#WarOnGrumbling Day 3

Today I'm thankful for jail calls.

Nothing touches my hood momma heart like hearing from my kids in jail. The fact they remember my number and reach out to me never fails to make my day. Sometimes they want to talk about their upcoming court case, some want to share what God is saying to them, some want to know about their homies on the outs. No matter what, they know they're going to hear that I love them and even more importantly God does infinitely more. 

This evening I heard from one of my long lost ones. The last time we talked, he was being disrespectful and I told him I wouldn't tolerate the way he was acting. Today, almost a year and two jails later, he called to chat. I got to affirm to him that even though he'd made a mistake, he is indeed loved and lovable. That the Father uses me to display His heart towards these young adults astounds me. And for that I'm truly grateful.

#WarOnGrumbling #40DaysOfThanksgiving

war on grumbling day 40

Day 40

I'm thankful for the fragrance of my Hallelujah. #WarOnGrumbling #40DaysOfThanksgiving 

Today was one of those days when I get to marvel how God uses and works through me. I'm still not 100 per cent better from a chest infection, but I had lunch with a young lady I'm discipling and met with the chaplain at  the Manitoba Youth Centre about doing one-on-one jail ministry. Later on, we had dinner with a young man whose entire life has been consumed by hard drug use and ran into a lovely young prostitute I'd encountered several weeks earlier, and were able to love on and pray for both.

This life walking with Jesus is rewarding and rich and hard too. But it's on days like this, in the middle of my own struggles, that I can't help but praise Him and love Him even more than yesterday. I may not be partaking in American Thanksgiving today, but I'm grateful to declare Worthy is the Lamb who was slain.

How gracious is My redeemer, King Jesus, the Son of the Highest //

What could I possibly give to You, but the fragrance of my Hallelujah //

Praise be to the Wounded One // Glory and honor to the Son //

We ascribe worth and give love to You Lord //

Let the fragrance of our love go forth

war on grumbling day seventeen

 Day 17
I am thankful that I have overcome by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of my testimony
#WarOnGrumbling #40DaysOfThanksgiving

Tonight I shared my story of the darkness and my salvation with the young men and women incarcerated at the Manitoba Youth Centre. I don't think I fully realized the power of a testimony to connect people until I looked out and saw their flabbergasted faces. 

My story is very much one of a little girl and young woman, but it was the boys who were most moved and several came and thanked me for my honesty. Afterwards, one of the girls was prompted to talk about her stillborn baby and one of the boys -- who has a speech impediment -- spontaneously wrote and shared a spoken word piece about how he's learning to believe in himself. 

It was beautiful and redemptive and a powerful example of Revelation 12:11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death.

O how I love this man Jesus and how I will follow Him to the ends of the earth.

Power in hand speaking the Father's plan //
You're sending us out light in this broken land //
We will overcome by the blood of the Lamb //
and the word of our testimony, everyone overcome