irreplaceable role in a great adventure

Significance. We all want this. To be significant to one, to a group of people, to the world. We want to make an impact, leave a legacy and for some of us we want to be used of God to do this. We desire adventure but often find and will continue to find that it comes in forms we did not expect or intend, especially when following Christ.

I've been thinking about the adventure of my life currently and although I still and will always have a thirst and intention to experience what I would traditionally term "adventure" (traveling to beautiful signts all over the world, experiencing & immersing myself in various cultures around the world, hiking, rafting, visiting ballparks & great cities, etc) I am begining to accept the adventure I am currently in and see the significance of it. It includes being a student of theology, sociology and scripture; letting this sink into my life, asking God to shape me as it does. This learning is coupled with profound experiences in human interaction with friends, family, church members, different churches and hurting people living in poverty. The adventure does not have a final answer as its' goal but rather a commitment to not give up on the adventure but see it through my life, sharing with all around me through my life and words how a church can truly BE the church and how hurting people all around them are WAITING for us to speak truth & hope into their hurting lives. I'm okay with this adventure and feel incredibly blessed to have stumbled upon in it out of grace and continue to stumble through it by grace. What adventure are you in?

My 5th grade teacher remains in my life now as a friend, mentor of sorts from my church back home and "partner in hope" as we have tried together to help our friend on parole stay out of trouble and on his feet. Now there have been times through the years that I thought to myself, "this lady talks about Jesus all the time, geeees," because Jesus is literally mentioned in every 1 of every 3 of her sentences but as I've gotten older and began to witness her life firsthand I realized what great faith she has. She is a wife, mother of two, grandmother of 10, retired teacher of 30? years, active church member and ministers to prisoners at the unit in town as well as the county jail. Not only does she go out to minister but she is faithful in corresponding with those she has visited at one point in time by letter and by phone. I don't know when she sleeps. You will not see her without a genuine smile on her face. I have met with one of the ex-offenders she led to Christ, infact I became good friends with him and his face lit up when he spoke of her. I couldn't believe that after 10 years of receiving Christ and visiting with her she was still writing him letters and he knew he could call her occasionally. She is what I term "the real deal." My friend was making it because this woman stayed faithfully in his corner, praying for him and being available as a sister in Christ. Who the hell am I to say she is saying "Jesus" way to much in her sentences??

Some of the men and women she ministers to in prison and the county jail, upon getting out then come with her to church. Our church has changed a lot but for the most part we are a middle to upper class congregation (for our small town) and predominantly but not all, white. Most friends she has brought with her are low-income and either AFrican-American or Hispanic. Several people have accepted Christ and have been baptized in our church over the years because of her and some have even joined the church.

Over the years I have heard comments from congregants including myself that know or have known some of the friends she has brought, for example, "oh they're just going to go back to their old habits." "I'm nervous about them being in our church." "Why are THEY going on the mission trip??" Or when one of her friends slipped back into an hold habit I've heard some say, "See, I told ya." Although I'm sure some of our congregants, especially her husband and others that minister alongside her also as well as our pastor have reached out to these friends of hers, for the most part she the only one doing it and continuing to follow-up even when her friends slipped back into addictions.

I ran into her this past weekend when home at a wedding shower. Immediately she engaged me new stories of God's faithfulness as well as concerns. We talked about our mutual friend not doing so well and as she spoke to me I noticed she looked so tired. This woman's adventure is wearing her out. She is passionate as I am about seeing the church BE the church.........but the difference in her and I is that instead of learning and waiting for it to happen....she's doing it. She's bearing it all.......with reckless abandon and when she made comments like "God is good" or "God is faithful" I knew those statements were not cliche ways of ending a conversation but deep-rooted statements of faith from multiple experiences had on her kneeds begging God to come through for these hurting friends of hers, pleading with God to raise up Christians in the community that would rise up and accept them and then seeing God's merciful hand in action. She was speaking of a personal friend, she is constantly communication with and attesting to the goodness this friend has shown her.

Still, among this great testimony of the life of my 5th grade teacher, I know so many people don't truly "get" her. She is perhaps too zealous, too "Jesusy" and I used to think of her that way too, honestly. But now I see something I desire -- a life communed with God, sent out daily, a heart that is fierce with love for her husband, children, grandchildren and for all the hopeless of her community, a life that comes with great cost, a nurturer, a lover.......... she is a true disciple in the midst of her continuous advenure of following Christ at the age of 68.....playing an irreplaceable role.