the mission

so, today was a good day. work was incredibly slow and unproductive, but i didnt have as horrible an attitude while it was slow and unproductive so that was good. but really what was good about today was that during the day, i got to go down to the nashville rescue mission. i had a meeting set up with cliff tredway (sp?) and he gave me the whole tour and explanation of everything that goes on at the mission. it was really neat just hearing about what's going on there.. and i think cliff said it best when he said 'if jesus were to drop back by the earth, i think he'd be more likely to come to the mission than any church around here'. God is at work at the mission and it draws me there. i can't wait to get involved, doing whatever i can do to help, bring a smile, and maybe some homemade cookies to some men and women who could use a smile! as i was driving home i was just thinking about a few things and well, since i dont really have anyone to share the thoughts with, i'm just going to put them out here and well, if anyone actually reads them then cool, and if not, that's nothing out of the ordinary.

thought 1:
some people have a deep ache inside because they desperately need God's love. other people have a deep ache inside because they desperately need to share God's love. i realized that there are times where i feel down and frustrated and lonely in a sense, but it's not because i'm not loved - it's because i'm filled to the brim and have a lot of love to offer others!

thought 2:
there are not many times in life that i feel beautiful. i dont look in the mirror and see a pretty girl, or think that i look nice when i dress up (i do severely lack any fashion sense). but recently, there have been a few times where i've been interacting with people and i just get this sense that they like me and in some way are drawn to me... but what's been cool is that it hasnt been a sense of them likely me because of me, but it's only because of Jesus in me! and that thought... oh man... it makes my heart flutter. to think that anyone just might be drawn to me because it's Jesus - i feel beautiful. there's no other way to put it, but it just makes me feel BEAUTIFUL!!! and i thought, dang, there is nothing better - no guy telling me he thinks i'm pretty could ever be better than someone being loved and encouraged by Jesus in me. wow...

thought 3:
as i was driving back to work from the mission, i was just thinking about the men that i had seen, and i just kept thinking hope and what i could do to be a part there, what could i bring. and i thought, i know it's silly, but i LOVE to make cookies. i love to make cookies for other people. and so i just started wondering if there was a way that i could make cookies for the guys that are in the program at the mission. people just seem to feel special when someone brings them homemade cookies - with them in mind! so i'd like to look into that! and the other thing i just kept thinking was organizing some sort of talent show with the guys in the program.. but i just got a vision of it in my mind... there was a song on the radio by audio adrenaline (called "starting over") and it has this line that says "look at your face, it doesn't shine the way it used to".. and when i first hear that, i immediately think of the joy being missing from someone's face - that they dont have the joyous glow that they used to. but as i was driving today - i pictured just the opposite. for these guys that are going through the program at the mission, who are really pushing and trying to get back on their feet - i see their faces shining in a new way - now WITH joy, not like they used to - without hope. it's just a picture that i love. it makes me so excited to get involved.

so... i guess those were all my thoughts. it's been nice thinking about them again. thanks for letting me share them.

"In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory." ~Ephesians 1:13-14

for the praise of His glory,
rau