Flipping It ... Remembering God's Power to Change Lives and Situations

Another month is underway here in Ethiopia... March 2021.

It amazes me how fast time goes and how days and seasons move forward...despite challenge.

It seems like my city, Addis, has change happening all the time. 

Buildings are going up everywhere....

Roads are under construction. 

I was thinking about all the change the other day when sitting in a big traffic jam caused by road construction.

It really does seem to take forever here for buildings and renovations once started...to actually finish.

When the building or road is actually completed though..... the results can be astounding.

One of my favorite things to watch when I'm stateside are shows that "flip" things.  

Often these are shows that flip rooms or homes.... from utter messes into beautiful places to live. 

 

Shows like "Extreme Makeover- Home Edition" ,  Fixer Upper, etc.

I also like shows where people have positive change like Biggest Loser... where people get healthy and fit and their lives are "flipped".

All the building construction and road repairs has had me thinking about how God also loves to build and change us for His good!  He has demonstrated His ability to "flip" situations and lives with such transforming power that it can leave our jaw on the ground. 

Have you seen God do this in a heart, a life, a home? In a workplace, in a health situation? 

God IS ABLE and loves to surprise us and delight with His ability to change things.

As you get older... you think more about what things should have been done at this point... things that should have "flipped" by now.  

Is anything on your list? Change that needs to come and should have already? Maybe changes in finances? In fitness? In health? In a relationship?  God is ready to help those flip.  Will you trust Him to help you?

It's interesting to look back in the Bible and see the lives and situations He "flipped."

There are SO many...

The situations that seemed beyond hope....Israel's captivity in Egypt; battles that seemed lost; storms that raged; prison doors that were closed and chains that were fixed; the Israelites at the Red Sea and Pharoah's army approaching; diseases that had ravaged; blindness and leprosy and paralysis that had taken years from people; demons that had tormented; ... Daniel in the lion's den; Shadrack, Meeshak, and Abindigo in the fiery furnace; Lazarus in the tomb; Jesus on the cross... God took these and so many more...impossible and overwhelming and defeated situations and HE FLIPPED THEM... for His Good and His Purpose...again and again and again. He has shown His power to flip things!!!

And not just situations...but He also flips people.  He changes lives. He turned people's trials and failures into testimonies and faith... He transformed people again and again and again... making heroes of faith from the most unlikely of characters....

-David- shepherd boy to warrior; adulterer and murderer- to a King after God's own heart

-Joseph- a prisoner to one who would save people and his own family from famine

-Moses- a hidden identity; a murderer and one who fled... to a deliverer of all of Israel

-Rahab- a prostitute to one who's faith and courage would lead to rescue and change for her family

-Saul- a persecutor of Christians- to Paul- the main writer of the New Testament and defender of Jesus

-Mary Madeline- demon possessed, to faithful follower of Jesus

-Samaritan Woman- an outcast to a witness

-All of the Disciples- simple, ordinary men to world changers

-God's people overall... flawed and sinful...yet through the power of Jesus...changed into a united family and army and kingdom of priests, darkness to light... Ambassadors.

God CAN change any situation and any life! But how can something or someone be flipped?

It seems...in these flips... that

1. Often darkness comes first... Desperation. A setback. A fall. A betrayal. Something hard. 

2. Then seems to come a humility.

3. Then a cry out to God in faith for rescue.

4. Then  a willingness to obey and follow .

And then... WAM... God's Spirit and Power came and flipped it.  

We have access to THE Master Builder and Designer... of our lives...Our God is there ...with all the resources of heaven ... salvation and grace through Jesus Christ... access to power in God's Spirit... all there... ready and willing to put in the work to make the change.

Are you ready for change? Are you ready for a "flip"?  God is ready to do the the work in you and your situation as you humbly submit to Him. Trust Him to do the work and finish it!

Today, Monday, March 8... begins a big time fasting here in Ethiopia for Easter. For 55 days... the Orthodox Christians will enter into a time of fasting and reflection...not eating things like meat and dairy... it's an act of humility ... and reverence... and remembrance...of God ...and His Son Jesus.... who gave the ultimate flip to humanity.  The Creator entered His own creation to flip the end of our story... to save us from sin... to give us a chance of life over death... and salvation and redemption over an eternity of separation and death.  The flip is ours to take or leave. And it's the biggest decision anyone has to make!

My prayer for this countdown to Easter... is the same as many...

I want to be quiet and reflective and reverent ... to really see where I am and where I need to be... what needs flipped in my life ...and to cry to God in desperation and humility and faith for the flips to happen and for the change to come so I can represent God well and become all He's made me to be!  I want to live my life well ...committed to Jesus...and sharing about Him and what He can do and who He is!

If you need a flip in your life, in your circumstances.... reverently submit those to God. He's ready to flip things in you and around you...

No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love Him.

1 Corinthians 2:9

Humble yourselves before the Lord and He will lift you up in due time...

1 Peter 5:6

Nothing is impossible for God.

Luke 1:37

He will finish what He started.

Philippians 1:6

Joy comes in the morning...

Psalm 30:5

He restores us

Psalm 23; 1 Peter 5:10

He is making all things new...

Revelation 21:5

Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. Delight in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in Him and He will do this:  He will make your righteousness shine like the sun and the justice of your cause like the noonday sun, Be still and wait patiently for Him..

Psalm 37:1-7

He is the author and finisher of our faith.

Hebrews 12:2

We are being changed...

2 Corinthians 3:18

We are being built into a spiritual house where God dwells...

Ephesians 2: 21-22

Let God build you. Break you. Make you. Shape you. Let Him flip you and your circumstances. He's ready and nothing is impossible for Him!

Praises-Prayer Requests..

-Please pray that God gives me favor and courage to impact the best way I can as I continue to work and serve here in Ethiopia. That as He flips me and situations, even in the work I do, that I will trust Him and do my best to share Him.  He has a plan!

-My work permit and residence ID finally cleared and this time it was a HUGE challenge. I thank God for helping this and for those of you who prayed!  (Just this past Wednesday, all my paperwork cleared!)

-Please pray for Ethiopia- for this time of fasting in preparation for Easter- that God will do a new work in and through us here.

-Please pray for elections coming up in the summer... these elections have many nervous. We need peaceful elections.  

-Coronavirus is still around.... though numbers and death rates seem low and not to be increasing. Pray we can get vaccines here and can keep and stay healthy!

-A big shout-out to the AMAZING Jim and Rosie Garrett, our adorable parents, celebrating their 50th Wedding Anniversary on March 26th...at the end of this month. We love these two so much and are so blessed to have them! They model true love and it's so endearing!

They married in 1971...50 years ago. My Dad was not working at the time... but he cashed his unemployment check and eloped with my Mom... they were ready to get their life together underway. . I love hearing all their stories from their early years.  My Dad always tell us about the first meal my Mom cooked for him.. hot dogs (that weren't done...ha ha ) and beans. He said he loved every bite.  

Please give them a high five and a big congratulations in and around this big celebration for them!  

We love how they love each other!!!  And are so grateful for their example!!!  We love you Dad and Mom! Congratulations on 50 years!!!!  Your love will be celebrated around the world!

How can I pray for you? What needs "flipped" in your life? 

May we trust God to do what He does best!  May we humbly submit to Him and watch Him "flip" all things for His good and ours. Watch what He can do! 

May this spring season ... this Easter Lent season...and time ahead... be our greatest one yet for God.

Blessings and Prayers from Ethiopia!  

"Throwing Shade"

Days have gotten extremely hot here in Ethiopia. The sun has increased it's intensity. 

Several times ... I've been stuck in traffic with the sun blazing down and I can feel myself getting burned as I sit and smolder. 

And it's had me longing for SHADE ...  a place in the coolness.

My first several years living in Ethiopia, I loved the year round fall like temperatures and the months and months of sun.  I would walk everywhere and sit outside to grade papers on rooftops. I loved seeing the hot peppers roasting on the ground and the big birds flying in the pretty blue skies.

Many people here carry umbrellas to provide shade from the sun,  and for a long time... I always found  this humorous.

But the sun's intensity is not comfortable like before... so the shade now is needed and desired by many, EVEN ME.

And this kind of shade is GOOD.  

But there's also "BAD" shade.

I always thought the phrase "throwing shade" sounded funny... but unfortunately it's not funny... when "shade" is thrown on you. 

"Throwing shade" means to "disrespect or ridicule something or someone, verbally or non-verbally." The talk or action is shady. It can be gossip or trash talking someone.

Has anyone ever "thrown shade" on you? How did you respond?

I think as you get older in life, you realize, shade will be thrown on you at some point.  It's just the nature of humanity. Also if you're a follower of Jesus, we're actually told to expect it.  

Don't be surprised at the fiery trials you are going through as if something strange were happening to you. Instead, be very glad- for these trials make you partners with Christ in His suffering (1 Peter 4:12-13)

"I am sending you out like a sheep among wolves... Be on your guard... the student is not above his Master...if they talked about me they will about you too..." (Matthew 10: 16-17; 24-25).

Yet when shade is thrown, even if you're told to expect it, it can feel like a knife in the back. Anger and hurt can grow. Your integrity feels under siege. You want to get offended. You want to hit back. You want to defend yourself. Yet, it's so important in these moments ... to get alone with God so He gives you perspective. 

In the Bible, Jesus is our best example of someone who had shade thrown on Him. He was unjustly accused and questioned and condemned. Yet, He sought His Father's Will and perspective, though all of heaven's armies were at His disposal to refute people's doubt and accusations. Yet, He showed restraint and silence...

When the leading priests and elders made their accusations against Him, Jesus remained silent (Matthew 27:12)

When Jesus was accused, He gave no answer (Matthew 26:63).

Jesus did what I believe we are also to do when accused...we are to follow God's leading. And if none is given, silence is best. 

God helped Jesus respond the right way! He can do the same for us.

I think we have to think about ...WHY do people "throw shade" on others? Why do we?

There are several possibilities..

It could be a lack of understanding; maybe you've been hurt; maybe you feel insecure; maybe it's  pride. 

There are many many reasons for someone to throw shade. We are tempted to all the time if we admit it. We tend to speak before thinking and get emotional.

Yet Jesus didn't take offense to the actions against Him but actually offered people compassion and grace, even praying for them!

"Father forgive them, they know not what they do." (Luke 23:34)

Our humanity will respond aggressively and defensively when we are wronged. We can easily internalize offense until it poisons us. But God can help us respond as Jesus did.

First -we have to keep in God's presence. To be in this shade and rest ... brings identity and peace and joy and hope and love for others. God offers us refuge in Him and good shade. When people accuse, we are at peace and rest in the shadow of God....

In the shadow of your wings, I will take refuge Psalm 36:7

He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty (Psalm 91:1)

You have been a shade from the heat (Isaiah 24:4-5)

In the day of trouble, He will keep me safe in His dwelling (Psalm 27:5)

The Lord is your protector, He is there to shade you (Psalm 121:5)

But even with that protection, we can expect "hits" to come and "shade" to be tossed towards us. 

But at these times, we don't have to be surprised. We can be ready and respond the right way. 

The Bible tells us how...

Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Always consider others as better than yourself. (Philippians 2:3)

Get rid of all bitterness, anger and rage, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ, God forgave you. (Ephesians 4:31-32).

The Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many (Matthew 20:28).

Every careless word you speak, you will be held accountable for (Matthew 12:36).

Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen (Ephesians 4:29).

Your words can bring life or death (Proverbs 18:21).

Keep a clear conscience, so that those who slander you may be put to shame by your good behavior in Christ (1 Peter 3:16).

 As we continue to live and work where God places us...may we stay in the "shade" and "shelter" of God.

When bad "shade" is thrown on us, may we rest under the shadow of God in silence and let Him give us right perspective and right action. The world is watching.

Onward!

Praises and Prayer Requests

-It's been an honestly rough reentry back into Ethiopia. My work changed up a bit unexpectedly which brought stress. I'll share more soon. My work permit - residence visa was a huge challenge... but it should finish this week. I'm so thankful for the chance to continue to live here and work here and serve in whatever way God sets up.  Not my will, but His be done!

-Prayers needed for the way ahead as my new work becomes more clear and that I'll be right where God wants me to be! 

-Big praise for good health for me and my family in USA! May God continue to keep us safe.

How can pray for you?  

When "bad shade" is thrown at us, may we respond well and love others as we are loved!  

Life is a gift and God can use us where we are to shine for Him! 

Time to Rise ... 2021

It seems like everyone needs lifted after a year like 2020. 

Everyone took a hit. We were knocked down. An unprecedented year in the world when life as we knew it altered. 

Coronavirus ended up invading every country and took peoples' lives swiftly. It caused lockdowns, fear, economies to falter, and government leaders to struggle. 

Masks were put on. Hand sanitizer was applied. Businesses and schools were shut down. 

We were told to get down and stay down. To not go out unless absolutely necessary. God have mercy!

While we were waiting and watching and staying in and staying down... other hits came as they always do in life. 

Sickness, fatigue, stress. Other crazy situations came out of nowhere in many places. Natural disasters, fighting, protests, crashes. 

Our down position became lower and we felt squashed and paralyzed. Unable to move. Was this the beginning of the end?

We needed and longed for relief. A hand up, a hand out, something to give, something to break ... so life could be more normal like it was before.

Here in Ethiopia, we were hit like everyone else. Coronavirus came slower here than in other places. But schools and businesses shut, masks came on, and people struggled. 

We crouched down and waited for clearance to move, to open. 

The down and closed position felt like an eternity.

In the walled in spaces, behind the masks and closed doors, worry and fear crept in. Would Covid get me? My family? Would I swiftly be taken without a goodbye? Satan likes to mess with us and make us forget that we don't have to be afraid. 

But like everyone else on the planet, when I coughed or sneezed... I worried. Is this the end? Super hard. 

Yet in these times... of worry and fear....I found deep prayer and deep sorrow and deep gratitude for the roads behind and for people I've met and loved and for the life I've already gotten to live. I remembered why were here and that our lives are a very delicate balance and we are ONLY sustained by God. I was humbled by realizing how quickly it could end and we could be with God. 

Priorities and perspective and humility came in the quiet days and behind the masks... as I continued to hope for and look for the chance to get up again and live more fully and freely.

Finally in November, our school began to open and we started to move some. Though under strict protocol ... we were given permission to start groups of students and let them finish their school year in a "crash program." And it sincerely felt like a "crash." It started with our graduating class students.

Some of my favorite and best students of all time  would finish. We told them ... you will need to get up, help each other up, and make a mad dash towards the finish line. I watched them do just that... they got up, and moved together towards their finish line...

We also had surprise hits here in Ethiopia, that actually ended up frightening people even more than Covid.... We had tribal fighting break out. Then civil war and a big humanitarian crisis loomed in our north (it's still not resolved). 

But as I watched this GC (graduating class) group rise up, help each up, and push towards their finish line, I was moved and awed and inspired. I felt hopeful. 

On Graduation day, Dec 19, 2020, 350 plus Hope University College students turned their tassels...and I felt deep emotion.  They might not have thought it was an epic finish...but it was!  I will be telling their stories the rest of my life of how this class persevered!!!!

What God has been reminding me during this past CRAZY YEAR...is of is our ability, as God's people,  TO RISE. 

And I believe in 2021- He wants us to get up! 

How can we get up though after we've been so knocked down? Maybe you even still feel like you're being squashed under a shoe and rocks are rolling your way and there's no escape. Maybe you're still locked down. Your business and school is still closed... Your bank account is still empty... Your way is still blocked...

Yet, God has been saying to me.. and maybe He's saying the same for you... its time to GET UP!!

You have the ability to RISE! It's is in your DNA as a member of God's family. You can make it!!  

But how again if you're still feeling squashed? 

I believe to be able to get up ... you have to do two things: Remember and Repent...THEN Rise.

REMEMBER!

I think for us to get up from 2020.. we first to remember the power of our God- who He is, what He's done for us- and who we can be in Him!

We need to remember Jesus, the risen King we just celebrated, is IN us and WITH us. We can rise because He did! Heaven's champion, God's Son, Jesus conquered! Because He lives, so can we! 

Satan wants us to think... our sin is too big; our past too dark; the economy too bleak; corona too contagious; depression too suffocating; loneliness too extreme; that our sorrow is too heavy; the diagnosis is too bad; our faith is too weak and our energy too low. 

But God's Word says the complete opposite. 

We can do all things through Christ who gives us strength! (Philippians 4:13)

Nothing is impossible for God! (Matthew 19:26)

No weapon formed against us shall prosper! (Isaiah 54:17)

He will finish what He started in us! (Philippians 1:6)

We are more than conquerors through Him who loves us! (Romans 8:37)

He wants us to remember HIM and not forget Him and to keep our eyes on Him!

We also need to...

REPENT!

God wants us to learn in the storms and in the valleys. So easily we lose our way and we build our lives on things that don't matter. 

Where has your life gotten off track?  How is your faith in God now? Your trust?

Who or what are you living for? Is God at your center?

Repent! Ask God to wash you , renew you, transform you, ground you, center you, build your life on Him and for Him... He promises to restore you ... and refresh you!

When we humbly come to Him with every struggle and fear and pain we have... He can carry it all and can heal it all!

then..

RISE!

Get up! It's time. You might not have the vaccine in your arm, but you do have Jesus in your heart. You may have a mask on... but you can live and love and shine His light and share His truth!  Rise up!

Your story is NOT DONE! God has new chapters to write with your life and mine!

May we allow God to breathe His life and His hope, joy, peace, truth and strength into us in the new year! 

May this year 2021, be EPIC, for God's glory, not our own! May we represent a people who are not crushed but a people who rise and become better by the struggles we pass through!  If you see the Bible... this is already our story!

We are pressed, but not crushed..., struck down, but not destroyed... (2 Corinthians 4:8)

We are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but those who believe and are saved! (Hebrews 10:39)

Praying this for us all!

PRAISES / PRAYER REQUESTS

Hope University College started and is now finishing the school year with its 2000 plus students. The class of 2020 finished and graduated on Dec 19th. I'm so very thankful and so proud of these 350 graduates who persevered. I will never forget them!  Please pray for these students as they now seek work. Also for all students as we finish and transition into a new school year this week!

I'm so grateful I was able to travel home for the holidays for a short visit with my family. Though the time was short, I was thankful that God provided safety and funds and clearance to get me in and out of Ethiopia with safety and health. I love my family so much. Thank you for those who gave generously despite your own hardships in 2020. May God Bless you in the new year!

I'm back to work after quarantining and another negative Covid test result. Please pray that I can help the school finish this "crash program" and wrap it up, then start a new school year in January. 

Big prayer is needed for my work permit and new residence visa (this week) as I change from being under ETC to Hope University as their Student Dean.

I was so happy to see one of my best former students, Dagi, get married last week. It's amazing to me that God gives us global family and I'm so thankful God allows us to go through the good and bad of it all together. Congrats and best wishes to Dagi and Samri!

Please let me know how I can pray for you in the new year!

Let's RISE up and be all God wants us to be! It's time!!!

Blessings to Each of You in 2021!