Walking in the Light (from Becs)

You guys. What up? I just read this incredible article about the importance of being broken for others. It's called, "Walking in the Light" by F. Kefa Sempangi. All that I'll say about this article is that it has completely busted my paradigm that I previously had about communion. Also, it has convicted and prompted me to reconcile some key relationships in my life in order that I may continue to progress in my relationship with Jesus....so that I can continue to go deeper. and ultimately more like Him. I strongly encourage you to look this full article up, but for now I will give you a small excerpt:

"We must remember that, before we are a light to our neighbors and to the world, we are first a light to the home. Unless we are a light to one another -- to our families and to the body of believers to which we belong -- we will not shine at all. The light that is in us will turn to darkness. If we are to avoid the futility which comes when the blind lead the blind, if we are truly to walk in the with one another, we must first be broken.

There is a popular expression among the Revival Fellowship that describes this disposition in the life of an individual. The Ugandan word is Okumenyeka. There is no word just like it in English. It is a "broken" individual. To be broken is to have no pride, for where there is pride, there is no confession and no forgiveness. To heal a broken relationship , one must be broken; one must be willing to "give in;" one must not find his or her identity in always being in the right.

When Jesus fed the five thousand, he took five loaves of bread, blessed them, broke them, and gave them to the disciples to give away (Matthew 14:19). One brother of the Revival read this verse and then looked at me. "Until God breaks your will, he will never use you," he said. "You will only remain a nice loaf of bread." What Jesus did in feeding the multitude was very symbolic of what was going to happen to his body. To his own disciples he said, "This is my body which is broken for you.'

Unless we are broken, we are of no use to God. And unless we are broken, we are of no use to the community of believers of which we are a part. Hardly any of us can go to his own Christian community and say, "This is my body which is broken for you. I am laying all my professional skills, abilities, and economic resources at your disposal. Take them and use them as you see fit." We cannot say this, because we are not broken. We are too proud to give our lives to people who are not perfect. We want to find the perfect person and the perfect community, but we never find them. 

So, like Judas, we make only a partial commitment to the body of believers to which we belong , and we find our identity in our rebellion from them.

...I am learning more and more everyday what it truly means to be broken for the body of believers...the body of Christ. Man, God is so patient with me. 

I'll leave you with 4 pictures from today:

My co-instructors, Rachel's, bernese mountain pup. He remained in this position most of the working morning. Somehow he thought this was comfortable. I tend to disagree.

I receive a 15x20 photoprint of Walter (second from the left) and his best friends Dakota, Tyler and Will today. It is now hanging in my shed/bunkhouse/cabin/suite. Yea...what a goober.

I'll allow you to make up your own opinion as to the quality of this a Capella group. Strange poster at D&L music store that I captured earlier this evening.

And last but not least, tonight's sunset of which this image does not do near the justice it deserves. Wyoming sunsets mayyyyybe better than Oklahoma's. I never thought I would say that. But, there ya go.