Encouraging Scripture - I need YOUR help!

I have a friend that attends our woman's bible study who is really struggling with joy, hope and peace.

Today when we were reading Romans, coveting was mentioned in chapter 7 and she asked "Is it wrong to covet anything?". We asked her watch she meant and tears started coming down her face as she pointed at me and said, "I look at her every week and I see peace just gleaming from her and I covet that."

It was heart wrenching. I went over and sat next to this beautiful woman and we prayed for peace, hope and joy. She shared with me that she struggles with regret. Regret for the things she has done and regret for the things she has not done. She also struggles with anger and feels like it is always inside of her. She so longs for peace and to be free from her anger and her regret.

She lives in the Bridge, and said, "I know people call this a homeless shelter, but for me, its home."

None of us know a home like that and we have been blessed beyond measure. We cannot relate to this woman who is struggling to come to peace with where she is and how she has gotten there.

Would you pray for Rachel AND would you help me out by giving me some ideas of encouraging verses for her. I have some in mind, but I want to hear from you guys (whoever is still out there reading this) what verses encourage you when you feel that you have no peace, no joy or when you feel constantly reminded of your past sin. This week I want to make Rachel some cards with scripture and words of encouragement. I think it would be awesome if I could make her cards from people who are praying for her or who want to share scripture with her. Maybe, if you guys want to commit to praying for her, you could find a verse that relates to what Rachel is going through and also include a short note of encouragement.

If there are no takers for the note writing bit, no big deal, but even just giving me some of the verses that lift you up when you find yourself down would be amazing.

Love you guys and sorry its been so long since I've update. Work has been a challenge and blogging has been relegated to the bench for a bit.

Julie

Can you please pray for my friend, Julie?

She came to bible study during the summer when we were studying John. She was so enthusiastic about what we were learning. I remember the Friday after she came to the Sunday woman's bible study, she came up to me and gave me a big hug and wanted to talk about what she learned the week before to see if she could remember everything.

After that couple of times seeing her, I hadn't really seen her at the Friday night life skills classes or our woman's bible studies on Sundays. Before I met Julie, I had already gotten to know her boyfriend, Louis, pretty well. Once I met Julie, I would get tid-bits here and there about how she was doing. Although Louis wasn't very specific, he would tell me that she would run-off with other men and to the other side of the bridge (not the Bridge, the shelter, but the bridge that was near the shelter that lead to a REALLY, REALLY bad neighborhood).

Last Sunday was the first time I have seen Julie in a long time. I didn't get a chance to talk to her because I was helping a couple of woman finish the bible study questions, but she seemed a little off.

Then we get to the Bridge last night and before class I see Louis and we start chatting about nothing too particular. The next thing I know, I see Julie walking up. I was really excited to get a chance to talk to her, but again, when I saw her something was off and I realized that most likely she was high. I asked her how life was and she said really up and down. I asked her what that specifically meant, if she wouldn't mind sharing, and she definitely didn't mind...

She shared that she has a crack problem and that it feels like it calls to her constantly. She wanted to stop because she knew she was going to lose Louis. While she is sharing all of this, I can tell that part of her wants to stop, but part of her doesn't care and wouldn't mind going back that night...which she did.

We prayed right then and there...I asked God to save her from this addiction and asked Him that He would pour out His love on her so that she would not run to the drugs to fill the voids in her life. I prayed in confidence knowing that Jesus is our more than a conqueror.

Later, Wayne (the director of OurCalling, who used to have a serious drug problem when he was younger), talked to her about what it was going to take to quit.

She told him she really wanted to.

But, when it came down to what she needed to do, she kind of smirked and didn't really believe us. It was very apparent that her words and her desires are not in the same place. Her words say she wants to quit, but her actions are contrary. When we prayed earlier that night, she left and got high, and then came back to get candy. That's when I asked her if she was serious about quitting, and that if she was we needed to talk to Wayne. We pleaded with her, trying to convince her that nothing is going to fix her, that SHE has to want it. Wayne said this: It's not a "salon" where you sit there and they "fix" you; YOU have to be the hardest working person in the room. What's sad is I don't think she's ready to make that commitment.

Driving home, I don't know how to pray for this. Not at all. Nights like these at the Bridge I have to SURROUND myself with truth so that I don't let satan lie and tell me that God isn't doing anything at the Bridge and that the truth won't set anyone free there. I listened to 3 songs the whole way home. One was "Awakening" by Chris Tomlin and I prayed this over Julie...that Jesus would awaken her soul to HIM AND HIM ALONE. Like the rising sun pierces the darkness. The second song was "Our God", again by Chris Tomlin...I just needed to hear scriptural truth that OUR GOD IS STRONGER, that NOTHING can conquer Him. I thought and prayed to truly believe that satan could be vanquished, no matter how "far gone" someone was. The last song I listened to was "He Loves Us" by David Crowder Band. I needed to just keep reminding myself of the truth that God loves us more than we could ever imagine. He is jealous for Julie...loves her, including all the mess, more than she could fathom.

Could you guys join me in praying for Julie? Jesus is mighty to save, mightier than the drugs and the lies that satan is feeding to her.

Our Calling

I wanted to give you guys a little update on OurCalling and some prayer requests:

• Reed and I are now the Resource and Events Coordinators (respectively). Please pray for wisdom and perseverance in our new roles within the organization. It's a lot of responsibility and can feel overwhelming. I would love prayer that our hearts would always rely on Jesus for strength and that our purpose would be to glorify God in EVERYTHING.

• Building - As OurCalling is growing, there is more and more need for space. Currently, they have storage space at our church, Northwest Bible, BUT the church is trying to do some renovations so the space may not be available much longer. Our hope would be that OurCalling could get a building near downtown so that we could be available in the areas where the homeless are. Pray for finances and that God would bless the search for a building.

• PEOPLE - Please pray for the homeless and for our perceptions of the "reasons" why they are the way they are. Pray for salvation for those lost and struggling with addictions. Pray that they would be drawn to God through their suffering and place their trust in Christ alone. I also pray for compassion from the church in Dallas (and all over) and that we would rise up and walk alongside this community in fellowship and that the gospel would be shared BECAUSE Jesus came to save every one of us. Also, I pray that we, as the church, would rise up and be Jesus' hands and feet. This morning in church our pastor mentioned the heartbreak and tragedy in life and asked, "Does it matter to Jesus...does He care?" Right before Jesus fed the 5000 in Matthew 14, the disciples tell Jesus that the people need to eat, to send them away. Jesus' response in verse 16: "They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat." YOU go help them. That is you and me...the church. Jesus cares about the needs of His people. He also cares that WE care about the needs of His people. I pray that the sleeping giant, that is the church, would awake and share all things so that the GLORY of God may be made known throughout this city, this state, this country, this WORLD.
  

I have a spectacular husband

Today my husband is stepping out of his comfort zone and choosing to serve others in obedience to God.

You see, Wayne, the director of OurCalling, is out today and asked Reed what he thought about filling in to do the Wednesday Search and Rescue. Search and Rescue is an event that OurCalling does every week that involves Wayne and several other men and woman (some of which are homeless and wanting to help out) going out all day under bridges, behind liquor stores and through brush to find homeless people. This one of the first opportunities Reed has had to step up in a big way with the Search and Rescue and lead a group of men who are searching for homeless people to share the good news of the God who saves. Although passing out water and Made Ready to Eat (MREs) meals is part of what they do, the bigger and much more important piece is seeking to introduce many lost people to the loving King Jesus...the one who saves.

I'm so proud of Reed for stepping up this week when there was a need. Although he may not have felt super comfortable and like he knew what he was going to do, Reed did know one thing...That God will be with him and that He is the orchestrator of all things. And that at the end of the day, all our efforts are in vain without the Lord's help. Because of this truth, Reed just trusted and obeyed. It is so amazing to see the Lord using him in ways that neither of us would have ever imagined a year ago. Trekking through the woods (where people selling drugs are close by) looking for homeless men and woman to share the gospel with? Yeah, definitely wouldn't have thought that. Just shows that God has some crazy cool things He wants us to be a part of in His Kingdom business.

This morning, we both woke up early to get ready for our days and the first thing Reed did after his shower was go to the computer to look at the maps where they were going so he would get it right and be prepared. We also prayed right before Reed left that Jesus would be the prize that these men chased after today. That in every interaction they had, that Jesus Christ and the glory of the gospel would be magnified.

I just keep thinking how grateful I am to have a husband who so willingly gives up his time to let God use him to serve those who need it. The compassion in Reed's heart is amazing. I thank God every day for how He is working in Reed, thanking Him for the good work He started with his salvation and the work He continues to do in him. We're just so thankful for what God is teaching us through serving those in need.

Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy, to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.
Jude 1:24-25

Oh how He loves us

We were talking about the sin and distractions of life and how they separate us from God. When Wayne asked the ladies and gentlemen at the Bridge what they needed to let go so that they could be closer to God, we watched the video below. It's just a really neat picture of God's redemption story for us and how He rescued us.

I couldn't figure out how to get a video in the blog, so the YouTube link is here. I would watch this at least twice...I don't think I really understood what they were trying to convey until I watched it twice. Seriously. Watch it twice.

Last Friday Night at the Bridge

Every Friday night, Reed and I, unless we are sick or out of town, head downtown to one of Dallas' homeless shelters, the Bridge. We've come to love and cherish the time that we spend at the Bridge. When I talk to people about this, sometimes it makes them feel uncomfortable or like they could never be around homeless people, but it's really not too hard. Homeless people are people too. They all have different stories and reasons for why they are homeless, but in the end, they are broken humans, just like the rest of us. I'll admit, I was super uncomfortable when we first decided that this was something we were going to be obedient in because Jesus calls us to love and serve the poor. I kept thinking that I would have nothing to relate, nothing to say to encourage, nothing to share.

God showed me just how wrong I was. He's also shown me how His plan for His people in Dallas is far bigger than me. If Reed and I didn't go to the Bridge, God would still be doing amazing things to bring the broken back to Himself for His glory...we are just blessed to be a part of that.

On Friday nights we help teach a life skills class. Usually this is over a certain life topic that Wayne, the Director of OurCalling, picks. The really neat thing is that we teach biblically based life skills classes. There is nothing subtle about how we tie the class into what God says in the bible about that particular subject. Just being able to talk about God's Word is evidence of His sovereignty every week because the Bridge is a city run shelter and we're not technically supposed to have anything religiously affiliated. Yet ever week, we go inside the shelter and teach a class painted with the gospel. God truly is good.

This past Friday was one of those nights that God just took the reigns and captivated everyone. Wayne chose to talk about our purpose this week. What is our purpose on this earth. What will our purpose be this year? What about this summer? What about this week? What about today? We talked about seeking God's purpose for our lives because God loves each and everyone in the room and has a specific purpose for them. I remember as Wayne was emphasizing that point over and over (that God loves us exactly how He created us and that He created us for a purpose), that my eyes went around the room to all the people sitting around me.

I saw one man who had earlier confessed to me that he had taken 11 of his psych meds to give him a nice high. His hands were shaking and he was proud of the high he was feeling. God may not love his choices and actions, BUT GOD LOVES THIS MAN.

Another man was sitting next to me, shaking his leg uncontrollably (could be a health issue, could be drugs, I'm not sure), and he smelled like he had been walking in the Texas heat (it has been over 100 most days in Dallas) for 2 weeks straight without washing himself or his clothes. This man who's story I do not know, GOD LOVES EVERY PART OF HIM.

One of the woman in the room is a lady that God has intertwined in my heart. By all means, she is nasty, rude, racist, manipulative and throws a fit if you don't give her money. But my heart has always ached to see the impossible come true with her because GOD LOVES AND CREATED HER TO BE EXACTLY THE WAY SHE IS. I know she wasn't created to carry the certain evils in her heart and that God does not love the, but there are moments when I see her sweet spirit come out and I praise Jesus for the hope of His salvation.

As we all sat there thinking of our purpose as God's children, whom He loves EXACTLY the way we are, poor or not, the whole room was silent. This may not seem that amazing, but on Friday nights we also hand out coffee and Gatorade during the class. We know that many people come solely for the coffee which usually brings LOT of side conversation. Some nights it is more of a distraction than others, but without fail there is usually some side conversation going.

Not this Friday. Every single person in the room was captivated by the message that Wayne was sharing. To know that God had a specific purpose for them captivated them. Each person in the room, including myself, was challenged to choose the purpose God has in store for us, instead of our own purposes.

I'm not sure how everyone else was affected by the message, but I was so convicted. We talked about how we were to find our purpose in Christ and that it may look different for each person as far as individual actions go but our purpose would be found when we continually run the race set before us, seeking diligently after our prize, Christ Jesus.

I cannot tell you how much that does not reflect my life. Ever since I began working last September, I have chased after nothing but my selfish desires. Work is so hectic that I feel sorry for myself and therefore I feel like I deserve my own free time all the time.

I know, not a good year.

I think the word that might define this last year for me is "purposeless". I just was kind of existing. Trying to get by with the crazy life of a public accountant and wife. Jesus wasn't my reason. He was always there and there were moments when I connected with Him, but He wasn't EVERYTHING.

I don't want to have my purpose this week to be to just get through the work week and then serve at the Bridge during the weekends. I want every second of my life to have a purpose in Jesus. To be pointed towards Christ. I don't want to waste my days just getting by and choosing my own selfish ambitions.

This past Friday night, while I was supposed to be serving coffee, I stayed seated with the homeless and I started praying for the woman I feel so intertwined with, for the man who admitted he was using his medication for the high and for the man who was kind of stinky next to me. In all earnestness, I prayed that they would be impacted with God's Word about their purpose and that they would gaze upon Jesus and know that He alone is sufficient. I prayed for a revolution at the Bridge, that the hatred and cut throat nature that is accepted there would dissolve and that Christ's love and peace would inundate this place. That Jesus would be magnified in this shelter. I prayed that the impossible can be done in the lives of the addicted, faithless, and lonely. I prayed that the homeless would rise up with more faith and resiliency in Christ than this city ever imagined.

The Holy Spirit is moving in the Bridge and although we may not see the fruits of God's work there just yet, I believe He is the Redeemer of all...not just the clean people at my church, but the dirty, smelly, broken people in the shelters, under the bridges and in the woods. He loves them just the way they are. And He has a plan and a purpose for each one of them.

Marlene

I was perusing on facebook this morning (as I'm waiting for a meeting with a client) and I saw an article posted from OurCalling saying that my friend Marlene has moved into Cliff Manor!! I think a couple of posts ago I had asked you to pray for the situation and God has provided!



Go here to read the article on the Dallas Morning News website.

This is such a blessing for these men and woman, BUT it's only the beginning of their journey. There is so much more prayer and guidance that these guys are going to need. It's hard for them to just go pick up and function. They are still going to need support in budgeting their money, in how to spend their time wisely (and stay out of trouble), in finding a church and especially in their walk with God (just like we all need community and shouldn't be left on our own without support). Not to mention the fact that their community, their "family" is at the Bridge. They are going to be separated from the people they feel comfortable around and they may feel lonely at their new place if they can't travel back to the Bridge. I know this is a HUGE step forward, BUT I am hoping to continue our fellowship and ministry to these ladies so that they don't feel forgotten because they now have an apartment. I still love Marlene just as much as I did before and I want my actions and pursuit of her to reflect that. She is my sister in Christ and I'm excited that she is beginning this new journey :)

Thanks for all the prayers!

Lovin' It

I’m sorry I haven’t updated in a while…lately I’ve been coming home from work and avoiding the computer at all costs. It’s kind of subconscious cause I don’t even think about it. I guess I’ve just really been enjoying my evenings at home with Reed :)

Lots of things have been going on in the Milliken house (apartment). Lately God has truly been stirring our hearts for the homeless. Serving with OurCalling has become more than something that we do to serve God, getting to know and pray with our homeless friends through this ministry has become knitted into the fabric of who we are. I don’t know if we could ever be separated from it now. For the first time in my life, I really feel like I’m answering Jesus’ call to go to the places that I was afraid to go to. To be an instrument of His provision in the lives of those who are truly needy. I think I’ve gotten really good at fellowship with people who are really REALLY similar to me…but I haven’t really ever ventured to truly love someone who was different.

God is so good to send us signs of His will and for me, I have His word to encourage me and spur me on to really love someone who is an entirely different situation that I am…

God taught this to Peter in Acts 10:13-28. Peter had a vision of God telling him to kill and eat, yet Peter was trained all his life to know that only certain things were clean to eat…BUT God was good to tell him that “What God has cleansed, no longer consider unholy.” This was a foreshadowing of what would happen next as Cornelius, an Italian centurion, called upon Peter. I think once he met Cornelius, it all clicked that although these people, just as the food, were not “clean” people to consort with based on his prior notions that he has not right to call any man unholy or unclean.

28And he said to them, "You yourselves know how unlawful it is for a man who is a Jew to associate with a foreigner or to visit him; and yet God has shown me that I should not call any man unholy or unclean.

I’m serving some beautiful men and woman who have messy situations (some much more messy than others) but at the end of the day, when Jesus’ washed Peter’s feet (John 13)…those feet were really messy too.

Prayer Request

This weekend is Easter weekend...the celebration of Christ taking on our sin, suffering to death and ultimately enduring the wrath of God for you and me.

This is love. That a perfect God would lay down His life for us.

Tomorrow night and throughout the weekend I believe, there will be events going on with Our Calling to minister to the homeless of Dallas. I know they are showing a video on Friday night (the time we normally go) and they have other various activities going on around there to share the gospel news to the downtrodden of Dallas.

I have a couple of prayer requests:

-They are in desperate need of volunteers. Reed and I are visiting my parents this weekend...but really whether we are there or not, God provides and I just ask that you pray for believers to step up and volunteer to share the good news of Christ Jesus.
-That hearts would be stirred for the Lord
-That God would be glorified in the activities of this weekend
-That impossible things would happen in Jesus' name
-That there would be healing for the hurt that will be there (healing from drug addictions, sexual abuse, physical abuse, and any other health problems)
-That the even those that are not easy to love, find the love of Christ
-Finally, that God's love would abound

Please pray and if you're in Dallas, consider helping out. The website for Our Calling is http://www.ourcalling.org/.