In Recent Days

Hello everyone!
I've recently started a crazy, whirlwind adventure, of which some of you know bits and pieces. So please consider this an update of sorts, as well as a prayer request.
About six weeks ago I had a phone interview with Susan Munsey, the executive director of GenerateHope.  She was looking for someone to come on staff to work with their brand new phase:  minors.  And as this is something that grabs my heart, we had excellent discussions and interviews, and I've now been on staff for about three weeks.  It feels good to be back in sunny SoCal!
GenerateHope is a non-profit that works with young women who have been sexually trafficked and exploited.  In some cases we have girls who have experienced the "slave" aspect TV may depict.  But for the most part, trafficking in the US looks a little different, involving young women who look like any other woman you see out and about.  She looks like your neighbor, the lady in the produce aisle at the grocery store, your daughter's friend.  These young women come in all ages, weights, colors, personalities, and from every type of family.  I tell you this, because in the US, sex trafficking usually takes the role of prostitution.  What happens when you hear the word "prostitute"?  My guess is that there is a stereotype that comes to mind, and maybe even a string of phrases come to mind as well:
"Why doesn't she get out of that and find herself a real job?"
"Put some decent clothes on."
"I'd rather die than sell myself."
"She could leave that 'profession' if she really wanted to."
"She's despicable."
Let me offer you a different perspective to the stereotype that is "out there" running through our society.  No little girls says she wants to grow up and work in the sex industry.  No young woman starts out thinking that selling her body is her dream.  Dig a little deeper into these womens' stories and you'll find that they sell their bodies--not because they want to--but because they've run out of money and resources.  Or maybe they were sexually abused as a child, or raped when they were young, and the message imprinted on them was 'this is all you'll ever be good for.'  Most of our ladies learned very, very early that they didn't have any rights to their body.  Couple that with physical and emotional abuse with a controlling, dominant person in their life, and you start to see how these girls have a major identity//value//worth struggle on their hands.  All it then takes is a predator that recognizes that desperation and that uncertainty of self-value in a woman, and that predator will use varied means to commercially exploit these women in the sexual arena.
Sobering stuff, huh?
Before you duck out because this is "just a little too much reality to handle right now,"  let me give you some encouragement.  (Whew, we were in need of some, huh?!)  When we expose the sin in the dark, we allow the light of Jesus to shine upon it and He can bring healing truth and restoration.  So let's shine some Jesus-light!

The first GenerateHope house is for young ladies ages 18-35, and has been open for 3ish years now.  They have a main house, a transitional apartment, and an education building on site.  The newest phase is the one I'm a part of, and that is a house for minor ages 12-17.  The average age of entry into prostitution is 12-14 (that's junior high, people.  Girls fresh out of elementary school).  We're hoping to reach these girls early and get them the help and healing they need.  Since I actually live in the house with these girls, I have to become a foster parent--whoa Bessie!  I've never envisioned myself foster parenting, but God nudged me right into this with surprising ease, so I trust He knows my skills and limitations and will use me anyway.
Last week I met with our foster organization for the first time, and they've been delightful.  I have so much relief knowing that they are Christian, and when they told me they'd be praying for me, I was so blessed.  It won't be a walk in the park, and they've told me a few horror stories.  I hope those won't be true for us here, but I'd rather be prepared than blind-sided.  *Gulp!*

"My" house is gorgeous, and sits on 15 acres of orange groves (organic oranges for Sunkist--fun, huh?!).  I'm hoping the beauty of the house and land helps the girls in their healing journey.  They've been so abused and broken, and it will be wonderful to lavish some goodness on them.  We don't yet have girls in the house yet (we have room for 4 girls), because we are waiting for the county to sign off on the house.  We've been waiting on that signature for about 8+ weeks now, which is a little longer than it normally takes.

On that note...here are a few specific ways you can pray for me, and for GenerateHope:
1.  We need the county's signature on the house!  That is all that is standing in the way of accepting girls right now.
2.  I have a slew of paperwork and documents to fill out and retrieve.  DMV, bank, insurance, medical, identifications/certificates--you name it.  I need patience, and in some cases money.  I fortunately will be reimbursed for most of this, but right now my bank is in Missouri, and I am in California, which causes some inconvenience right now.
3.  Our women are sweeties, but still come with baggage they're working on.  Some are stand-offish, others are defensive, some are angry, some shut down.  Please pray that I will love them well, and healthily, with good boundaries ,and lavish grace and truth.
4.  GenerateHope is faith-based, so I can live out my faith in God publicly in front of our young women, but they are not required to participate.  I'm asking if you'll be willing to lift these ladies up to God.  Pray for their healing, which ultimately only comes from Jesus.  Pray for theyr hearts to soften towards God, and to understand God's love for them is complete.  Some girls have backgrounds in church and faith, and sometimes that is a good thing, and sometimes its a negative thing.  Pray that God will reveal His Truth to them in a way they will grasp, and that they begin to hunger for Him.

Thanks for reading my mini-novel today!  Leave me a comment below if you have any questions or encouragement!
Much love,
Timmery

The Pursuit of Being Leaven-less

     I've recently been meeting up with a wonderful group of women on Thursdays.  We eat together, with conversation packed full with laughter and home made deliciousness.  And once we've {partially} worked the talkative giddyness out of our catch-up time, we settle in.  Together we're going through the Psalms of Ascent.  I know I am learning so much, both about the psalms, but also about these dear ladies.
     One lesson from about 10 days ago has been rustling around in my heart.
     You see, these Psalms of Ascent are about a pilgrimage, a journey.  Three times a year the Jewish men would pack themselves off to Jerusalem to celebrate 3 different Feasts.  Part of the journey involves recognizing where you are, and anticipating the goodness ahead, which has had me doing some self-inspection.  We learned that the first of the Pilgrim Feasts is the Feast of Unleavened Bread.  It began at the tale end of Passover and lasted for a week.
     I totally understood that unleavened bread would be a part of Passover--after all, it was an indication of the readiness of the Israelites to move when God said on that fateful night in Egypt so long ago.  But there is so much more goodness to unpack!  In Hebrew the word leaven means "sour", because it initiates fermentation.  As someone who enjoys a tasty loaf, a ciabatta, and definitely a foccaccia, I tend to enjoy that yeast and it's fermenting process!  And yet I had to pause when I learned how the ancient rabbi's considered leaven to be imagery of evil and corruption.  And what does leaven do?  It works it's way through and through a lump of dough, causing the mass to expand and grow.
      You can use just a wee little bit of that fermented dough to mix in with a fresh batch of flour, and you'll get a whole new loaf--that little bit of yeast will activate a whole new set of ingredients, causing them to bubble up and expand.
      It reminds me of how I can confess my sins to Jesus, and yet sometimes, sometimes I hold onto it just a little.  Like how I say I forgive, but maybe I hold onto that little bit of anger and bitterness.  I say I don't want to engage in that activity or thought process any more, but its there, and like a glutton I find myself right back at it.  That wee little bit of corruption I hold onto spreads all the way through me and blossoms.  It doesn't take much sourness to saturate the whole.  What would it be like if we were to get rid of our "yeast":  the gossip, the bitterness, the lust, the gluttony, the self centeredness, the carnality?
     You know how we take communion at Passover, just as Jesus did at the last supper?  How we break that unleavened bread and know that it is Christ's body, broken for us?  Well, just think about that--Jesus compares himself to that unleavened bread:  not sour, not corrupt.  Pure.  Blameless.  Sinless.
     I want that.  I want the leaven to be stripped out of me, every last bit.  It's probably a lifelong pursuit.  A good one though.

"This is Beneath Your Dignity"

**This post is an excerpt from Dan Miller's Newsletter**

As a Russian priest (1829 – 1908), Father John Sergiev first thought he wanted to be 
a monk in the remote areas of Siberia – but after a vision, he realized God wanted him to be a missionary right where he was – in the hustle and bustle of the big urban city of St. Petersburg.  While most priests remained in the safe confines of their cathedrals, Father John would go out into the noisy, dirty, crime-ridden slums and back alleys of the city.

He would find someone down and out in the gutter, sleeping off the effects of the previous night’s drink and activities.  Father John would cup his chin; look him in the eyes and say,“This is beneath your dignity.  You were created to house the fullness of God.”  Wherever he went, people found new hope and optimism because they discovered, or were reminded, of who they were.  Seeing ourselves in the light of who God made us to be is both exciting and contagious.

So, are you housing the fullness of God today?  If you are full of despair and hopelessness because of the current economic situation, I doubt there is room for much else.  If you are angry and resentful because your stocks crashed or you lost your job, I suspect that is what people will first notice about you.

Can you remember what you were created for?  When I hear people complain about how bad their lives are I’m going to start saying, “This is beneath your dignity.  You were created to house the fullness of God.”

Christmas Revolution

     This week I've been listening to a friend's sermon, letting it speak to my heart and soak into me.  He started a Christmas preaching series called Christmas Revolution.  This was a great encouragement to worship Jesus with my life this month rather than passively just exist through the month and events.  It would be easy to let life happen without examining it, to let my days run by without stopping to think, to praise, to worship, to see.
     When Mary and Joseph were making that 80-100 mile trek to their hometown of Bethlehem, it surely tugged at their heart.  The reason they were headed back was because that land was no longer theirs.  Land was life in their day, and you only got rid of your land if you couldn't pay for it any longer, or it was seized.  Caesar Augustus called for that census to know how to better tax his subjects--although something like 97% of them were impoverished.  Taxes in that day were around 80ish percent of earnings.  The steep rate of taxation, the long walk "home" because it was no longer their home, and the harsh reality that tax rates were likely to be hiked again were all cause for heavy hearts.
     Joseph and Mary were likely traveling with a group to ensure safety.  Yes, they were living in the time of the Pax Romana, that time of peace instituted by the Roman government.  When Caesar Augustus acquired new subjects, he ensured they would not revolt and start war by preempting them.  The best and the brightest, the strong and smart--men, women, elderly, and young--any that posed a potential threat were torturously executed on the Roman creation, the cross.  So many were executed that at times crosses were used twice a day.  A time of peace?  Yes, in the sense that no one was warring.  But this was not life-nurturing, hope-generating peace.  It was sanctioned terrorism and oppression.
      As they made the trek through these bleak circumstances, it's possible the travelers turned their talk to recounting stories of old.  As they crossed the Jordan they might have remembered how Joshua crossed with the Israelites on dry ground--in the middle of flood season!  But it had been 400 years since God had publicly been active in the Jewish nation.  God seemed silent.  Mythical.  More story than reality.  They were the chosen people, but it surely seemed as though they were the forgotten chosen.  They were a people in need of hope, of light, they were in need of a savior.
     Supposedly they already had a savior though.  The titles of the caesars were so grandiose and a dirty reflection of God's promise.  The Roman nation institutionalized the Imperial Cult--the worship of the caesars.  Caesar Augustus was named god while he was living, and as his father before him was deified, he was christened the son of god.  With his strong government armies and rule, he was known as the prince of peace, savior and lord.  People worshipped him.  Daily people greeted each other with the proclamation "Caesar is Lord."  People would meet together for times of caesar worship in groups known as ekklesias--the Greek word for church.  The twelve days prior to Caesar's birthday were known as advent--the celebration of his coming.  It was a time steeped in hardship with a hopeless worship of a man that was a far cry from the true God.
     In this culture revolving around this powerful, deified Caesar, the arrival of a Savior, the Prince of Peace, the Son of God would have been ground breaking.  It would have been a call for revolution.  Into this darkness, Jesus came, upsetting the idolatrous worship of the time and bringing hope and life.  Instead of taking and demanding, He gave and loved.
     "Behold, unto you a Savior is born.  Immanuel, Prince of Peace."
     I could go with the flow this season, or I can raise my eyes and recognize the radical Savior that was born to free me from the darkness of this world.
      Long live the King!   Forever will he reign!

Shimmering Bits of Possibility

(This artwork is by artist Kelly Rae Roberts)

      "You are gifted and capable beyond your wildest imagination.  You have not yet begun to explore all the ways you can make your life count for eternity.  Strength and dignity are your clothing.  It's time for you to drop your bucket deep down into the well of possibilities that you've been ignoring all these years.  Drop it all the way down and see what you pull up."
      ~Sisterchicks on the Loose! by Robin Jones Gunn