So sad

Every day it seems like there's at least one small moment when I whisper to myself, "I can't wait for the all the sadness in the world to be gone."  "I can't wait for all the broken things of the world to be fixed and made whole."  "I can't wait for complete goodness and rightness."

In recent days, however, those thoughts have become much more than one small whisper-to-myself-moment.  It's the constant thread.  I can't stop thinking about it.  I can't stop longing for the tears to be wiped away.  I can't stop longing for the liberation of enslaved girls.  I can't stop longing for goodness to reign.  For evil to be condemned and punished.  For unfilled dreams to finally be realized and fulfilled.  For the lame to walk and dance and jump.  For the mute to talk and yell and sing.  For the blind to see and behold the greatest glory of all.  For the deaf to hear the most beautiful words ever spoken.  For broken hearts to flow with life again.

Dreams I have dreamed.  They will go empty.  Visions I've had.  They'll never be fulfilled.

Hearts that should work.  And they don't.
Some of my dearest friends in the world, Ben and Shaina, with a 3 month old baby.  With a heart that's not working like it should.  It was created to bring life.  To sustain life.  Her name is Chaia, which is Hebrew for LIFE.  She should have life.

But, in this world, death and poison and unrightness and weeping and "not supposed to be this way's" have tainted and twisted.

Dreams unfulfilled are a letdown.
Hearts don't work like they should.

And it's sad.  I feel sad for the way things are.
I feel sad for the mess and poison my own hands have created in this world.

I am sad.
All I can do is hope.  This world makes me sad.  There's not much hope for a better tomorrow here.  It keeps getting worse.  The days keep getting darker.  And the sadness drives deeper.

I don't hope in today.  I can't find hope in tomorrow.

But faith is saving the world.  Faith in a King.  in a Good King.  in a King who will reign with goodness.  with justice.  and grace.  and sweetness.  in a King who has power.  in a King who loves.

in a King who makes the dead hearts beat again.  who unlocks the shackles on the feet of women in the brothel.  who feeds the greatest feast ever to tent city.  who hugs the fatherless.  who gently lays a hand on the beaten.

I'm longing for the King's return.
But in the meantime, may faith be the hope offered to the world.  Faith is beautifying the world.


Chaia Update from Wadsworth UMC on Vimeo.

Chaia is a warrior.  Her parents are heros.  God is saving the day.

Kick off

It seems like, for me, blogging comes in seasons.  Fall, winter, and spring -- I'm full of thoughts and stories to share.  Summer, however, the ol' blogspot is hardly an open tab on the computer.

But as summer fades to fall, it seems Wags' seasonal blogging days are ahead of her.

To kick off such a season, there could be no more appropriate video.  Enjoy:

And may the countdown to Saturday noon begin...

Colorado rendezvous

2 weeks in Colorado looks a little something like this:

my summer has felt a bit like this:

A Glimpse into Wildwood

A brief photographic recap and glimpse into Wildwood Summer Project 2011:

It's all happening

Staff Arrival: check.
Staff Orientation: check.
Student Arrival: check.
Student Orientation: check.
Summer Project: happening.

121 E. Maple is filled.  Filled with 45 college students.  Filled with laughter.  Filled with rich, meaningful conversation.  Filled with games of Apples to Apples.  Filled with sweet grace and with precise truth.

We have a great staff team, who I just continue to find myself enjoying.  We are a totally low-key/low-maintenance group -- which I am loving.  We had a great week of just staff together; we formed a sweet family with one another.  We welcomed our students into an already-family.  And our students are a blast -- relational connections are being formed, significant conversations are happening, and steps of risk & faith are being taken.

Too much ice cream has been consumed.  Wawa has become a dear friend quickly.  I'm wishing Floody's Grill was still around.  Every day has been characterized by sunshine.  And did you know there are just as many stars in the galaxies as there grains of sand in the world?  That's been blowing my mind.

En route...

Tonight the boardwalk sits empty.  

The shops haven't opened, the ferris wheel has been stalled for 8 months, the games sit quiet, and Curly's French Fries' smell has waned to a minimum.

But tonight, I will arrive in Wildwood.
After 6 months of planning and praying, I will finally arrive in Wildwood.  I'll sleep at 121 E. Maple St. for the first time in 5 years.

It seems a bit surreal.  I'm currently en route and I can almost already smell that distinct ocean smell once you cross from the mainland into Wildwood.

If you are the praying kind, would you pray?
Pray for my summer.  I am nervous.
Pray for our summer.  We want to love.  and love well.

 ... In just a few days the rest of our staff team will arrive -- we eagerly await them!
 ... In just a few more days, 50 students (from across the country) will make their summer home with us in Wildwood, New Jersey.
 ... And in just several more days, the Wildwood boardwalk will open, and hundreds of thousands of people will fill the town with life.

We believe not one person will enter this town by mistake. 

May souls encounter the divine this summer.

And may Wildwood make its way into peoples' hearts as a remembrance for things witnessed and encountered.