness of the Gospel. My heart was warmed and I hope and pray that they will welcome me again. Cambria is a good place for Jesus to show up and blessings to flow.
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