Tuesday, December 13, 2011

Loving the Least of These

We are so excited to have Amy Savage guest blog today! Her blog is called Loving the Least of These. Taken from Matthew 25:40 "The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.' Her blog is amazing and speaks Awake and Alive's heart so perfectly.
I(Jolene) was reading one of her post the other night and I just had to ask her if I could share it with our Awake and Alive followers. This was her reply "My blog belongs to God so do what you like with any of it. God has and continues to break me. Just praying He shines out of the brokenness. I'm happy to help Awake an Alive however I can." ...Really...?!?! I thought it was such a beautiful response! What a precious woman!
Thank you Amy! We are bless to have your love and support!
So here is Amy's post that just moved me...I think you all might be moved too!

In The Dirt

Want to know what I love about God? He's completely unpredictable. He does things that are completely upside down and unexpected. While the world looked to the sky waiting for the Messiah to come down with great procession and riches, Love came down in poverty - vulnerable, weak and helpless.

Not only was the way He entered the world completely unexpected, but so was the city He chose. Scripture says "Nazareth...can ANYTHING good come from there?" I've often heard people refer to certain cities here in the U.S. as "the armpit of America". That's what Nazareth was...the armpit of the world. So, of COURSE, that's where God chose to send His son. Everything about how the Savior entered our world was revolutionary. It didn't add up. It made no sense.

But you know what's really crazy? He chose to STAY. He spent 30 years in the city of Nazareth. Out of a place where there was nothing redemptive, came redemption Himself. He stuck around the hell hole of Nazareth...He stayed with people in their brokenness, filth and pain. He could have left. He could have. I'd never really thought about that before last night. From day 1 on earth, God chose to BE WITH the marginalized, the least and the poor. And not for just a moment, but for thirty years. This is no fluke. Jesus wanted to relate to us in our brokenness. He didn't go live in a palace...that's not real life. He went to the sick, the cast offs, the poor, the lonely. He sat with them. He played with them as a child. He laughed with them. He cried with them. He LOVED them. He REDEEMED them. He entered their pain. He went to them. He became lowly. The God who placed the stars in the sky came so low. And He stayed low. He stayed in the dirt.


We must find the places of pain and heartbreak and live there because that's where Jesus is. It doesn't mean we live depressed...God came to give us HOPE. He came to call us out of our darkness and to live in the hope He offers. But until we get acquainted with the grit, the grief and the sorrow of our world, just as Jesus did, we will miss Him. WE WILL MISS HIM. And I don't want to miss Him. The thought of missing out on the fullness of who God is because I'm not WILLING to enter into the sadness of this world makes my heart hurt. I want to be found willing. O God, may I be found willing.

We see Jesus being in close proximity with the marginalized. We see Him touching lepers. Before I went to Korah (a leper colony in Ethiopia) the number one question I got asked was how I was going to protect myself and keep from getting leprosy. May God deliver us from our mentality of being concerned for ourselves first. If Jesus touched the lepers, why aren't we? If Jesus sought out the lonely, why aren't we? If Jesus was moved to tears by His compassion for His people, why aren't we? WHY AREN'T WE???

God chooses to reveal Himself through us to others. Immanuel...God WITH us. God IN us. The nearness of God comes through the proximity of His people. So, where are we?? Comfortably closed in our four walls? If God's love is seen as we go, then I'd better find myself going. I'd better be found engaging in people's messy lives. Why wouldn't I if that's where Jesus is??

God came for me. He came so low for me. Will I choose to go low? Who do I think I am that I shouldn't go low too? God stooped so low to pick me up. Do I realize that my soul will be satisfied more richly and fully when I choose the road of the broken? If I am running away from the low places, I am running the wrong direction. God is not found where we think He would be. The incarnation proved that. He is found on the narrow path of the lowly. He is found in their eyes, their tears, their smiles. This is the God I've found...the God of the lowly. And He's more beautiful than I possibly thought.

May we be found willing...


If you liked what you read you can hop on over to her blog CLICK HERE and follow her...
I know I am going to!


Friday, December 9, 2011

What outlandish, scary dream has God put on your heart?

Today I just pulled Danielle's post off of her personal blog. We are both reading








Here is Danielle to tell ya a little bit on how she got turned on to this amazing book.




Many of my Taylor girlfriends on our last trip together were reading the book Jesus Calling by Sarah Young. Since then, I have also started and found it so simple yet so powerful in my own life. Today's spoke so to me that I wanted to share it with those of you who don't have it yourselves:


Be willing to go out on a limb with Me. If that is where I am leading you, it is the safest place to be. Your desire to live a risk-free life is a form of unbelief. Your longing to live close to Me is at odds with your attempts to minimize risk. You are approaching a crossroads in your journey. In order to follow Me wholeheartedly, you must relinquish your tendency to play it safe.Let Me lead you step by step through this day. If your primary focus is on Me, you can walk along perilous paths without being afraid. Eventually, you will learn to relax and enjoy the adventure of our journey together. As long as you stay close to Me, My sovereign Presence protects you wherever you go.


. What outlandish, scary dream has God put on your heart?
Seek Him, and then...GO FOR IT!!!

If this book interest you you can Click here.


Enter the promo code awakeandalive


Awake and Alive will get a perecntage of the profits and your purchase will help vulnerable children in the slum of Kechene Ethiopia have a hope for a future through education.

Tuesday, December 6, 2011

T-shirt winner!


Are you are winner! Watch to find out!
Email info@awakeandalive.org and let us know what shirt and size you want!!
Congratulations!!

Thursday, December 1, 2011

T-Shirt Give Away!!!

We are GIVING away one of our new t-shirts!
If you win you can have ANY ONE YOU WANT!







There are more shirt options on our side bar.

We are keeping it simple,
We know it is holiday time and EVERYONE is busy!
In give aways past I would give about 10 different ways to get entered.
Not today.

2 mandatory entries:

1.) Follow our blog.
{Leave us a comment that you did}

2.) Share our blog link about the give away on FB.
{Leave us a comment that you did}

The contest will end Monday, December 5th 2011 @ 11:59 pm
We will announce our winner on Tuesday the 6th!