Adventures WorldRace SethBarnes Sponsorship Giving

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…and that change I have experienced has been in me.  I know that sounds selfish, but hear me out .  God calls us to make disciples, He calls us to be in relationship with Him and the body of Christ.  How can I expect to do that when I’m full of pride, fear, control, comparison, and much more?  How can I enter into a real relationship with not only God, but others when I have no idea what it’s like to share one tube of toothpaste with 6 people?  When I don’t have a clue what it’s like for 25 people to depend on few others and myself to cook dinner ?  When I have no choice but to stick out a friendship that I have had enough of when in reality I had no choice in the formation of it from the beginning?

I live in America and I’ve never had to do these things or had a desire to do them.  I would have rather spent my money and bought my whole house toothpaste than share with 6 other people?  Why share if you don’t have to., right?  Part of that is selfishness, but the other part is we have no idea what community looks like.  How can I serve my church when I go on Sunday and don’t do a thing to help out, wait impatiently for the allotted hour to be up so I can get onto my day, tell everyone I’m doing just fine all the time and disagreeing with how things are being run?    I can say I was living like a good Christian all I want, but at the end of the day that’s BS.  It’s not about me going to church on Sunday, it’s not about me being nice and watching my language and inside my head bashing someone, it’s not about me running fast from every conversations about sex, drugs and rock n’ roll.  NOT AT ALL!  It’s not about right or wrong, it’s about the heart.
                

 I have had to get rid of pride, control, fear, etc so I can have a pure heart.  I’ve had to live in community with people from all walks of life so I truly know what its like to need another person and be there for them as well.  I had to get rid of that stuff so I can pray for someone and ask for Jesus to heal them and not want to take credit for any of it.  I’ve had to ask God to change my heart so I can stay pure for my husband, but not judge anyone who doesn’t want that.  I’ve had to be set free from the bondage of alcohol only to be able to enjoy drinking in a freedom…to enjoy it and not get stuck in religion about it.  I’ve had to learn how to love those that drive me crazy (still learning sometimes ) so I won’t be part of a petty church split or division of the body.
 
   Brasov, Romania

Sadly, I had to travel to 11 countries to learn this.  I had to leave the comforts of America and visit orphans in Africa and gypsies in Romania to get this through my skull.  This year has not been solely about feeding the poor, building homes for the homeless or playing with children who don’t have a family.  It’s more than that.  PLEASE DON’T GET ME WRONG, we have done these things and it is our call to love and care for those, but Jesus does not need us to build His church, he says “…and on this rock I will build My church…” (Matt 16:18).  He does not need us for these things, but He wants us.  He wants a relationship, He wants us to know Him intimately, and He wants us to know His body intimately.  He wants to use us, but we need to be about His business before we can be of any use.  I can only pour into relationships and keep my eyes on Jesus when I have something to pour out…when my eyes are ready to be off of me!