Following the Call

I have a friend who lives in one of the worst neighborhoods in Chicago, on purpose, because God called her to minister to the poor. (And frankly, it’s hard to do that as a commuter and have people take you seriously). So she lives in an apartment with bullet holes in the front window and drug dealers on the corner.  She’s taking territory for the kingdom every day by loving her neighbors. I look at her life with awe and admiration and wonder if I could be that obedient to the call of God.

I have another friend who recently took in a foster child. She and her husband and four kids thought this little boy would only be there temporarily, but it looks like he’s there for a while. They said yes to God’s call even though they didn’t know all the challenges doing so would bring. And they’ve fallen in love with this four-year-old, which may mean their hearts will be broken someday down the road. Again, I watch and wonder. Because I’m not doing such radical things, I feel like a faith wimp.  But I’m also relieved that God is not asking me to walk that same path.

What is God calling you to do? Are you scared to even ask, because then you might have to follow where he leads? I, for one, sometimes hesitate to give God all out devotion, for fear he’d send me to Africa or the inner city. That he’ll upset my apple cart, which is teetering as it is.

But sometimes, God just chips away at your heart until you surrender, and just keeps showing himself trustworthy and kind until you give in and say, Okay, what do you want me to do?

And when he tells you, what do you say? How do you respond? Because he never reveals the whole plan—in fact, if you’re like me, you’re probably wondering if you heard his call correctly. What if it’s not foster parenting or inner city ministry? What if it is not what you expected or what others would even consider a sacrifice or “a calling”? What if Jesus just shines a bit of light on the next step, and tells you—step here. Walk this way. Never mind where we will end up. Just know that I’m walking with you.

God’s calling me, so far as I can discern, to make some changes in my life, my career. Pulling me, step by step, out of my comfort zone.  It’s still new and uncertain, so I can’t explain all the details yet.

At first, when I heard this call, I cried and protested—I would rather things stayed the same, or perhaps that God would force others to change, not me. Because where he seems to be leading me, I really would rather not go.  God seems to be asking me to make changes I’d prefer not to make, to face challenges I don’t know that I’ll be able to overcome. I wonder sometimes if I'm mishearing that call.  I ask myself "how does one know for certain?  But He keeps flooding my heart with his presence, reassurance, and a confidence that is not my own.  And when you taste that kind of thing, you want more than you want the safety you left behind.

And then, just in the nick of time, as if to dispel those doubts, angelic reinforcements in the form of friends and opportunities fall into step beside me, and I’m carried along, following his call despite myself and my doubts. He keeps shining that light on the next step, and I keep pulling back, asking where we are going. He just smiles, reassures me that he is with me. And that’s enough to help me put one foot in front of the other.

What step is God asking you to take, that maybe you don’t want to? What if stepping there is a step closer to him? Wouldn’t that be worth it?

Simple Compassion

This is one of our new features in the newsletter—please hit reply and tell me what you think of it, and share your own Simple Compassion story. I’ll post the best ones on my blog!

Anyone who has read Gary Chapman’s classic book “the Five Love Languages” knows that different people give and receive love in different ways. Some feel loved when they hear encouraging words, others prefer a tender touch to express affection.

My love language is cooking. I express kindness, affection and generosity by cooking. So tonight, I made dinner for my family, but doubled the recipe to make enough for my neighbors Jeff and Heather, who recently had a baby.

I’ve been meaning to bring them a meal for a while—their little son is now five weeks old! And part of me was embarrassed to be showing up so late—even though I came bearing pork chops.

My act of Simple Compassion for today was to bring my neighbors dinner, better late than never. I’ve been making excuses to myself about how busy I am, and I finally set those aside, and made two pans of pork chops with onions and apples, which cooked at the same time!

Compassion doesn’t have to mean serving at a soup kitchen (although that is always a good idea.) It could mean bringing a meal to someone in your suburban neighborhood. It could mean visiting someone who’s lonely, or taking time to look in the eye of the checkout clerk at the grocery store and give a smile.

Do you have a “better late than never” compassion story? Let’s hear it!

Quotable

“Maybe life is tough right now, and everything feels like a struggle. God has allowed hard things in your life so you can show the world that your God is great and that knowing Him brings peace and joy, even when life is hard.”

                                                                ~Frances Chan, Crazy Love

Book Review

The Help
by Kathryn Stockett
Putnam
Retail Price: $24.95
Amazon Price:  $13.52

What an amazing book. This story, told from the perspectives of three women living in Jackson, Mississippi in the early 1960s, gave an inside look at the civil rights movement, but also what happens when women dare to make a difference by telling the truth.

It’s the story of African American women (the help) who worked for white women in the South. While blacks were no longer slaves, they were definitely second-class citizens in that time and place.  When some of the women decide to speak up and tell their stories to a white woman brave enough to write them down, things get interesting.

Part of becoming a more loving and compassionate person is learning people’s stories. And one of the best ways to change the world is to tell your story, and listen to others’ stories. While this is the story of some fictional women, it is the true story of the background of thousands of people in this country. This book shows the power of telling the truth about your life, even when it’s very hard. It also offers you a chance to understand the story that is a part of every African American in our country.

This book is an amazing combination of a great story that you could read by the pool (it's 444 pages and I read it in a weekend), yet be deeply challenged by.  I highly recommend it.

New Feature:  Book Contest

Win a copy of Simple Compassion, Keri’s newest book.

Fall is almost here. Many of you who have book clubs or bible study groups that took a break for the summer and will be reuniting in a month or so. Or maybe you’re thinking of starting a group.

Have you chosen a book to read? If you get a group together to read Simple Compassion, and let me know about it, you could win a free book! Here’s how: send me the names and email addresses of your group members (with their permission).  Let them know that they’ll be receiving this newsletter. And we’ll choose ten winners to receive a free book.

Also, if you lead a group through the book, you can sign up for FREE small group leader coaching. Reply to this email to learn more!

Keri’s monthly “For Your Soul” column provides encouragement and soul care for leaders. Check it out at:
http://www.christianitytoday.com/childrensministry/features/foryoursoul.html

If you are interested in having Keri speak to your group and would like to watch video of her speaking, go to www.keriwyattkent.com/speaking.htm and click on the link to YouTube videos. 

Check out Keri’s blog, Deep Breathing for the Soul, at www.keriwyattkent.com/soul/   You can read Keri’s latest musings on the connection between faith and real life, you can post a question about any of her books or other writings.

Keri is on Facebook and Twitter! Friend her, follow her, send her a message there.

Keri’s fall speaking calendar is filling up. It’s possible to “piggy-back” events near each other, so if you are located near any of the already scheduled events you may want to consider having Keri speak at your event on the same trip. For details, contact her atwww.keriwyattkent.com/speaking.htm

Sept. 14: Rockford, IL--speaking at First Free Church MOPS meeting. 

September 25: Downers Grove, IL—Rest: Living in Sabbath Simplicity keynote at event.

October 1-3: Junction City, KS—Listen retreat.

October 14: Indianapolis, IN—Simple Compassion keynote at church event.

October 16: Long Grove, IL—Listen keynote at church event.

October 22: Wheaton, IL—One of several authors speaking at event.

October 30: Chicago, IL—Simple Compassion workshop at Breakthrough Urban Ministries.

November 8: Marietta, GA—Rest: Living in Sabbath Simplicity keynote at event.