Garbage City

Today I was reminded of a trip I took about 8 years ago.

It was a missions trip to Egypt and Syria.    A 10-day journey filled with worship, ministry, baba ganouch, and spiritual warfare.    Before we left for the trip we spent weeks together as a team praying for each other and for those we would encounter.   We talked about the power of prayer, hearing from the Lord, praying for pictures or visions to encourage others, and praying against our own struggles and strongholds.   For me it was fear.   I knew that this trip would potentially be filled with danger.   We were going to a place where I was told, they did not like Americans, and where they certainly do not like Christians.  At the time, the wars and battles going on today were not waging the way they are now but in my heart I knew it was not something to be taken lightly.     A few days before we left the Lord gave me a dream that filled me with such peace that I knew He had heard our prayers and was walking with us.   

 I will never forget the feeling walking off the plane in Damascus after a 12 hour flight.   We were tired and a bit jet lagged and yet there was this tangible, heaviness.   It felt like a great weight, and magnification of a spiritual war.    I have never in all my life felt anything like it.    You would hear the sounds of the Muslim call to prayer multiple times a day….There were thousands upon thousands of satellites on buildings everywhere, covered in dust, that we were told had thousands of channels most of which were porn.   It was desert covered with historical monuments that served as reminders of the heritage of slavery and redemption of God’s chosen people.    It was like standing in the aftermath of a war, and yet having the sense that the war was still going on.  A spiritual battle that could not be seen but only felt.    I remember thinking in that moment, that suddenly all of my struggles seemed to be magnified, but yet at the same time all of my strengths were magnified as well, like a veil was lifted and suddenly there was this heightened sense of reality.    Was this because of all our prayers?   Was this the Lord showing us a glimpse of the spiritual world?   Was this the results of thousands of years of spiritual battles over God’s people and His territory?  Or perhaps due to a people more desperate for God because of real, ever present, life-threatening persecution?  Perhaps all of the above…

Over the next few days we were taken on a tour of many of the Egyptian monuments and churches.    We were blessed to have a Christian tour guide who took us to one of the most memorable and significant places I have ever been.   This place was called Garbage City.  It was a place that over the last 100 years or so, has provided a haven for many believers.    To bargain for freedom, Christians agreed to live in this town and collect trash from the local cities.   In exchange, they would be allowed to live and worship in peace.      When you drive into the town it is nothing but torn down, filthy buildings filled with garbage and filth.    It’s hard not to think “how can anyone live here?” but then you make it to the center of the town it opens up to this incredibly beautiful courtyard.   Surrounded gardens and thick sandstone walls, they gather together to eat, play and enjoy each other’s company.   On the walls are dozens of carvings done by 1 man who came to spend time there as a tourist and ended up staying for many years after feeling the Lord’s call.    He carved images from different stories in the Bible, telling such a vivid tale of victory and redemption with such beauty and power.   Within the garbage city community there are a few churches.  They meet multiple time s a week and regularly experience healings and miracles.   And in the center of the courtyard, a man, who does tattoos.    This tattoo is the Coptic Cross.   More familiar now perhaps as more and more refugees find a home here in America.   It is a sign of faith…a declaration of hope, and belief in Jesus Christ.   It is most often put on the right inner wrist so that when you shake someone hand it can be seen.    A few of us decided to get one that day.   In this little hand built station surrounded by loving, kind, grateful people who could not speak English but knew we were family anyway.   People who choose to believed despite their circumstances and challenges.  Who choose to embrace God’s goodness even if it means living with the trash of their enemy.  People with very little of worldly value but rich in faith.  I thank the Lord for my time there.   I thank Him for that experience because it opened my eyes.   And each time I see the tattoo I am reminded of those sweet people.   I am reminded that God still moves and works on behalf of His children.  I am reminded of redemption, and His ever present, ever working Spirit.   I am reminded that here in America where we are comfortable and safe, that sometimes we forget that the war is not against flesh and blood….That there is a battle raging all around us all the time.   That we must stand up and pray….Fight for this country and for our brothers and sisters in Christ who die everyday for Jesus. Romans 12:2

2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

In Christ Alone

I recently went to a ladies singer songwriter event called Girls Write Out where a precious group of ladies come together to worship, encourage and fellowship with one another.    This particular day I had not decided if I was going to attend.  I was caught between wanting to go and feeling the pull of daily responsibility and obligation.   As I was thinking about everything I had on my to do list I heard the Lord say "Olivia, you need to go this evening"....It's not often I hear the Lord in such a clear, unmistakable manner.   So I went.   No more excuses, no more hesitation.  

 This evening there was a couple from Scotland who came and spoke to us about their journey in music, ministry, and even real estate.     They spoke about the Lord's guidance and direction....how through complete faith, communion with the Spirit and recognizing and believing in who they are in Christ, the Lord opened incredible doors, and led them on a journey that has brought them into possession of a castle that they grew up spending time in as children.    This castle, to mans eye is magnificent and historical.   To them, it is a landmark of the Lord's presence.   The start of something their country and even the world desperately needs.     A space where the Lord is in control, and able to move in power and glory, drawing people back to Him and standing as a beacon of Hope and favor.     They had an incredible testimony of obedience in faith and resulting favor from the Lord.   It was and is not an easy journey, but a few things they said really stuck out to me.   They talked about habits and behaviors that cultivate a life of creativity, integrity, and honor.   learning to speak life, rather then death over others, situations, even yourself....knowing who we are in Christ and walking from a place of victory rather then striving from a place of defeat.   Walking im faith and trusting God to move, rather then walking blindly hoping the Lord will bless you after the fact.    Not entirely new concepts but admittedly hard to live out on a day to day basis.   It takes action....itentionality.   so i thought....maybe if i understood exactly what life i was speaking.   Exactly what inheritance i am owning, maybe it would help me to live it out each day....scripture says, from the mans heart his mouth speaks.  What do i believe in my heart about who i am in Christ?   Who i am because of Christ?   Who i am with Christ?

Here are some of the things the Bible says about who we are in Christ.

Colossians 2:10-We walk in fullness

10 and in Christ you have been brought to fullness. He is the head over every power and authority.

Ephesians 2:4-5-We have life in Christ

4 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.

Isaiah 54:13-14-Inheritance to Stand upon

13 All your children will be taught by the Lord,
    and great will be their peace.
14 In righteousness you will be established:
Tyranny will be far from you;
    you will have nothing to fear.
Terror will be far removed;
    it will not come near you.

1 John 5:18-Protection from harm

18 We know that anyone born of God does not continue to sin; the One who was born of God keeps them safe, and the evil one cannot harm them.

Ephesians 1:4-We are chosen and loved

4 For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blamelessin his sight. In love

Philippians 4:7-Complete Peace

7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus

Ephesians 1:17-18-Wisdom, Revelation, and Hope

17 I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit[a] of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better.18 I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people

Mark 16:17-18-Supernatural Abilities and protection

17 And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; 18 they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well.”

Philippians 4:19-Provision

19 And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.

Romans 8:17-We are made heirs to the kingdom

17 Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.

Romans 8:37-Overcoming Power

37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.

These are just a few of the thousands of verses that talk about who we are and what we have in Christ.   It is His word, His truth to stand upon.

I can remember moments in my life...specific moments, both good and bad, where things were said that marked me.   They bacame assigments i held as truth...things that held me back or gave me doubt where non should have been.   Things that caused me to pause where a pause should not have taken place....I want to replace who I, or others, say I am with the truth of who God says I am.   To live that out and shine that light on others as well.

We all need reminders sometimes when the world is pressing in a little to hard.   I know i needed this reminder.      

In Christ alone my hope is found,
He is my light, my strength, my song;
this Cornerstone, this solid Ground,
firm through the fiercest drought and storm.
What heights of love, what depths of peace,
when fears are stilled, when strivings cease!
My Comforter, my All in All,
here in the love of Christ I stand

In His Peace

There is something i have always struggled with.   Something i have never in my 32 years been able to reconcile completely.      How to be confident.    Let me clarify....It is easy to fake confidence.   To walk in boldness while inside you are filled with fear and doubt.     I have longed for true To believe in who believe I am without the need for confirmation from others.   To stand boldly in my calling and never need to question it.    I realize there are many things that go unspoken and that nothing is ever how it seems.   But this is a topic that for me has always been one of mystery.  I am going to be totally honest here for a minute.    I could never figure out how to be confident without being prideful....where is that sweet spot where you can walk in humility while still having boldness and authority?   This is particularly challenging with ministry.

The world expects you to be cocky.   To be prideful....if you are good at anything you are entitled to walk in a level of authority that flaunts your ability.   And while it can be easy to determine the self serving from the sacrificial in others, sometimes it can be hard to find a balance within yourself.   

Sounds like a silly problem maybe.    A mental hurdle perhaps.    Something that should not really be an issue.   I have tried to talk myself out of feelings if insecurity....telling myself that its ok to be confident in something i know in my heart I am called to.    And every. Single. Time.   Something happens that knocks me down a peg or two.   I know There is a difference bewtween humility and doubt.   Between understanding ones humanness and dependance on the Lord and self deprecation.    But how does one find a place where confidence isnt pride and humility isn't insecurity?      Is it even possible?

I recently got asked to sing on a worship team I haven't been a part of in over a year.    my first response was to be thrilled.    My second response was to be filled with doubt.....fear.   So much so, I actually had a few bad dreams.   Those dreams where everything goes wrong and you forget all the word and you wake up feeling exposed and humiliated.     I mean....Why had it been so long?  Was this a mistake?  Do they really want me there or is this a pity invite?   These were the questions going through my mind...the overthinking, overreacting, unconfident self of mine, could not come up with a good enough explanation.....The enemy was really messing with my mind.   And then...in a quiet moment, I heard the sweet whisper of the Father "Take my peace with you".   Peace?    Wait....what does that have to do with confidence?   Or does it have everything to do with it.....I realized in that moment that what I had contributed to a lack of confidence was actually pride showing up as fear.   Fear of rejection, fear of failure, fear of saying or doing the wrong thing.    Because in pride I am caring more about myself, and what others think of me then what I am being called to do.   what the Lord wants to do with the gifting He gave me.   The calling He, not man, placed in my life.   And I realized the truth is I am very sure of my calling....it's the circumstances in which He sometimes calls me too that cause me to pause.    And sometimes, what I thought was humility... was actually an excuse to hold back where the Spirit was telling me to move forward.    All of this....all of these struggles, washed away when I realized all I had to do was walk in His peace.

The word peace means "Freedom from disturbance, Quiet, Tranquility"    

We can walk without fear!    We can walk in boldness!   We can walk in His authority as worshippers and Christ followers because in His peace we find freedom!   And even if we face rejection, even if we face failure, even if everything falls apart, in His perfect peace we have all we need.    Every time this week, I have faced something I was unsure about, I have stopped and said, "in His peace....in His peace" and my fear, like a wave, subsides.    

Isaiah 26:3 You will keep in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on you, because He trusts in you.  

The Father's Love

I recently had one of those moments.....those moments where in my deepest, most sincere desires, i longed to be in the physical presence of Jesus.   To be held, covered like a blanket.   To look Him in the eyes and hear Him say "I love you".   I know He is always near, always present through His spirit but there are days that i wish He could wrap His arms around me like a Father with His child.     We are physical beings, created in His image.   I believe the Lord designed relationships, in part to fill that need.   And i know one day, i will get to run into the arms of my Savior.  

   But on this day, as i sat at my desk working, I struggled with the reality that this was not possible....I found myself telling the Lord how i longed for a God sized hug.   A few moments later i happened to look into our bank account and noticed that there was an unexpected deposit from BMI.   It was payment for a song i had written that was used in a tv show a number of times last year.   I had forgotten all about it, and well...it could not have come at a better time for us.   As i sat there i heard the Lord say..."I can't physically hug you but i know your needs.   I am near.   I am closer then you know and I know your heart"   

  I wept.     I wept because He reminded me I am never alone.   I wept because He hears us when we call.   I wept because He knows our love languages.     Because in that moment of unexpected provision, it was as though He reached out and wrapped His arms around me.   Not because of the money itself, but because in that moment of a need being met, I was reminded that the Lord knows us.   He knows us in ways we can and never will know ourselves.   Better then any person we will ever know, better then and love we will ever experience.  

As children of the Creator, He knit us together.   He knows what speaks to our hearts.   What strikes the most tender and meaningful places in our being.     He knows what we need and how we need it.    And if we are paying attention....if we are in tune with the Spirit...we will see those little things he does each day that show us love.

all the things we long for, He is more.   All the things we desire from others, He is more.   God is love.   We know love because He first loved us.    And it occurred to me, God gave His son for us, to die for us, as the greatest act of love the world has ever known.   And that would have been enough.   That single act of love would have required nothing else to be the ultimate and enduring picture of love and faithfulness.    It was enough to change eternity and show us how much we matter to Him.   And yet....He did not stop with that single act.  He started with it.....and the love story will continue for the rest of your life and into eternity.   I cannot wait to see my Savior face to face, but in the meantime I am so thankful that He knows just how to show us His love each and every day.

How deep the Father’s love for us,
How vast beyond all measure,
That He should give His only Son
To make a wretch His treasure.
How great the pain of searing loss -
The Father turns His face away,
As wounds which mar the Chosen One
Bring many sons to glory.

He is Enough

Have you ever had a dream?   A dream deep in your heart but you give up on it out of fear or doubt, allowing it to turn into a memory?   Have you ever felt unloved?  or unloving?   Perhaps abandoned by someone close to you or mistreated by someone you thought you could trust....left to feel like a part of you is missing.  
Maybe you feel like your joy was stolen...and every effort to retrieve it has been an exhausting, fruitless process.    Maybe it's discouragement....the dream that seems to be drifting farther and farther away on the sea of uncertainty.      Perhaps it's hardship.   Financial struggles that never seem to let up, pressing on your spirit making each day a little heavier.   Or health concerns that carry with them, fear and questions.   Or perhaps, like me, anxiety gets you.   Pulls you down until you can hardly enjoy even the smallest things without the unjustified, unsettling unrest.
Maybe you have prayed...Like Paul who prayed for the thorn in his flesh to be taken away.    

Paul receives this powerful, precious and pointing answer from the Lord...
"My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in your weakness".
2 Corinthians 12:9

A Few days ago, I was thinking about the time right before we moved into our new home.    For months I prayed that this would be a house of peace.   That everyone who entered it would feel the presence of the Lord and be at peace here.  The Lord has answered this prayer in so many ways for so many people, I am blown away time after time; however I still struggle with anxiety.   How can this be?  How can this house be house of peace and still I feel this way?
One night while talking to the Lord about this I heard the Him say to me "I am peace even when you don't feel it".   And it struck me.....He is peace, He is love, He is Joy, He is truth, He is Hope.....period.    And that doesn't change just because I don't feel it in this moment.   My emotional state does not influence or affect God's character.   If His presence is in this house, His peace is in this house.   Maybe I am simply choosing to listen to the voice of the enemy over that of my Father.  
 He uses us, broken, wounded, weak, full of pain and fear, He uses us.   And sometimes He takes away the thorn, sometimes He uses the thorn to remind us to look to Him.   To keep our eyes on Him.
The definition of Sufficient is Enough.   He is enough.    Regardless of how we feel, what struggles we face, what weaknesses we carry.  He is enough.     I hope to start my year, this new year....looking to Him despite how I feel and trust that He is enough.  He is sufficient for us.      

Choosing Humility

Recently I have been going through a period of questioning.     I'm sure we all go through these times....times where you wonder why you are where you are, what you would love to see happen in your life that just doesn't seem realistic anymore.   Dreams that perhaps seem impossible or distant...forgotten even.    The questions of why.     I was reading in Matthew 13 and came across this passage.      I have read it dozens of times, but something was different this time....

3 Then he told them many things in parables, saying: “A farmer went out to sow his seed. 4 As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. 5 Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. 6 But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. 7 Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. 8 Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. 9 Whoever has ears, let them hear.”

Jesus goes on to explain the meaning of his parable.

18 “Listen then to what the parable of the sower means: 19 When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in their heart. This is the seed sown along the path.20 The seed falling on rocky ground refers to someone who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. 21 But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away.22 The seed falling among the thorns refers to someone who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, making it unfruitful. 23 But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it. This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.”

As I was reading this I heard the Lord say to me ever so gently "Read this again and be honest"  Um....I know what that means.   Whenever the Lord has me read a passage a second time, it pretty much means that the Lord has something He wants to tell me.   So I read it again.   I realized that in my pride I had read through this passage assuming I was good soil.   I mean after all I love the Lord, I try to live a life of purpose and be a fruitful follower.   And while I know I'm not perfect, how could I be bad soil??   Then I noticed the description of the seed falling on the thorns....the worries of life?   deceitfulness of wealth?    How can it be that those struggles had totally passed under my radar.   Now I am going to be totally honest and vulnerable here for a minute....part of my struggle as a singer/songwriter is that, as you may also experience, the desire to be known.   the desire to be successful.   Success in the worlds eyes as a musician means to be famous.   To be wealthy.   To have hit songs, awards, and esteem.    And while I can tell myself I don't really care about those things, I would be lying if I had not thought a time or two hundred about all of the things I have yet to accomplish.   I mean, "why give such gifts and then not use them?", I would think.    I would be fooling myself if I did not admit my true motivation from time to time with decisions I have made or opportunities I have taken.     And while it certainly doesn't mean fame and fortune are bad things, and the Lord can and does use those platforms for His glory....I realized in that moment that for me, it had become less about seeking His purpose and plan and more about the platform.       Like somehow I was a failure as a musician if I did not achieve a certain level of success.     

That Sunday morning, I was on the worship team at my church.   We were in the middle of worship when I heard the Lord say:   

"Jesus chose Humility"    

I stood there....tears in my eyes, my heart instantly aware of just how weighty and yet simultaneously gentle this truth was.    I realized in that moment that Jesus, the Son of God, the mighty and powerful Messiah, could have refused to come to earth without a grand birth.   He could have demanded royal fanfare with musicians and a parade, surrounded by gifts and riches.  He could have required a castle with servants, and guards, to meet His every whim and protect Him from those seeking His harm.   He could have seen that everyone come to Him to be healed and travel across the land with their sick and dying.    He could have worn a golden crown rather then a crown of thorns....All of these things less then what He deserved, all of these things less then the glory He left in heaven.     But He instead chose humility.   He chose to be born in a stable, surrounded by hay, and animals.   He chose to live a life of a quiet carpenter, and He chose to walk the dirt roads with His disciples, finding those in need.   Spending countless hours serving and praying and healing.    Putting Himself below those He came for to the point of death.   He chose this because He knew...He understood that it would mean the ultimate glory for His Father in heaven.    He knew that God's ultimate plan of redemption could not happen any other way.    He knew, that the sacrificial life would lead to the salvation of every son and daughter of God.    And only through His humble life and painful death could we be with the Father.    

Who am I.....Who am I to think that what I "deserve" is more important then the Lord's purpose and plan with my life?   Where am I choosing my way instead of the Lord's way because maybe it just isn't glamorous enough for me?    Are the distractions and worries of this life turning into thorns?  Am I missing what the Father is doing?    This season, as I think on the birth of my Savior...I want to choose humility.     To be the good soil.    For His glory and honor and magnitude, get out of the way and let Him use me however He needs to use me.   To be more like Jesus.  Perhaps a crop is waiting to be sown, if I will choose to stop determining the ways in which the Lord can use me, and instead let Him use me right where I am.       

For someone else, from Somewhere else

I just stumbled upon this quote while looking through my Facebook feed.
"The Word of God is alive and active, penetrating and healing like a surgeons knife. If you aren't sure about the Bible's trustworthiness-Or if you have friends who aren't sure-just give yourselves to reading it.  Even if you don't believe a knife is sharp, if it is, it can still cut you"---Tim Keller.
This speaks perfectly to my thoughts as I was preparing to type this blog, so I thought I would share it.

So many times the Lord uses experiences and challenges we are facing to bring new revelation from scripture.   Things we've read a dozen times suddenly come alive when we are walking through difficult situations.   That is the power of the Holy Spirit in the living Word of God.    I experienced this recently while praying for my family.   They has been walking through some tough times...if you have been following these blogs I have spoken some about this.   One thing I sometimes struggle with when praying for others, if they are not themselves walking with the Lord, is the thought, what are those prayers doing on a spiritual level.   I do believe the Lord moves on behalf of others when we pray but it can be hard sometimes to see the fruit.    I felt the Lord recently lead me to start reading in the New Testament.   I had been lingering in the Psalms for a while so decided to start at the beginning, and turned to Matthew.    As I was reading Matthew I came to the passage below.   A passage I have read a dozen times but this time I stopped, stopped and questioned.  Stopped and re-read.   Stopped and listened.

Matthew 8:5-13

5 When Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him, asking for help.6 “Lord,” he said, “my servant lies at home paralyzed, suffering terribly.”

7 Jesus said to him, “Shall I come and heal him?”

8 The centurion replied, “Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed. 9 For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and that one, ‘Come,’ and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”

10 When Jesus heard this, he was amazed and said to those following him, “Truly I tell you, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith. 11 I say to you that many will come from the east and the west, and will take their places at the feast with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. 12 But the subjects of the kingdom will be thrown outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

13 Then Jesus said to the centurion, “Go! Let it be done just as you believed it would.” And his servant was healed at that moment.

 At first when reading this passage I did not understand why Jesus said that He had not found anyone with such faith in Israel.  What about this man was different?   This question in my heart prompted me to read it again with more intention.    As I read it for a second time the Holy Spirit spoke to me in a big way.   the first thing I noted was his tremendous humility.    Pointing out the fact that he had men under him, great authority and power and yet did not feel worthy to have the Lord enter his home.   Showing not only humility but great understanding of who Jesus was/is as the highest authority and power.  The second thing I noticed was that he came for someone else.   Not for himself or what the Lord could do for him....and not even a family member or friend but a servant.   A servant that anyone else might have simply left to die, he went to Jesus, and humbled himself for this man.   The third thing that stood out to me, was that this centurion, who had an offer from Jesus to come to his house "Shall I come and heal him?", had the faith to believe that Jesus could heal his servant from right where He stood.   That He was not only all powerful, but omnipresent.    In most other instances in Matthew where Jesus healed someone, He did so by touching them.    Or by them touching Him.   Yet this centurion, without having seen Jesus do a miracle from afar, had the faith to believe He could, and that He would.   And Jesus did, the servant was healed by this centurions faith...a faith for someone else, from somewhere else.  Jesus honored his faith, and made a point to state for those around them what an amazing faith it was.    I was so encouraged as I read this passage.   It's easy to become use to the ideas in the stories we have read so many times.    The truth of God's word can become almost taken for granted, for those of us who have thousands of years of post resurrection heritage of faith to stand on.   Years of Sunday school lessons and Bible studies and the like.... But in a way I felt like I was there with the centurion, as I read it the second, third, and fourth time.   Like I could see him kneeling down before Jesus with tears in his eyes.    Nervous and unprepared for the wonder and majesty of his king.    With bravery and trembling seeking hope for another man.   Not even able to look Him in the eyes but knowing in his heart that this man, this teacher, was so much more then a man.   A saving, healing, Son of God, who was willing and able to do a miracle right then and there for a person who maybe, was not even aware that any of it was happening....for a person who may not even have believed himself.       If his faith was enough to see the Lord move on behalf of someone else, then nothing should stop me from praying for those around me regardless of the circumstances.    Faith can move mountains.   Sometime those mountains are moved for someone else, from somewhere else.