Gwen's Questions are a Sign of the Kingdom

The Hi Life. No Legal or Illegal Drugs Were Consumed. Just Good Food

We got to sit down to eat with some sweet friends from Arlington who came all of the way to Seattle to see us. Maybe not just to see us (there was a cruise ship waiting to whisk them away to Alaska), but it was sweet nonetheless.

Gwen looked at the owl covered lunch bag Adrienne brought for our little picky eater and asked where we got it.

"We got it second hand. Someone gave it to us"

I was surprised at how interested our server was at my little girl's food carrier, but she went on to explain. She explained that she looks for fun things like pink owl lunch bags on a site where people in Ballard (her neighborhood in Seattle) give away things for free. Its like an ongoing, online swap meet. She said she likes to give things away, too, because it helps her "relinquish."

Most people don't talk about "relinquishing." When they do, there always seems to be an interesting story behind it. So, we started talking to her about why she wants to "relinquish."

I will spare you most of the conversation, but, to sum up, Gwen shared how she is a "spiritual" lady who does not want to be cluttered with stuff. As someone who just moved, I get "cluttered," for sure.

Thankfully, the restaurant wasn't crazy busy, so she could spend some time with us and talk about "relinquishment" and "community." She said her spirituality didn't need any religion, but she loved that she lived surrounded by people that would help her along her path, even in the little things of taking the things that she wanted to give away.

I briefly shared with her that I could appreciate so much of what she was saying because we came to the city, in part, to live in community similar to what she was describing, but centered on Jesus. She was very kind in her responses, but it was clear that she didn't want to hear much more than that...or so I thought.

We said "thank you" to Gwen and we were waving good-bye when she ran up to us at the door to talk one more time.

"Please, tell me a little more about why you are here and what your church is about."

That stunned me. Most people run from that conversation. She longed to hear more.

So, we got to share with her that we long for heart connections with people too and that we want people to walk alongside us as we "relinquish" the things that hold us back. The difference though, is that the only way to thew community our hearts long for is first to be transformed to center our lives on Jesus. We got to share that real relinquishment comes when we allow God to transform us.

I wish the conversation was as neat and tidy as I am portraying it to be here, but I am trying to describe what I saw in the face and heard in the words of Gwen that night: I saw the Spirit of God speaking to the heart of our server in a way that completely surprised me. He was whispering to her in a way I could never describe, but it was an obvious sign of the kingdom for me.

We left the conversation that way after giving her our contact information. Pray with us that she will connect with other believers. Hopefully it will be us.

How Many Owls Can You See in This Picture?

God uses donkeys, stutterers like Moses, fearful people like me, and a little girl's owl lunch bag to show that he still seeks to save the wanderers...and to reach out to a precious woman named Gwen in Ballard.

Sign of the Kingdom: Jesus Still Serves through His People

Really, if you think about it, it does not make any sense. They left their home for a week to come to Seattle when they could be celebrating the fact that they aren't in school.  Who would fault them for playing video games, sleeping in and (maybe) filling out paperwork to get into their dream university?

As many people think of high school students they are often portrayed as self absorbed and lazy, unaware and maybe unwilling to give to anyone else. So, for a group of students to come to Seattle to serve at the Ballard Food Bank- and to do it with joy- doesn't seem to make sense. (Did I mention that they paid to do it?!)

There is something "not of this world" when a group of students (and their servant hearted leaders) gets up early to go make sure that people that they have never met get to eat that day. It is a sign of God bringing his kingdom.

What is really "not of this world" is that they did all of this, not from a heart that says "Look at me and how great I am," but with an attitude of joyful, sacrificial love. Don't get me wrong, they are by no means perfect, but the heart that Jesus has given them- His heart!- overflowed in practical service to people who are not used to be treated with authentic kindness and respect.

This group was here to serve alongside Vona Church that my good friend Wil pastors. Wil has counseled all of us that the best way to wisely love the people of his neighborhood in Seattle is to serve them with the attitude of Jesus so that their hearts might be stirred to ask "Why are those crazy people doing that?" (Note: not his exact words) They may not want to hear about Jesus at first, but there is a quality of that kind of love that makes people wonder. Serving others in a world that overvalues those who "deserve" to be served is a sign of the way the world should be...a sign of the kingdom.

A mature lady came to me and asked me all sorts of questions about the students and Vona Church. She was VERY skeptical (to say the least) and asked me questions that revealed that she had been hurt in the past by those who called themselves "Christians." But, interestingly, she was asking questions. She saw something in those students that made her search her heart more than what was comfortable for her. She HAD to know what they were about. I simply told her that those students were expressing the heart of their Savior that he had given them. She scoffed as she walked away, but she also left wondering. The expression on her face showed that she encountered something she couldn't quite explain...and definitely couldn't explain away.

It is a sign of the kingdom that a group of students would joyfully sacrifice time they could be playing  to genuinely serve with the servant heart of Jesus. That sign spoke loudly to me and to at least one hurting woman who longs for something better than the life she knows. Our God often shows signs of his kingdom so quietly that we might almost miss how he is pointing us to the better world he is creating in the midst of a selfish world. He is quiet in that way, but, when we notice, the sign is too loud for us to ignore...and we wouldn't want to ignore it.

"In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven." (Matthew 5:16 ESV)