Life, and lots of it!

"I came that you might have life and have it more abundantly"
~Jesus

~Hello friends~

This blog is being written at the prayer room of my newest abode. I speak of my recent move-in with Rachel (look out, Ray, here I come!) to her central Sioux Falls location. God is good. I could go many directions right now in explaining where I am at, what I am doing and what my Father is teaching me and working in my heart as He fashions it as He so desires :). I will try to touch on all of those areas as these reflections skillfully flow through my fingers. Hopefully.

 Back in March I moved out of my beloved Brunz family's home and camped out with my 1st family for three weeks. This time it wasn't in Arizona or even Beaver Creek, but in a 4 year old home on the eastern edge of Sioux Falls. This lovely home became their possession beginning of March (which is a whole roller-coaster of a story for another time) and they are delighting in the freshness of it as well as the great location and SPACE. It has much space; 7 bedrooms, manifold closets and my mom's favorite--the soaking room. Family devotions, relaxation and restful Jesus music can be found therein. I love watching my family fill and subdue this home and be so blessed by the Heavenly Father with many conveniences. Their dream (which they are already living) is for the place to be a haven where people can come in and be loved. I would call it "My Father's House". You know the one they sing about: the big, big one with lots and lots of food and a big yard where they can play football? That's right. All that and more. They have already had many visitors, a dedication night and several worship nights there and it has proven to be wonderful.

 Undoubtedly this would be a great place to live and with my wonderful family it would be amazing. However, when I parked my almost car-full of stuff in my family's guest room, I knew I wouldn't be staying long. My heart had been eying (what a great mental picture of a heart with eyes!) the BeFree home, where my sister Rachel has resided for almost a year. This place shared my heart and vision for this time of my life. Also, the central location just thrills me. I like being close to any action. :) God's gentle nudge was in this direction as well, and since being here has been confirmed over and over. For one thing, Rachel is going to a mission training school in Africa for 3 months and leaves on May. We were informed of that on my first morning waking up in her appartment. One obvious benefit is that I will be able to spend some sweet time with her before she departs. We have not had that luxury the past few months and I SO appreciate being with her more. Furthermore, after she leaves, (sNIFF) I will be able to help run this home.

 What is the vision for this home? Ah, that is what we have been pondering and discussing many hours last week and the previous ones. We want this home to be a loving community for women (and Denny, the man who lives here with his wife, Glenny) who are seeking to love God and each other and be a blessing to women who are exploited or vulnerable in some way. Included in the vision are dreams of developing our gifts and callings here, as well as music, arts and a place of great food and hospitality. A place where we love God and people. Where our heart is to see people through God's eyes and call out the gold He has placed in them. A resource for learning more about the heart of this kind of community is the book "A Culture of Honor". Love it. It was our first assigned reading for Gate School of Ministry last year and has largely impacted myself and my family.

 In my practical, everyday work type of life I can usually be found happily making drinks at Coffea. I love it here, and find myself learning many things from God in all the interactions with Jesus, people, dishes and yes, Coffee. My boss tells me I should dedicate a blog to all of my learnings about coffee that have applications for life. Haha, she gets to hear about it sometimes, but especially when I was starting out (thanks Jenna!). To digress I will share a coffee/relationship with God analogy. He was showing me how my love for people can be likened to espresso, which is coffee beans ground, compressed and forced by hot water and pressure through a filter. The result of the process (at least with our coffee beans and some skill) is a syrupy, delectable, flavorful 2 oz of concentrated coffee. Consuming this delicacy has been described as having "a pair of velvet pajamas" wrap around your tongue. Beautiful. Anyway, many elements and precise pressure is required for the shot to pull through straight, pure and true. This means a shot which tastes akin to the way the roasted beans smell and not bitter or sour or the cause of temporary facial distortion. When I was first learning about such coffee things I was also learning to love when the love is not reciprocated, but rather rejected and my love was being tested. My love wasn't pulling straight, pure and true however. Like an espresso shot with lumpy, unlevel grounds, my love "shot" was coming out twisted and sour. With some even pressure in the right places from Father, He has been purifying my love and causing it to flow straight, with more of His sweetness and character coming through, regardless of what I am receiving from others. After all, His goal for all of us is to conform us to Jesus' likeness, the perfect representation of His love on earth. Does pressure feel nice? Not always, but when our Father allows it in our life it brings awesome results. I have also been enjoying the simple things in life in this new world of coffee nerds (which I am becoming perhaps). It has been a delight to learn how to steam milk to the proper temperature with the right amount of savory micro-foam. Also, to pull espresso shots my manager calls "beautiful". Not to mention the thrill I get watching the customers enjoy themselves and the enjoy the goodness I had a part in preparing just for them. These and many other small things I thank my Father for. It is good to be alive. :oD

 On nights or days off I can be found walking, working out, spending time with Jesus, praying with lovely ladies, discussing community and laughing or crying with Rachel and Denny and Glenny, eating popcorn, singing and worship among other things like swing dancing. Or possibly breaking out in dance in unusual places. Tuesday nights continue to be major highlights as well at Gate School of Ministry. Here we are learning about our relationships with God, people and ourselves and who we are as sons and daughters of God. Also woven throughout the curriculum are stories and testimonies on how God breaks into the everyday with supernatural expressions of His love. Some are shared from our classmates and others are given by our speakers from Bethel School of Ministry in CA via recording. This class contributes to my faith in what God wants to do even through His children as He causes His Kingdom to come and will be done on earth as it is in Heaven. How difficult it is to summarize class, but that will have to suffice for now.

 Increasing responsibilities and relationships, other challenges and unknowns also arise in life. My biggest giant currently is anxiety. This morning I woke up with dread tinting my day. All the things that I needed to do and the people I needed to get back to seemed stacked before me like a pile that screamed "TOO MUCH!" All that I had committed to and told myself I needed to do was lumped into an impossible tangle in my mind. When I brought it to the Father He reminded me of what He once told Martha; that ONE THING was needful, and that was being with Him. Learning from Him. That was what my life is about--oh yeah! Freedom. So even though it makes no sense based on what I know about God, it is a continual battle to believe that God loves me and will empower me to do all the things I need to do. That includes helping me let go of the things I cannot do. Or even should not do. As humans we have limits right? *happy sigh*. That's right, and that is ok. He doesn't have limits and is working all things together for the good of those who love Him. Maybe I need to take some time right now to let that sink in again and just love on Him as He loves on me. He is good!

Many blessings on your day.
Keep me updated on your lives as you are able!
-Brooke

"I came that you might have life and have it more abundantly"
~Jesus