Finishings

Today I've been in the states for nearly a week. (In Chicago). It's hard to leave the people I have grown to love as family and to once again walk out of an environment that I've grown accustom to. If I didn't have my family to go to, I don't know what I'd do.
From the teaching in Africa God showed me "Hey, being a servant IS hard work."
I have always seemed to think that Mother Teresa was just so happy to be working with diseased, crazy, and sick people that she never had a hard day, but just tightened her belt and kept working.
God has also been teaching me about forgiveness. As I return home from Africa I am being re-introduced into our culture. The billboards, the television, and many other provocative things are everywhere. I had begun to hate myself for being so fallible. I was praying to God saying "How can you forgive such a hypocrite as me? God please take me from this earth that I won't continue to sin against you and so dishonor your name in myself!"
Though I felt like a complete scum bag, I felt drawn to keep putting my trust in the word of God. "I'll either be condemned or redeemed by what I read." I read about Solomon in 1Kings. Then I thought of King David murdering for Bathsheba. "God can forgive me." What did they do to be forgiven? They asked. A simple thing to do, but at times it is impossibly difficult.
Gisele took me to hang out with some of her friends. As I warmed up and began to talk I met Jesse and John. Both students of seminary and extremely deep in thought. We talked about many things but one thing that has caught me in particular is when Jesse talked about the book of James. The theme of the first chapter is Perseverance. Jesse said "If you view the other books of the new testament in the light of Perseverance then they will make a lot more sense."
You should persevere in asking forgiveness. Repentance in Greek is "Agreement". So repentance is agreeing with God that you are a sinner and agreeing that Jesus has cleansed you. God loves you and as John (mentioned above) would say, "Yeah man, it's not a one and done type of deal!" We HAVE to persevere in all things because (Romans 5:3b-5) we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.

Lastly I would like to say thank you to everyone who was willing to let me go out and be a tool for The Lord. Thank you to everyone who has been following me on this blog.
I pray that this may in some way influence you to step out in faith and show God's love to those who are right under your noses. Those who you may not know because the Ideal of serving others has over-stepped them in search of "The right" others.

Psalm 136 all
Please don't live your life on this earth for God because someone has said, "The bible says... and if you don't do that then your faith is dead." but read the word to fall in love with your creator. What better testament to love is there if you have lost the world but trust in The Lord even then to fill your cup.
Love produces actions that astound the world, THAT is what we should strive for as people. Not to fulfill some duty to the man up stairs but to lay down our lives (Everything) to the one who loves so much that his love became flesh.

God bless you. Amen.