Right now my deepest fear is still that "life" will get the best of me...and I will become complacent or forgetful of all the things God has put on my heart.  Luckily, my husband is a man of consistency and integrity...when I am too busy or too tired...he sits us down and prays for us...and says...."why don't we read one of our books?"  (this refers to a whole collection that has come into our possession...we are still reading The Dream Giver)  Brian keeps reminding us of the things we have seen and heard and experienced.  He keeps praying for us...even when I forget...Last week, I was deep in the muck of real life...and complacency was creeping in on me...But God pulled me out of it...Last week at an Apples of Gold Reunion event...our topic was The bread of purpose.  The bread of purpose is not a Kathryn Jones original idea (you guys know I'm so not that smart)...the whole time our speaker was presenting...every part of it made me think of Moldova.   Let me see if I can recap some of it for you...and plug in how it relates to The Joneses and Moldova.  If you want more in depth information about the Bread of Purpose and Presence, check out this website.

1.  The bread of purpose is made of fine flour- Higher quality flour has endured more beating to become a finer quality.  High quality flour takes time and pain to prepare...much like our life purposes...Sometimes in order to pursue our true life's purpose, the one that God planned for us, we have to endure hardships and spend lots and lots of time on our knees.  Life purposes take time and effort to be fully cultivated.  Right now our life purpose seems very scary and strange...and we aren't quite sure what God wants us to do with it...or how he wants us to do it...He is still refining things in us...to prepare us for His purpose.  We don't know what that means...but we know that HE does...and we are just trusting.

2.  During the process of the baking the Bread of the presence, the bread was left unleavened...their was no air or impurities in it to "puff it up" or make it seem like something it is not.  God is working in our lives in a big way to reveal Himself to us...we are offering ourselves to be flour in His bakery...we are begging Him to keep us from being puffed up and think that anything we do is in our own hands...we are begging Him to make us the kind of people who only want His name to be praised...not our own...Let me tell you something...that's just hard!  I am struggling daily with this...especially in a new job...when someone compliments me...I think...Gosh, I am awesome...but I want to say to myself...Gosh HE'S awesome that He could get something smart out of a self-serving loony ole brain like mine!

3.  There were 12 loaves which represented the 12 tribes of Judah.  Isn't that cool?  There was enough bread for everyone....God has made a special purpose for every single person on earth.  No matter who they are, where they are, what they do, what they don't do...that's just cool...He has put a purpose...or a dream inside of all of us...and He wants us to follow and live that dream....we just get scared and lost sometimes.

4.  It was eaten in the holy place - I am quoting this one from the website...because I really like it

"There is a specific 'place' where you fulfill your purpose.  It may be among a group of people, in a certain country, or in a certain set of circumstances.  (It) is where you meet the Lord and where his presence is special for you.  Whatever it is for you...it is a holy place.  That is where you eat your purpose and where it nourishes you for more service".  Isn't that awesome?  It makes me think of a quote that I read in The Hole in Our Gospel.  The quote reads "The place where God calls you to is the place where your deep gladness and the world's deep hunger meet" (Frederick Buechner) Speechless.

5.  Your purpose is special  it is holy and set apart for you...No matter what it is.  God is sooo amazing that He made us all so unique and breathed in to each of us an inner longing or dream...a dream that is special to you...one that only you can fill...someone else could complete your dream....but not the way you can...when we open our hearts and lives up to His plan...He is faithful.