Today I began a short Bible Study series on RightNow Media by Jen Hatmaker.  It is called Pulling the Thread.  As part of the study, I read the verse "To whom much is given, much is expected..."
For the first time EVER I realized it isn't just about money and physical, tangible resources...to whom much love is given...much love will be expected....even when someone doesn't seem lovable...much love will be expected...to whom much wisdom is given....much wisdom will be needed....demanded....to whom much patience is given...God will provide plenty of opportunities to practice it.

 I am praying that God uses the gifts and talents and resources He has given us...that He uses us up to the last drop.  It is tiring when God expects us to give back the talents and passions He gave us....but I want to live my life knowing that I have not withheld the gifts He gave me....that I have not withheld love or patience from any single person.  I know I will fail miserably at this most days....But, I am praying this for all of it....That God will provide us with opportunities to use what we have an excess of...that He will want us to pour out our gifts and resources on others.  I pray that we will pour all that we have out on His children without fear....fear of failure, fear of condemnation, fear of broken relationships....fear of the unknown.  YOU HAVE GIVEN US EXCESS LORD-HELP US USE IT FOR YOUR GLORY!!!!

This last week, at our home church in Alabama, there was a Casting Crowns concert.  My Facebook feed was dotted with posts from the concert.  Many of them included a particular song..."Thrive".  I realized that I had been listening to it a lot too....but Saturday I decided to really listen to it-Not just sing words out in to the air....but to let the lyrics penetrate my heart.   And they did just that.
 Every Sunday at ten, we have a special prayer time before the service.  We take prayer requests, we pray for our church, we pray for each other and we just stand together and hand it all over to God and say-Here God.  We want you to have these.  We would rather put all these requests and hopes and fears in your hands than any where else.  It never fails, every Sunday, I rush over and struggle to get my head and heart in the right place.....and then God moves in.  He ALWAYS meets me where I am.  But, every Sunday, with heads bowed...in a dark and quiet church....holding hands with my Moldovan family....I feel Him in the most tangible way....when I am calling out to Him to pour His spirit out on our church....He does just that....He pours it out....and I FEEL IT!  When I cry out to Him in authenticity right where I am....He is there.  He knows when my heart and my spirit are genuinely seeking Him.  Friends, I wish I could bottle up that feeling and ship it to you...I would send it along with a postcard from Moldova....and you would open it up and be flooded with His love and you would want to stay in that moment forever.  Ahh....when you are truly aware of His love being poured out on you...it is good stuff.  It pushes me beyond just living..just surviving.
  This Sunday I was responsible for leading our service (just MCing).  I had spent the previous day listening to Thrive and I couldn't shake it and felt like I needed to share it with our church....a church full of young people longing to know Him more.  I decided I MUST share the lyrics to the song.  Here they are in English (And Romanian):