In this city

Today was another long, but fulfilling work day.  Leigh and I traveled twice to Loveland and back to Denver throughout today to get the materials needed to set up camp.  We walked through our facility (Denver Lutheran High School) with the Assistant Principal to figure out what parts of the school to use for the appropriate aspects of our program.  I cut out of the walk through early to meet with Alice Goble, my contact at the two locations of the Habitat Outlet Store.  They have appliances and basically anything needed to fill a house donated to them and they organize it in their warehouse.  All of the money used to buy anything in the warehouse goes directly to Habitat for Humanity.  These two outlet stores are responsible for providing the greater Denver area with over 1.3 million dollars.  Alice was delightful, she was more than happy to have use there and truly understands the impact of her job and of our ministry in helping her.  I am exciting to continue building rapport with her and a solid relationship.  I am so privileged in that my job is to visit the sites daily and so while I can build great relationships with the campers by standing side by side with them while they serve, I also get to build long standing relationships with the owners of the facilities.

Tomorrow I get to visit two more sites and organize our lodging facility.  Everything was moved in for the most part and so it will be time to start making it into a camp atmosphere.   I really feel God stirring in my heart to get ready to make an impact.  He is carving a path ahead of me to connect with people and make room in their hearts for Him.  I know it's not even just for their benefit of a relationship with Him, but it's also for me to take my faith to a new level in living out what I believe.  

At training, during one of the morning devos, I was sitting on the floor and staring out at the window.  We were in a gym and so the window had horizontal bars creeping halfway up.  I stared at the rays that passed through onto the floor and saw the floor with patches of light and shadows.  Then I looked higher and followed the light coming in through the open part of the window without bars and how the light easily filled the floor and expanded out across it.  This window was me.  This window was me this summer.  God was telling me that this job will make me want to put up bars.  I will be tired, stressed and frustrated.  I will want to be angry and want to be selfish, but it is not the time for that.  I can not let Satan put a wedge into my summer.  I can not allow for bars to build up in me.  This is not a summer for shadows to be cast upon Denver.  This summer is for me to be open about God and to be open about who I am in God and for his light to shine openly and freely so that it can not be contained or downcast.   As these thoughts were flooding my brain and I was speaking with God to let me rely on him and live in love and compassion, he put a song in my head that I could not stop singing.

Lord let your light, light of your face shine on us

That we may be saved

That we may have life

To find our way in the darkest night

Let your light shine on us

Lord let your grace, grace from your hand, fall on us

That we may be saved

That we may have life

To find our way in the darkest night

Let your light shine on us

Lord let your love, love with no end, come over us

That we may be saved

That we may have life

To find our way in the darkest night

Let your light shine on us

All throughout yesterday and today, while meeting with these different leaders and facilities and seeing where an impact could be made, whether it be a direct impact of working with children in the projects, or the elderly in a home, or indirectly in packaging food or cleaning a warehouse, I was praying that God continue to move my heart to work for Him and His Kingdom and that he could not be denied by this community.  He placed a song on my heart this one is by Chris Tomlin.

You're the God of this City 
You're the King of these people 
You're the Lord of this nation 
You are 

You're the Light in this darkness 
You're the Hope to the hopeless 
You're the Peace to the restless 
You are 

For greater things have yet to come 
And greater things are still to be done in this City 
Greater thing have yet to come 
And greater things are still to be done in this City 

For greater things have yet to come 

There is no one like our God 
There is no one like our God 
And greater things are still to be done in this City 
Greater things have yet to come 
And greater things are still to be done here

God is anxious and jealous for these hearts here and what an honor to be a part to soften them and focus them towards him.  I really feel this summer is a part of my preparation for lifelong ministry.

...then the master must take him before the judges.  He shall take him to the door or the doorpost and pierce his ear with an awl.  Then he will be his servant for life.   

Exodus 21:6

On a side note...this just popped into my mind... I do not find it coincidental, rather all of God's workings, that all of the partner organizations I am working with this summer are led by WOMEN!!  How encouraging is that?  I can be built up and learn from strong women working hard and also share my life with them.  I think it's great.  Not only a summer full of God's working, but daily fellowship and interaction with women in leadership. Praise God!