Road Trip — Prison

One of the reasons I chose to drive to California was to visit a friend in Prison. It turns out that she moved to a different prison, right before I left on my trip, to a prison about 20 minutes from Orange, where I was going…. I am still glad I drove, however, it was fully worth it!!

I met Dani through the prison ministry at my church in Orange. We have been corresponding for about a year and a half. She is about my age and has been in prison most of her life. She was born into a family that didn’t care much for her… she was a prime case for the life she ended up living. However, to speak to her about it today, she’ll tell you that she is thankful for prison because she met Jesus there!! Now, God gives her opportunities every day to share His love with others while she is there.

This was the first time I would visit Dani alone and I wondered if we would have enough to talk about. Well, we greeted (after a long, drawn-out actual entry into the prison, but that’s another story!!) and we didn’t stop talking for a full 2 hours, when visiting hours were over. God has shown me more of Himself through my relationship with Dani. She tells me stories of things I never knew, and then tells me things God is doing that I’ve only read about in the Bible. I remember the first time I went to visit her, I came away actually longing to go to prison so I could know Jesus like that!!! I am actually quite thankful that God hasn’t answered that longing…. but it was impressive to see her faith.

I have read about people in jail, but it brings it all to a head when you actually cross the lines and go in. Before I met Dani, I had only been in one prison in my life and that was when I lived in Honduras. We had a team come down and they wanted to visit a men’s prison and I was in charge of outreach, so I found myself leading a group of about 10 men from the states into a men’s prison in Central America…. all 5′4” and 120lbs of me!!! I have to confess, I wasn’t afraid at all!! Part of that is my personality, but part of it was that I was surrounded by all these men protecting me from all those men!! It was great.

When we actually got in, in retrospect, I should have been scared to death… but it was actually an amazing experience. All these hard-core men were in this open courtyard and they actually had a service with a guy leading worship (basically a guy standing there with a guitar) and these guys were prais’n the Lord… I really didn’t want to leave!!!

Then, years later, I met Dani. Prison is an experience that tosses about your mind-set. I remember thinking…. These are just women…. women, just like me…. who are here for what-ever reason, but they are just women. I couldn’t get that out of my head. Only by the grace of God am I not there. I have the same woman-ness as they do. I bleed the same blood, I cry the same tears, yet they are paying for their sins in a way that I am not. The whole concept will make you think.

Dani is a shining star and I love her. God has done a work in her heart that you only read about. I am thankful that I know her. God bless the last ones, the ones we don’t think about very often. God bless the journey and the recovery. God bless the broken-ness in all of us.

God, open our eyes to see our similarities, instead of our differences.

There are Still a Few Out There

I have to share something that blew me away yesterday. I was reading this morning in The Message in Romans 15. The following passage made me think again about how thankful I am for yesterday’s happenings:

…Strength is for service, not status. Each one of us needs to look after the good of the people around us, asking ourselves, “How can I help?”. That’s exactly what Jesus did. He didn’t make it easy for himself by avoiding people’s troubles, but waded right in and helped out….

I lost my wallet yesterday. I looked for it everywhere…. I was so sick about it in the hour that I realized it was gone, I was nauseous, literally. I just couldn’t believe I left it somewhere and I couldn’t even think about what a mess it would be to remember everything that was in there and make all the calls… etc etc… It made me sick. I began to pray and then I went through a time of remembering where I had been the night before.

It came down to Albertsons. I literally had no confidence that it would be there when I drove over to see… People just don’t turn in lost wallets these days, was all I could think!!!

Well, to my utter shock…. someone had turned it in…. fully intact, nothing gone. Not even the Jamba Juice gift card or the $5 in cash… It was all there. I cried in Albertsons, my tears made the lady cry too…. I was just so amazed that someone would turn it in!

Then I read this passage of scripture this morning, and I realized that whoever turned it in was doing what the Word said… they were using their strength for service, and looking out for the good of those around them.

I cannot thank that person enough!! I wish I could thank them in person. I am just so thankful for their act of faith and strength to do the right thing!

It gave me a glimpse of heaven, when we will all do the right thing!!

This was obviously a small thing in the huge scheme of things…. I know. But for me, in that moment… it was huge for someone to just do the right thing. I am really thankful!!

Nooma, Rob Bell

Okay, so I am a bit late to the Noomas…. but I just watched my first two, today. I watched, Flame. My favorite part is that he does the visual so well. I am a visual, experiencial learner and I appreciate the image. One thing that stuck out to me as I watched Flame, was the journey he took…. driving, talking, stopping, getting into the trunk, carrying, walking, talking, stopping, exploring, talking, pouring, talking, lighting and admiring the end result. He spoke of love and his journey reminded me of love as well. It was good.

The next one I watched was Rain, it speaks of the storm and how God loves us so much that he carries us through the times we wish we never had to go through. Again, the visual drove the point home.

Good stuff. Thanks, Erin, for the bag of Noomas.

Road Trip — The Energizer Bunny

My Grandpa is 98 years old. They call him the Energizer Bunny at the bowling alley. He is on a bowling league that meets and plays every Thursday. I got to see him on my road trip and I got to his house on Friday, so I heard all about his bowling game the day before. My parents were able to go with him and I think he was showing off. He bowled three games and got a 584 total score!!! They have his picture hanging in the bowling alley and everything. He has been in the local newspaper for the past five years!!!There are many things that fascinate me about my Grandpa… He and my step-grandmother still live in their own house and she is 90. He does all the cleaning because she has bad arthritis. He has a carpentry shop out in his backyard that he still uses to make things for people. He doesn’t take any prescription medicine. He takes a vitamin and an aspirin each day. He used to golf once a week also, but his buddies are all ailing and only in their 70’s. He still drives!! He had to take the written test this past year and he studied for weeks!! He took it twice and they gave him his license!! He was bummed that he has to go back to renew it in two years, instead of 5 years!!!! He talked about that for days!When people ask my Grandpa what his secret is… He tells them that he doesn’t worry about things, and he stays busy. I have seen this to be true in his life. He doesn’t sweat the small stuff and he genuinely likes people. He is always doing something to keep active whether it is working in his shop, trimming his grapefruit tree, garage sale-ing, fixing something for a neighbor… etc. etc…

He truly amazes me. I wonder how long he will be with us?? He has lived from traveling in a covered wagon with his family as a boy…. to the internet… can you imagine?? His dad lived to be 100.

I love my Grandpa, and I will miss him when he’s gone!!!  

Road Trip — Safely Home, but More to Share

I just got home today from my trip. Somewhere along the way, I was unable to get internet access, so I stopped the blogging trail of the trip. However, there are a handful of things I’d love to share from my trip, that stood out to me. I will do so in the next few days. For now, I’m thankful to be home safely! The trip was a whirlwind! I love a good adventure and it was certainly full, and definitely worth it!!

The crazy part is that I drove home in two days. My first day I left Orange County at 5:30am and arrived in Medford, Oregon around 6pm…. Slept a bit and left from Medford the next day (today) at 7am, arriving in Seattle around 3:30pm….

I’m a bit wiped out, to say the least.

More tomorrow…