And now these three remain… 1 Corinthians 13:13
Let me be a beacon of hope for the travelers of the darkness
Let me light the path to harbors of rest
Where guidance along the rocky shore provides a kinship to its maker
Let its favor also provide relief from treacherous waters
For the mirroring coast is a vivid pretense of what life could be
And when my glow starts to dim, let my strength feed from natural light
So that my warmth may continue to be a safe haven for the lost
Some of you may already know that I have been selected to go on a short term mission trip to Kenya this summer. Ever since I graduated from college in 2010, my heart’s been yearning to go out and do God’s work. This opportunity arose last year when I attended a young adult small group at the Dream Center, which is a part of Seacoast Church in Charleston, SC. There was a panel of young adults sharing about their experiences and service all of over the world. While listening to each of them speak, I could feel my heart wanting to burst out of my chest. I just knew that God was leading me to do more with my life and this trip to Africa was my first step. So that night, I decided to sign up for my first mission trip.
The mission is the first two weeks in July and is affiliated with the Bread of Life Mission (BOL), a non-profit group that focuses on reaching the unreached by sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ, enhancing discipleship in communities and showing compassion by serving people in need. BOL is currently serving four different people groups/areas in Africa: the Maasai, Pokot, Turkana, and Toposa. I will be serving in Turkana with about ten other people, spreading God’s love by continuing to build the community and ministering to its people.
God has opened this door for me and I plan to experience every aspect of the journey. But before I can walk through that door, I will need to prepare myself spiritually, physically, relationally and financially. The total amount of money that I need to raise is $3,500. This pays for travel, food and accommodations. Any amount would make a huge impact to my trip and would be such a blessing. If you feel lead to donate to my trip, please click here and then click on “support.” You can donate as a guest and select my name, Emily Steele, for the team member that you would like to support.
If you are unable to donate at this time, I completely understand. In that case, I just ask for your prayers as I step out on faith to reach heights I never knew existed. I am so excited to see God’s work and to experience His presence unlike ever before. I know that He is good and He will provide for you and for me and for the beautiful people that I will meet in Kenya. I can’t wait to share the experience with you through testimony, pictures and videos when I get back. I love you all so much and I am so grateful to have support and love from all of you in whatever form that may be.
In closing I want to share a word that God lead me to recently while praying about my trip, Psalm 34:
“I will extol the Lord at all times, his praise will always be on my lips. I will glory in the Lord, let the afflicted hear and rejoice. Glorify the Lord with me; let us exalt his name together. I sought the Lord and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears. Those who look to him are radiant, their faces are never covered with shame. This poor man called and the lord heard him; he saved him out of all his troubles. The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him and he delivers them. Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him. Fear the Lord, you his holy people, for those who fear him lack nothing. Lions may grow weak and hungry but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing. Come, my children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord. Whoever of you loves life and desire to see many good days, keep you tongue from evil and your lips from telling lies. Turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it. The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are attentive to their cry but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil to blot out their name from the earth. The righteous cry out and the Lord hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles. The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. The righteous person may have many troubles, but the Lord delivers him from them all; he protects all his bones, not one of them will be broken. Evil will slay the wicked; the foes of the righteous will be condemned. The Lord will rescue his servants; no one who takes refuge in him will be condemned.”
Thank you for your time to read this and thank you in advance for any donation or prayer that you send my way. Thank you also for being a blessing to me as friends and family in Christ!
To learn more about Bread of Life Missions, please click here.
He made us to be like water
Our bodies as hydrants of love
Designed to dwell on a diluted sphere
Which consequently is as wet in form
He created us to be strong enough to hold ships
Yet feeble enough to slip through cracks
To constantly keep flowing
And to hydrate others in drought
When our fruit becomes tasteless and bland
Or our flesh needs to be dampened
We drink of His lubricating word
And soak in His quenching perspiration
With each sprinkle our souls are baptized and moistened
And a great flood destroys all unholy land
We are wiped clean to start anew
To be His replenishing well for the thirsty
Michelle Williams once said in an interview that she wanted to “be like water, to slip through fingers but also hold up ships.” This quote conveys such imagery that it got me thinking about how complex water is and the different forms it takes. Think about it’s significance to our well being and existence. It’s crazy that God created us and created our world simply around a liquid.
In the Bible, God usually used water to cleanse or to baptize people and things that were unholy. So, what if God made us to be like water? To be the solvent that breaks the unrighteousness in each other or the chemical that causes reactions that change the world? Or what if we are meant to be the rain that washes away the mess the darkness leaves behind and furthermore, creates grow in earthly living?
Regrets sink it to depths
Deep dark blues surround it
As it drops it takes the light with it
The free fall is messy and unpredictable
In the descending it becomes blind
Unable to seek refuge from the capsizing
It reaches for ledges to decelerate the plunge
But that only diverges the path
The inevitable plummet is needed
Its security will create stillness
A calmness where mercy is given
As the iron digs into the floor
It becomes a cornerstone of protection
It fights against the doubt
Battles the decaying of the foundation
And guards the spoiling of its fruit
The stronghold grips the rope
It leaves enough slack for growth and extension
But it holds tight enough to keep one from getting lost
“We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure.” Hebrews 6:19
What inspired this poem was the thought that hope is what keeps things going but what also keeps things in check as well. Hope keeps us anchored in our faith. What would we have faith in if we didn’t have hope for redemption, hope to see Jesus in heaven or hope for better things, a better life? I’ve been growing deeper in my faith recently and always seem to hit a plateau. But I have discovered that hope is what keeps me walking that plateau until He is ready for me to take that climb to the next level. And it’s His love that gives me the confidence to actually make the climb. I pray that my hope will keep my faith secure and strong to help fight against the detours and stumbling blocks along my path.
Last Sunday I was invited by one of my favorite customers to attend her church. We have shared a lot with each other about our faith walks and recently I have been trying out different churches so she invited me to hers. After attending her church’s Sunday service, I was very moved by the pastor’s message: How did God SHAPE you and how are you using your SHAPE? It was a part of his series about learning to live in God’s will. The sermon was supported by Erik Rees’ book, S.H.A.P.E. Finding and Fulfilling Your Unique Purpose for Life.
Upon entering the church, I was starting to back slide into this doubt that I had before the church camp I attended a month earlier. (see post) I wasn’t sure if I was where I needed to be spiritually and vocationally. But after hearing the sermon I remembered that God is simply keeping me in places for a reason. He is using my SHAPE to fulfill His purpose for me.
God’s SHAPES us according to His plan. (Jeremiah 1:5) We are all unique and none of us are completely alike. He does this so that we can learn from each other and share our talents with others. These SHAPES are not meant to be compared or envied. They are meant to raise others up. We each have our own SHAPE, we just have to identify it and put it into our hands for use. Here’s what our SHAPES look like:
S- Spiritual Gifts Special talents that God has given you to share His love.
H-Heart What God wants your heart to break for, your passions.
A-Abilities What God made you good at so that you will be good to others.
P-Personalities/People Your make-up, how God wired you.
E-Experiences The mountains you have moved and you have climbed using His strength.
So how has God SHAPED you? What are your spiritual gifts? We all were given gifts of faith, hope and love to fight the good fight but we were also all individually given gifts that are unique to us. Are we using them? Have we even identified them yet? Our hearts are made to love, do we love to the best of our abilities? What about your personality, what traits set you apart from the world? Do you hide those traits or are you using them to minister to others? Have your experiences become testimonies for change?
These are the questions that were raised but many more came to mind for me. Those questions I asked myself were not answered very quickly. I had to really think about my past, my personality, my relationships, my talents and my service to others. Then I realized how great the potential God has created for all of us. It’s really breath-taking if you think about it. Just look at some of the most successful, charitable people in the world and the potential they lived up to. It’s like looking out across the ocean and seeing how wide and vast it is, that’s our potential. We just have to learn to be like Peter, take that first step onto the water without taking our eyes off of the Lord. We gain confidence in taking that step out of the boat when we recognize that the SHAPE God gave us was made to support and fulfill the potential He sees in us.
I am not afraid to admit that I don’t live up to that potential because I don’t recognize that my SHAPE is special and useful. But I truly believe that we can live up to our potential when we identify our special SHAPES and use them. So this is my prayer, that I learn all of the ways that God has made me unique. That I recognize that I am shaped according to His plan and that He will reveal to me in due time why I am to go through the things He puts me through, why I meet the people I meet and why I am the way I am.
“Family of Israel, you know that I can do the same thing with you. You are like the clay in the potter’s hands, and I am the potter.” This message is from the Lord. Jeremiah 18:6
Yet you, Lord, are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand. Isaiah 64:8
My Faith, My Hope, My Love 