Author: Alyssa Gluck (Page 3 of 4)

To all of our new or faithful readers,

Welcome back!!!  

We knew we’d post less frequently over the summer. What we did not anticipate, until we were in the thick of it, was that we would need the entire summer to rest from storytelling. We launched this blog because we thrive on sharing the work God is doing in our midst. However, storytelling takes an emotional toll. Thank you for graciously allowing us a time of rest.

We look forward to entering this new season with you. What will God do? Let’s find out together.

It’s September: the end of summer spontaneity, the beginning of a new school year and new set of routines,  and the hope that apples and pumpkin spice are in our near future.

It has been a dismal few weeks in California- hasn’t it? The ground is dry – the land scorched by prolonged days of heat.

Temperatures have soared to triple digits. Green pastures have been morphed into dry, brown wastelands and the drought has everyone on high alert with regards to water usage. Our front yards are brown with crunchy grass. Folks are choosing to re-landscape with drought resistant materials or just resorting to painting their grass green! In the addition to the heat, our land has been sabotaged with wildfires. Dark brown clouds have filled the sky and the air reeks of smoke making it difficult to breathe. It’s a daily reminder of the devastation that is happening to our land and our people in areas nearby.

We have watched news reports on many who have lost their homes.  Firefighters and volunteers are putting their lives on the line. Newspapers tally the growing acreage of forests that are burning and growing exponentially every day.

There seemed to be no stopping the powerful force of darkness…

Lord, have mercy.

And then yesterday.. while many of us huddled inside with air conditioners on trying to avoid the heat and  smell of smoke, the dark billowing clouds suddenly released.

Tiny droplets of pure water danced on the windows. And for a moment…we gasped and stopped and marveled. Children ran outside and frolicked in the rain. People raised their heads to look up as the sky rained down small bits of hope. There was a collective momentary sigh of relief. This destruction would not last forever. A freshness was on it’s way.

It was as if all of nature responded, “this is not the end of the story…”

Don’t we need to remind ourselves of that truth?

In the same way so many of our hearts are suffering from drought. We are downcast, our souls feel dry, we are forgetting what peace ever felt like, and we are reeling with doubt.

Our hope is that REVEALINGTHESTORY  is a space that offers a little bit of refreshment to our sun-scorched souls. It’s here we encourage each other to REMEMBER.  We remind each other of the beautiful stories God has written through our individual lives.

Together we  battle lies with truth- We are not alone. This is NOT the end of our stories, THERE IS STILL HOPE.

So join us for another season. Read each other’s accounts of a God who comes near. Courageously share your story.

May the words you read here be like water to your soul.

My word for the year is provision. Maybe that was because  in January as I anticipated a year of potential challenges I needed to believe that God would provide. And each month I’ve had to look for it- with expectation. And friends, I’ve seen it.

We are just finishing some LONG  years in a ph.d program for my husband (any of you who understand the gravity of what this means- I welcome you for a support meeting later).  He has worked so hard and persevered. And so many times we thought we’d never make it. Upon the other side of this accomplishment, however came the realization that this meant a job change. Like Abraham we knew God was telling my husband to leave his current job (by faith) and follow Him without knowing where we were headed next.  “Walking by faith and not by sight.” This is not my favorite by the way- I’d much rather KNOW what the plan is and then create an exit strategy rather than  say goodbye and have to answer to a whole lot of “where are you going next?” questions without a concrete answer.

For 18 months my husband researched, applied and interviewed at universities around the country.   Our family also looked into various ministry opportunities overseas that aligned with our hearts.  One week I was literally trying to “picture”  potential opportunities which included: living in a country town in Tennessee, as teachers in a small village in Kenya,  as a professor’s wife on the beaches of San Diego, or helping start a new ministry in the jungles of Uruguay. Seriously?

We learned about being WILLING.  The process was good for us. Maybe God cared more about the posture of our hearts than the actual vocation and location we’d land in. We dreamt together again. We talked about our hopes and our desires, we invited our friends and mentors to speak into our lives and we prayed a lot. Our kids did too. Doors would open and then close. It was such a roller coaster. ( I apologize to those of you who we took on every bump and hill).

Time was winding down.

By May, the goodbyes and accolades had been given at my husband’s current job and we were looking at being unemployed  in a month later.  I began to get nervous. Did God forget us? Was he really going to provide? Didn’t he know we’d be out of a salary in a month and we have three kids to feed?  My prayers became a bit more urgent (and less faith-filled). A friend sent me this and it hit me between the eyes…

It felt like a  really LONG hallway lined with closed doors… But could I still praise Him?

I could praise Him for HIS UNFAILING CHARACTER even in uncertain circumstances.

And then the weirdest thing happened.   After applying everywhere, way late in the game, a professor job opened up at the very university my husband was working at.  Not just any job- THE JOB- the one he had applied for all over the country- the one he was preparing for in his years of late night doctoral studies-His dream faculty job, teaching undergraduate intercultural studies classes. And it was HERE- it’d mean we wouldn’t have to move- no leaving our church, schools, community that we so dearly loved. No one had seen this coming! My husband was contacted and asked to apply. The process was fast-tracked and a couple weeks ago he was offered the job.

I sit here trying to process all this I’m embarrassed at how I doubted before and how I began to believe that maybe this would be the ONE TIME God wasn’t going to provide. And yet in the ninth inning of the game- in OVERTIME- He did. He provided. A surprise.  Better than we could’ve expected. He made a way where there seemed to be no way. We are now on the other side and can breathe a sigh of relief. I write this to remind myself and you that God is a provider. For those of you in that hallway with doors that just seem to keep closing I wanna say- I know how you feel. I’ve so been there and I was messy in the hallway. But you, my friend – He knows you. He provides seed for the sparrows to eat every day. He clothes the lilies of the fields. You are certainly not forgotten. He will provide somehow, someway and it may not be as you expect. And soon you’ll have a God-story to share of His provision and we’ll celebrate with you.

I love happy endings. Don’t you? I intentionally pick books and movies that have them. Life is hard and when I want to escape,  I love stories that end with hope and resolution.

I realize this is not always realistic . We live in a broken world and sometimes there are circumstances, pain, and loss that are horrific, unexplainable, and leave us with more questions than answers.

One of the reasons I recently traveled across the world to Kenya was to visit my dear friends, Juli &  Allison. These friends have founded Living Room Ministries International (www.livingroominternational.org) : a home where no one has to die alone.  They provide dignity and quality of life to people in Kenya who are affected by HIV/AIDS and other life threatening illnesses. Their vision is to create a community of compassion that honors life and offers hope.

Let me just tell you: It is sacred ground. There’s no other place like it.

Come with me on a walk through the Living Room. You’ll never be the same.

Walking in to the breezy hallway you can immediately sense the peace and beauty of this place.  And then you remind yourself, this is a home for the dying. In a matter of moments you’ll be greeted by smiling faces of national caretakers who give their lives to serving people here.  Rachel is one of these angels. With a nursing and medical background she is the clinical director. It’s obvious she is highly educated, but what strikes you most is how she deeply values the individual patients (whom they refer to as “guests”).

You are guided through the hallways into the rooms of guests, many who have traveled miles and miles in hopes of quality hospice care.  It’s often their last hope. Here, no matter their physical condition, they are welcomed as guests, and known by name – so different from what you’d find in the cities where hospitals are filled with people , at least two to a bed, where the conditions are less than ideal. Their stories are listened to. They are individuals whom God loves and they are offered the best emotional, physical, and spiritual care free of cost.

I’m pretty sure if Jesus still lived on earth, this is where he’d hang out.

Walking out to the patio you see many guests lining the walls.  You walk up and shake their hands to greet them, because that’s the culture here. You’d meet Evangeline and Zipporah, women dying of cervical cancer. In hushed tones, you’d hear about their children and though they’re in the last stages of life they somehow smile as they speak. They’re mamas like us. There is a quiet tension in the air: the  reality of pain and death is eminent,  yet a strange peace also hangs in the silence.

You walk  from there down the ramp to  the gorgeous outdoor surroundings. Flowers, and trimmed bushes, and  green lush landscape, it reminds you of what the Garden of Eden may have looked like.  Patients are encouraged to be outside – to enjoy the sunshine- and so mats are laid upon the grass.  In the shade of the trees, they rest.

You meet Eddah, a mama who has suffered with an undiagnosed leg wound for years;  but here she is liveliest of the bunch.  She’ll challenge you to a game of Othello and you’d better watch out because she’s competitive and she’ll probably win!

Nearby, the childlike smile of Sharon captures your heart and though she’s the size of a 5 year old, you learn she is actually 12 -born with HIV and recovering from burns that disfigured her hand and face. Precious girl. She is here, getting stronger, and waiting for the day she can have reconstructive surgery.  You learn that while she’s been here at Kimbilio hospice, her mother passed away at home. She is now another of Africa’s millions of orphans. Jesus, have mercy.

You reach out to greet Violet, and her little bony hand rests in yours. To the eye, she is merely skin and bones one of the most malnourished sweet things you have ever seen.  And then you hear her heart -renching story:  at 17 years old, untreated diabetes  is eating away at her body.  You wonder if she’ll be one of Living Room’s “Lazarus” stories of being nursed from death back to life – you sure hope so.

And finally there’s Chepchumba whose face radiates with joy though her body is contorted with cerebral palsy. She’s been here at Living Room off and on for several years. In this caring environment she progressed all the way from a desperate state of malnourishment to being able to smile and laugh again.  She’s a teenager, whose body has been held captive to this disease. Her groans reveal that there’s so much she’d like to say.  

Up the hill, Living Room employees are carving wood preparing caskets.  The funeral home is awaiting the arrival of another family. You don’t want to, but you wonder…who will be next?

On this earth there aren’t always happy endings. Here, all are prayed for – some will die-being ushered into the presence of the King and some will be stories of victory where they are nursed back to life.  Is God good either way?

How do we respond to what we’ve seen here?

“Seeing suffering does not move me to act if I think of the person as “him”….but when I think of that person as part of “us”, part of “me,” then I am moved to bless.” (Soul Keeping, p. 160)

How then shall we love?

How then shall we live?

These are the questions we are left to wrestle with.

My spirit longs for the day when: “He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.” Revelation 21:4

 -Alyssa

(For more information visit, www.livingroominternational.org)

I remember first hearing the song “OCEANS”at church.

Your grace abounds in deepest waters

Your sovereign hand will be my guide

And there I find you in the mystery

In oceans deep my faith will stand

I will call upon your name. Keep my eyes above the waves.

When oceans rise, my soul will rest in your embrace.

For I am yours and you are mine.

Spirit lead me where my trust is without borders.

Let me walk upon the waters wherever you would call me.

I didn’t know then, that this would become my theme song!

 A week before leaving for Kenya, a friend texted me with the message, “are you watching the news?” Immediately my heart sank. I knew it could only mean bad news. With one click of my mouse I read the reports of young people, Kenyan university students who were being mercilously murdered…(especially those who proclaimed to be Christians). I fell to the floor and wept, partly at the horror of this evil and partly at the fear that this raised in me.

Of course, after 13 years of considering returning to Kenya, the week I’m supposed to fly there, there is a horrific terrorist attack. I had already been paralyzed with fear for so long. Now my fear of sickness was just intensified with a fear of violence and danger.  I prayed for God to make a way out.  But deep deep down I knew He didn’t want this to be the end of my story.  “Spirit lead me where my trust is without borders. Let me  walk upon the waters wherever you would call me.”

“PAIN has a way of clipping your wings and keeping us from being able to fly.” – The Shack.

I knew God wanted me to fly. He WANTS YOU TO FLY.

When oceans are rising and we’re really struggling with keeping our eyes above the waves – He is there, calling us.

In my captivity of fear, friends and family emailed, called, texted, and flooded me with encouragement and reminders of truth. God was in this, He was with me, the fear was not from Him.  There was a full on war in my mind.  I remembered hearing a speaker once say “the enemy comes to take courage out- DIS-COURAGE. Being faithful doesn’t mean the absence of fear….it means we have just a little more faith than fear.”

That’s all I had: just a tiny bit more faith than fear. Maybe that’s all you have too.

And so, on the faith of others, I got on that plane with my friend Jenn. I had printed out the verses that many had sent me and meditated on them for the duration of the flights and the line “your sovereign hand will be my guide” rang through my mind.

Landing in Nairobi, I could sense the tension and grief, and fear among the people as we passed through. I’m imagining it was similar to how New York may have felt the week after 9/11. Grief, disbelief, uncertainty, fear: what would happen next?

I was looking forward to getting to the village. I breathed a sigh of relief as we watched the tall buildings and streets lined with pedestrians be replaced by mud huts, and lush green acres of land, and open space.  I was going to a refuge.

Just when I was beginning to exhale, my missionary friend Juli explained that the statistics we read in the news were closer to home  than we thought. Though the attack was eight hours away, one of her neighbors, a young boy named Gideon was tragically one of the victims. He had been a sophomore. The first in his family to attend university. I can only imagine the sacrifices his family had made to send him and how hard he had worked to get there. Only the most diligent students have the opportunity to attend university. His life had been cut short and now the body was being transported back to our village, for his family to bury him on their compound. They were to arrive on Monday for the funeral. It took my breath away.

My own sin and selfishness grieved my heart. I was so worried about what could happen for me that I hardly grieved for the mamas, and sisters, and brothers who were grieving the REALITY of a loss of their loved one.

Part of the culture here is that as a visitor you have to be ready at any moment to give a speech, or testimony, or preach a sermon.  And so, when Juli’s husband asked me if I’d be willing to preach at their church that Sunday I shouldn’t have been surprised.  But my heart sank.  How could I preach in Gideon’s family’s church when this tragedy had just occurred? “What am I supposed to say? What in the world do I have to offer? Please, God make a way out.” And then I sensed  a phrase very clearly in my mind.

YOU KNOW WHAT IT IS TO FEAR.

Fear was plaguing the minds of many in Kenya, I had tasted that fear too.

And so, I called upon HIS name and asked the spirit of the great Comforter, the only truth, the one who knew what it was to watch his son be murdered, I asked by HIs grace, for Him to speak through me.  God allowed me to  look in the eyes of my brothers and sisters, and together we cried at the pain of this earth and reminded each other that God SEES us. He knows us. He is WITH us. And when fear creeps up and tries to control our minds, we have words of truth to combat the lies of the evil one.   I was reminded of one of our family’s favorite verses of promise: “Do not fear for I am with you, do not be dismayed for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” Isaiah 41:10. No matter the storms we face,  from this life to eternity we are offered LIFE WITH HIM.

I saw God give purpose to my brokenness. As He often does, he turned my fear and pain into an opportunity for ministry -to relate with others in His family. AND more than anything, spending time with those beautiful friends that day, we realized we a were more similar than different.  We were all clinging to Jesus.  He was there.

And “there I found him in the mystery. In oceans deep {because of HIM}, my faith will stand.”

10 years ago we moved to the area.  My husband and I had been here for just a few months and I was adjusting to all the “new.” We had left my community since childhood, our church, our jobs (I had been in my “sweet spot” teaching kindergarten), all of my family, and our friends to follow where we believed God was leading us.   The irony was that we had not been looking for change but upon learning that a new Christian university was coming to Northern California we were browsing the website and found a job description that described my husband to a “T” – it was all that Daniel loved wrapped up into one job. So he applied, and four months later we sold our house and left our community to move up north.

I KNEW God was in all of this….but I. DID. NOT. LIKE IT!  I like my plans, and this certainly was not on my radar. I did not want to move from our first home while the paint was literally still  drying. I grieved leaving my friends, and job. The idea of  moving away from my parents & siblings ripped my heart out. I knew God was asking me to BELIEVE Him and go….but I was not happy about it.

I crossed my arms, cried, and threw a two-year old tantrum all… the… way!!

JUST when we were getting our feet on the ground we found out we were pregnant with our first child. This was very exciting news for us, however I found myself in a place where I had MUCH to believe God for… I had hopes to be a stay-at-home mom and we needed God to miraculously provide in order to live on one income. I was sad to leave my teaching career and  needed help to embrace this calling of motherhood.  Daniel and I needed friends and community more than we ever had! Would God really provide for us?

Desperate for deep friendships, I joined a Bible study at a local church. It was a study on Beth Moore’s book, “Believing God” and we went through the book of Joshua.  That study had a profound impact on my life. I learned to pour out my heart to God, pray in faith, and ask Him to provide for my needs.  I asked God, “are you who say you are?”  and “will you do what you say you will do?”

And, friends, during that semester we saw God provide!!  There were random envelopes of money delivered on our doorstep for the exact amount we needed for an unpaid bill. He provided a way for me to work from home and teach piano lessons. Within a couple months I had a schedule full of students and our budget was met. We had a new baby and God provided other mommy friends quicker than I expected (He knew this extrovert would’ve NEVER made it without). And it all started with an honest question of belief….DID I BELIEVE GOD?

Fast forward ten years….

We are at another crossroads. My husband is finishing his ph.d and we are anticipating change. We are being asked to be OPEN to anything. Once again, I’m not real eager for change. We love our community, our home, our jobs, our church, my amazing in-laws are here, we have dear friends… But we are being stirred that there is MORE.

Old fears return,  what if God doesn’t provide, what if we have to move and experience isolation and loneliness? How will our kids survive huge changes in their young lives? What if we’re abandoned?

Do I BELIEVE GOD?

And ya’ll…that question seems to be everywhere. This weekend I’m attending the IF:Gathering . And…guess what the theme is….? BELIEVE.

Guess what book of the Bible we’re studying? JOSHUA.

It’s a full circle moment. God is returning me to a place we’ve been before. To a lesson we  learned together years ago.

Do I believe He is who He says He is (the provider, rescuer, king, shepherd). Do I believe He will do what He says He will do?

I’m ten years older and unfortunately not too much more mature. But I can look back on the past ten years and see how believing God was an invitation to watch Him provide all along the way.  My hope is this time…when He reveals where and how and what is next for our family…that I won’t be a two year old throwing a tantrum.  Maybe I’ll at least respond with the faith of an 8 year old!

My hope is that when I come to this FULL CIRCLE MOMENT of trusting Him again, I will  simply BELIEVE.

 ” ‘Jesus said, ‘Everything is possible for him who believes….’

  ‘I do believe, help me overcome my unbelief!’ ” Mark 9: 23

-Alyssa

We, at Revealing the Story want to wish you a happy new year! Oh, the joy we’ve had of sharing life together the past few months!

Kallie, Laura, and I have been SO encouraged by how we’ve watched God orchestrate this “Revealing the Story” thing that turned into so much more than a blog project.

We have seen you respond courageously. We have been moved by the stories of God’s faithfulness in  our lives. We have been inspired by how you’ve encouraged each other along the way. We love how God has birthed new relationships, and passions and ministries because people have been willing to share pieces of their lives.

We are so grateful to each of you, to those who have faithfully read and been moved by these accounts, to our guest writers (and friends), and to the Author of them all- may yours be all the glory.

–Alyssa

I’m reminded of how in scripture we see God multiply meager offerings into something amazing. The fishes and loaves, just a boy’s lunch…with Jesus it feeds 5,000. Or the drops of oil in the jar…with God it continued to flow and not run out. I feel like this project has been like that. We started with just 3 women wanting to obey, just a few stories of our own, and with God it has become something bigger than we could have foreseen. With God, it’s beyond us. It’s beautiful to see Him work. My faith has been so inspired by seeing His story unfold in the lives around me! In your stories that you all have shared, either in a guest post or with us personally, I see Him…and He amazes me all over again!

–Kallie

As I write posts, I’ve been surprised by the ease at which stories flow when I focus on God’s character as evidenced in the story and the roadblock from doubts that arise when I focus on ‘me’ in the story.

It has also been amazing to read some of your stories.

Each of us has stories to tell.  And it’s our heart to foster safe places for sharing these stories, through this blog and in our communities.

May you enter this new year with your head held high. You, dear one, have a story worth telling.

–Laura

As we’ve interacted with you we’ve heard two common statements:

1. “I don’t have a story to tell ”

2. “What’s the value of me sharing my brokenness with others? How would that benefit anyone else?”

First of all YOU DO have a story….and it’s uniquely yours. And someone will be blessed by hearing it. Big or small, messy or sweet, it doesn’t matter, proclaim that! That’s your voice that needs to be heard. That’s your chapter to tell!

Secondly, in studying scripture we’ve realized that MANY people who were healed by Jesus were told to go back to their families and communities to share.   God uses “story” to bless others.  Just one example: the woman at the well….She thought her life was going one way and then she encounters JESUS and everything changes. She immediately returns to the community that had once shunned her and she shares her story. AND MANY, many in the village were saved because she had courage to share. This blog is a place for us to declare those “at the well” moments where we’ve encountered God.

We’ve seen it over and over again…especially this year with you.

He takes our pain, our darkest nights of the soul. He meets us there and heals our broken hearts, and turns this crazy thing into our MINISTRY to others.

“He comforts us so that we in turn may comfort others with the comfort we have received.” 2 Cor. 1:3

So…we don’t know what’s on your list of New Year’s resolutions. But maybe, just maybe you’re sensing a tap on the shoulder to reflect on God’s story in your life and record it in written word. Or maybe share it aloud with a friend. Maybe it’s time to pray about how God might want to birth a new passion or ministry to bless others who are suffering in a similar way that you have. Maybe it’s time to ask God to reveal HIMSELF to you as the author of your story and give up the editing rights.

What does the  next chapter: 2015 hold? Only the Author knows, and we are excited to watch it all unfold.

At Revealing the Story we have some amazing stories coming your way from courageous guest authors. You will be blessed.

Revealing the story. His story written on our lives. To HIM be all the glory, and honor and praise.

Happy New Year!

Kallie, Laura & Alyssa

A few wrapped gifts sit under our tree.  The wrapping paper, the shiny bows, the ribbon and the tags – all leave the recipients excited about the possibilities inside the package.

We anticipate the THINGS we’ll open on Christmas day.

Sometimes though God’s greatest gifts at this time of year come to us in the form of PRESENCE, not PRESENTS.

The presence of a God who has come near and the presence of people who fill our hearts.

A few days ago, I received an email from my dear friend Allison in Kenya.

She shared that they received an unexpected gift earlier this week. Not a  gift wrapped up with a pretty bow, but a gift God sent in the form of a smiling girl hobbling to their doorstep on crutches.

They recognized her immediately – how could anyone forget that smile? It was Janet.

My husband, Daniel & I met Janet on a warm African day in the summer of 2001.  We were having a gathering for children in the village and Janet came riding piggyback on the back of one of her friends.  We were immediately taken by her radiant smile.  Her friends placed her on the red-mud ground and we noticed right away that something was different about this sweet child. She was unable to stand on her two feet. Though she was eight years old, she  crawled on her calloused hands and knees to get around.

We spent a lot of time with that little girl that summer and the next when we returned to Kenya. We listened and learned her story. Janet suffered from polio as a child causing her legs to be completely bent and bow-legged.  Janet was living with her alcoholic father, her mother and siblings in Chebaiywa village.  In order to get to school her mother would carry her on her back (like a backpack) down the long dirt roads.

In the remote village where we were there was not adequate medical care for  her, but we learned that there were great possibilities for Janet in the capital city, Nairobi if only the money could be raised for her. So in 2001, God’s love compelled us. We were enamored by this little African girl and knew we would do whatever we could to assist her. We learned that it was possible for Janet to have an operation to straighten her legs.  The team raised money for the surgery and for Janet to enroll in a special school.

A year later Daniel & I returned to Kenya.  One of the first people we wanted to visit was Janet. We traveled with some missionary friends to her home. She was recovering from her first surgery and her legs were casted. We laughed and cried, and shared news over piping cups of chai.   Daniel brought his guitar that day and we sang in English and Swahili, and worshiped the Lord together, celebrating the HOPE He had offered this sweet little African girl.

Janet had three surgeries and enrolled in her new school and for 12 years, no one had heard from her.

——————————————————————————————————————————————————————–

UNTIL last Sunday when a grown up, beautiful,  smiling young woman hobbled on crutches to the home of our Kenyan friends. Pastor David & Allison sent us an email with pictures and videos of Janet. WALKING. Only. God.

They asked her, “Where do you feel God is leading you in your life? What would you like to do as a career? ”

She answered “I want to be a pastor! Even if you come to my school you’ll hear people calling me, ‘Pastor’.

“Why do you want to be a pastor?” David asked.  Janet, with a full-teeth smile replied,”oh because God has done great things in my life and I want to serve Him.”

Once again I am in awe of how God can transform lives.

I’m reminded of the Christmas song, “Mary, did you know.” Sweet mama Mary, did you have any idea, that the baby you gave birth to would be this kind of God-man?

 “Mary did you know?.. that your Baby Boy has come to make you new?
This Child that you delivered will soon deliver you

Mary, did you know….?

The blind will see.
The deaf will hear.
The dead will live again.
 THE LAME WILL LEAP.

 The dumb will speak
THE PRAISES OF THE LAMB.”

The Christ child we celebrate is the one who makes the blind see. He still makes things new. He causes the lame little girl  to WALK, he heals our brokenness and makes beauty from ashes. THIS IS OUR GOD.

This year, one of many favorite Christmas gifts came in the form of an email, and a God-story of that little girl in Africa whose life had touched mine so many years ago. Janet was made new-both in her physically body and in her soul  by the King who came to earth.  It’s better than any package under my tree.

-Alyssa