one hot mess.

Over the last few weeks I have neglected the blogging world as I have found myself preparing for ACTION and getting myself ready for orientation. I am now a week into ACTION, which just seems surreal, but so far has been an exciting way to start the summer.
The orientation week started off with just us leaders here in Gretna for a few days prior to the rest of our teammates joining us. It was a rich time of equipping us as leaders and diving into moments of intimacy with Jesus. Throughout the past week, I have experienced some good God moments. It is safe to say that my heart is overflowing. God and I have met each other in some powerful ways through worship this week. I have been invited into a posture of intimacy with Jesus. The place in which Jesus and I have met has been in a place that has been referred to as a "thin space". It is a place that rests between us and God. It is a place where intimacy dwells. It is a place where there is realness and authenticity in encountering Jesus. I love the picture of that meeting place. I have missed those intimate moments and it felt good to come back to that place of surrender and awe. Last week, as I held out my hands in a posture of receiving, I had this moment of physically feeling Jesus grab hold of my hands, hold them tight and speak truth and love into my life - into the places of my heart where those are not so easily received.

"Watch me. Learn from me. Take rest in me. You are enough. 

I have so much planned for you. 

Trust in me. I love you. I love you. I love you ."

In the words of my friend Heidi, I was one hot mess! As I think about this summer, I feel as though I am being invited into a season of learning what intimacy with Jesus looks and feels like. I am excited to walk this out and embrace it. Through a time of intercession last week, I was given the phrase, "walk in the dust of your Rabbi". This theme of walking has been one that has continued to come up through this week. As a Massage Therapist, I have been trained to watch the way people walk in order to figure out what is going on in their body. I am now being challenged to shift that into such a way that studies the way Jesus walks. It is my prayer that I follow so closely in the footsteps of Jesus, watching how he walks and imitating that walk. I want to be completely covered from head to toe in the dust of Jesus because I am following so closely in his footsteps. So, this summer, as I return to Portugal, it is my prayer that I would be completely immersed in the love and the posture of my Rabbi. I want to learn from him and imitate him in all that I do.

God has me on an incredible journey and I am looking forward to walking this road of discipleship out this summer and in the months to come. Stay tuned.