Posted in General Posts by Jodi Greenlee on 2/7/2011
Here is the latest blog entry from my new web page:
http://newlifehome.wordpress.com
Please check it out and continue to follow me through that sight! God is doing amazing things in the Philippines and I would love for you to be a part of it.
Thank you for being a part of the journey last year that introduced me to what God would have me do next. If you subscribe to this and I haven't been able to personally tell you what God is doing, please contact me at lovecreationglory@gmail.com. I would love to chat. Also, please don't forget to subscribe to the new blog at the above website link. If you have stumbled upon this blog for the first time, please visit my new blog. You won't want to miss what God is doing in the loves of young men in need of redemption in the Philippines.
Here is my latest blog:
I woke up this morning smiling. I was greeted by the crowing of a rooster, an assortment of alarms and horns, words being spoken in a different language, and a street market business outside my window. But as I rolled over to try to go back to sleep, memories of last year came flooding back. And however inconvenient these sounds are early in the morning, they are quite endearing to me now. So, I just laid there and smiled.
I set out for the day with my hair wet and my flip flops and "missionary" skirt on. After being home for 5 months, I was concerned about how foreign culture would fit again. The conveniences and abundance of America were nice. But I have to admit that the sounds and the smells and the wardrobe, although less convenient than America, fit too. It was good to realize that both could feel like home.
Tomorrow I head out to Malaybalay and I could not be more excited to see the boys that have been on my heart since April 2010. It is hard to believe that this journey with them has been less than a year. I feel like I have known them my whole life. Maybe it is because when you love something so deeply it is hard to think of life without them.
I will admit though that there were times on my flight here that my chest felt tight and I wondered, "What am I doing?" I dozed in and out of sleep, watched a few movies, and then finally picked up a book I had bought for the journey, Ruthless Trust by Brennan Manning. I'm glad I did because it helped calm the knots in my stomach. In the forward of the book, Richard Foster describes trust as a familiar Saturday morning routine in his home. He would get up early and make pancakes for breakfast for his kids. He continued to describe that he never saw his kids stuff pancakes in their pockets or ask about the price of eggs or his ability to secure enough milk for tomorrow. As far as his kids were concerned there was an endless supply of pancakes. They lived in trust.
Manning further explains that craving clarity attempts to eliminate the risk of trusting God. Fear of the unknown path stretching ahead of us destroys childlike trust in the Father's active goodness and unrestricted love. I have no idea what is ahead. No idea what God will require of me. The path ahead is unknown but I don't want fear to destroy my trust in a good God. I love the adjectives that Manning uses, active and unrestricted. Yes, those are brilliant ways to describe God. I want to trust in goodness that is active, involved, intentional. Because it is. Psalm 38:8 says "He will accomplish that wish concerns me." I want to trust in love that is unrestricted and abundant and unexplainable and gracious and overflowing. Because it is. I John 3:1 describes his love as lavish.
Manning says that "trust is our gift back to God and He finds it so enchanting that Jesus died for love of it." I want my gift back to God to be trust even in the face of fear. I don't want to hide pancakes in my pockets.
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Posted in General Posts by Jodi Greenlee on 9/29/2010
September 28, 2010
Beaufort, South Carolina
I'm sitting outside of a coffee shop. Wednesday was the first day of fall and today, a week later, it actually feels like it. It is cool, not humid. And the sun warms you instead of cooking you. I love fall. So much. I love the break from the intense summer heat, I love the festivals, I love the brilliant blue skies, I love the leaves falling from the trees. The thing about fall on the coast is that most of the trees don't lose their leaves. I am sitting under a live oak and it looks just as full as it would in the middle of summer. Live oaks do actually lose their leaves, but consistently through the year. Hence the name, live because they always have leaves. This live oak is big, which means in it's many years the tree has gathered much spanish moss and resurrection fern, giving it a grand feel and appearance.
Resurrection fern, seen above in the forks of the tree, might be one of my favorite plants. This plant gives the oak depth and beauty. And provides a great spiritual parallel for how I am feeling today. Resurrection fern, as the name implies, can seemingly be raised from the dead. Water will make this plant come alive, the lack there of will leave it lifeless and panting for life. I didn't see this specific fern yesterday but today it is fully raised, almost pointing to the sky that brought the water and brought it back to life. Because yesterday it rained. A lot. Today, like the fern, I too have been resurrected. Not from the rain, but from the truth. From waking up and looker deeper. BIgger.
When I pulled up to the coffee shop, the sign that greeted me said "Wake up and smell the coffee." Clever. But it was almost an invitation for me to wake up to all that was around me. Since I have been home I have nestled into my bed weighted down by my fears and doubts. I was sad to leave the Philippines. Really sad. But I am scared to go back. Really scared. There are many things to accomplish, much support to be raised, and I am ill equipped for the task. So, I retreated into myself afraid of what is next. But the longer I sat outside under this tree, the longer I saw life in that tree. The resurrection fern and spanish moss invited life into that tree. They can almost seem burdensome to the tree weighing heavy on the limbs but neither are parasitic, so they don't harm the tree. Instead, they invite life. I realized that as I watched the cardinal, wren, and woodpecker take part in the life it offered. I realized then, there is more to this. I need to wake up from my slumber and see, really see, what is before me.
It would be easy to pass this tree and simply call it a tree. But there is more, so much more to it. There is life happening. I would have missed it had I continued to remain numb in my insecurities. It is the same for my life. I can remain numb to the obstacles before me, but like the moss and fern, they serve to offer greater things for the tree. Perhaps it is the same for me. I can continue to remain paralyzed by fear but if I look closer at the fear, what it is rooted in? My own shortcomings. My own insecurity. That isn't faith. That certainly isn't walking in the spirit that He has given me. A spirit of love. power. and sound mind. When I clothe myself in those things, I am able to wake up and see things for what they are. And they are so much bigger than I can ever imagine or dream. No eye has seen. No ear has hear. No mind conceived. Perhaps, therein lies the fear. The unknown.
My first job when I graduated from college was an environmental educator. I loved this job. It is by far one of my favorite jobs and it is where I learned about the live oak. Also, it is where I learned about one of my biggest fears. Snakes. I didn't particularly care for them. I thought, by appearance, that they were creepy and crawly and ew! But my first day on the job, I found out that I was going to have to teach about these creatures. And hold them. And let children hold them, all the while being confident they weren't going to devour me or the innocent children. In order to teach effectively and to not show my cowardice on the first day of my new job, right out of college, I held the snake. I did it through trembling hands and decided at that moment I would learn more about them. With each nugget I learned about this creature, I became more and more unafraid. Snakes were no longer unknown to me. And so I had no reason to fear.
My point is, I could have continued to look at that snake and be afraid of it. But there was something more important than the fear. Possibly my pride, who wants to be fired from their first job out of college? But I got to teach kids about God's creation. It was more important to me than the "what if's." I have plenty of "what if's" wrapped around this vision in the Philippines. What if I heard wrong? What if it fails? What if I can't raise the suport? What if I am not strong enough to help these young men? But there is something more important than the fear, God's love and making His name great. There is a great quote in the movie Princess Diaries that talks about this very thing. "Courage isn't the absence of fear. It is believing that something else is more important than fear. The brave may not live forever but the cautious do not live at all."
Pastor Steven Furtick, in his book Sun Stand Still calls this audacious faith. There have been many people throughout the Scriptures that consider God's promises more important than fear, and they had great reasons to fear. But they had even greater reasons for great faith, audacious faith. A great God. A God who is life and invites life. A God who is trustworthy and faithful. A God who doesn't leave you or forsake you. A God who loves you and wants the best for you. But he explains, that you have to train your eyes to look for it. You have to wake up and smell the coffee. Faith through fear. Security through doubt. Both open your eyes to see the potential to serve God, who is already at work on your behalf.
It isn't just a tree. Oh no! it is life. It isn't just mediocre existence we are invited to. One heavy laden with fear. Oh no! It is life. Abundant life. I read the same pastor's blog today and this is what I read: "When we calculate God's capabilities and limit God according to our logic, it insults His ability. It confines an unlimited God. You are not out of reach of God's arm. You are not the first to break the limits of God's abilities. Never forget that what seems impossible to us isn't even remotely difficult for God."
So, wake up and smell the coffee. It's already brewing. Take a deep breath and inhale the aroma!
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Posted in General Posts by Jodi Greenlee on 8/31/2010
August 31, 2010
Malaybalay, Philippines
The competition to win the Donald Miller conference is almost over. They are announcing a winner, maybe even tomorrow. I doubt that I will win. I thought I had time because of a little thing called a 12 hour time difference but I think the computer outsmarted me. Dang! Regardless if I win, his book still proves a great point about story. Any good story has a thing he calls inciting incidents. Things to overcome. Barriers. Hurdles. Every good story has them. It makes the ending greater.
I actually saw this played out in quite a grandiose way on Saturday. We had just come back from the jail. We were late for the scheduled dinner time so the houseparents had ours waiting for us while the kids watched a movie. It was Cinderella. The very end of it. It has been a long time since I have seen that movie. But to see it through the eyes of the kids at the children's home was something that I will never forget. The two mice are trying to get Cinderella out of her room to try on the slipper. It is a race against time and the cat. With each near miss of being eaten by the cat, the kids screamed with anticipation. When the mice friends tried to attack the cat, the kids laughed with delight. And when she finally got out and walked down the steps, they cheered. All 20 of them cheered. I was blown away. But it is a good story. Who doesn't like a good Cinderella story?
But here is the deal, when you are in the midst of the struggles it is hard. When you are the one locked in your room, waiting for your prince to find you, there seems to be no way out. This trip back to the Philippines has been great, but it has been hard. Meetings haven't fallen into place like I would want them to. Fitting into another culture isn't as easy as I would like to think. Thinking about what it would take to live here long term is a little scary. And then there is Renato. It is hard. There is not one thing here that is in my control. If I were honest, that is hard for me. I don't know where the land will come from. I don't know where the money will come from to build on the land. I don't know if the boys that I love so dearly will be able to actually be in the home. I don't know how to communicate without a translator. I don't know what people are saying to me or about me. I don't know who will work at the home to help it run and to build into the lives of the boys. There are more things that I don't know than I do know. And sometimes that is uncomfortable.
I am sitting in an internet café. The internet isn't actually working right now, but that is beside the point. The song that is playing in the background is The Climb by Miley Cyrus. And as I ponder what it will take to have this home up and running, I wonder what Miley Cyrus knows about the Climb. Really, what does she know about struggle and hurdles? I don't know her life so I can't judge. But I still wonder. I know the song was written for the movie, the Last Song. Where she had to "Climb" through the struggles of her dad's death. I watched that movie on the plane. And made a spectacle of myself with my tears. I couldn't stop crying. And it wasn't because of her award winning performance. It was because with that story line, the weight of the trip to the Philippines hit me.
I was in a window seat, which on a 13 hour flight is generally a good thing if you can sleep. But I couldn't so I watched this movie. And the hours and miles pass by. There was no turning back. And even today, as I sit and listen to Miley, there is a feeling that I can't really wrap my brain around. Yes, it is hard. But it doesn't change who God is or what He is doing. It just makes the story greater, and His glory shine brighter.
Here is what I mean. Renato showed up at Bible study that same night he said those things to us. I think I have a better picture of the father in the story about the prodigal son. In reading it, I certainly was fine with the celebration the Father had, but thought a good lecture better come right after the fattened calf had cooled. But that night when Renato showed up, I only wanted to hug him. The next day, he came to the children's home for the feedings we do for the community. He brought 2 of his friends with him. We went to go play soccer but he had one of the leaders tell me he wanted to talk to me. I listened as he explained his side of the story. Apparently there were some things lost in translation. He didn't understand why I was crying because he thought I didn't want to see him again. I explained my side. The whole time he was holding my hand.
It got even better when he told me that he wasn't sure of the exact date he accepted Christ the first time I was here, so he did it again the night before. Along with the two friends he brought with him that day. He came to church with us the next day. I sat beside him with the same grin I had on my face the day he came to pick me up from the airport.
This is going to be hard. My heart may get stomped on beyond recognition but I'm still called to love like God does. And that is a great love. And a rewarding love. Giving life is hard. Pouring out my soul is exhausting. Trusting when I don't know what is going on or how this is going to look is challenging. But it makes the story greater, and it gives glory to the Father. Part of Miley's song tells me to Keep the Faith. Maybe she does know what she is talking about after all.
To top it off, on the way to take Renato home tonight, the song he sang? The Climb by Miley Cyrus ... in perfect English.
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Posted in General Posts by Jodi Greenlee on 8/31/2010
August 31, 2010
Malaybalay, Philippines
We left Renato's house and tears were still streaming down my face. There was a brief moment I felt sobs coming, the ugly cry. I knew I couldn't cry like that, it would have to wait. I had to get to the jail. On the way there, I realized I wasn't sure what I was going to teach them. I was trying to coach myself through the fact that it mattered. I was questioning it at this point, with Renato's words still fresh in my heart.
We did review and then worked on some new words. I am so glad that we did because Jonathan did so well. He made me laugh and made me proud. There was a glimmer of hope that it really was going to be okay.
I had them get their homework out that I had them do a couple of days ago. I wanted them to answer this question: What does it mean to be a man? I have been reading a book called Raising a Modern-Day Knight by Robert Lewis that suggests our world is in chaos because men don't know the answer to this question. As I continue to read, I agree. And based on the boys response, it was proven to me. When the translator asked them to get out their homework, they all looked around kind of shyly. I could tell they were either confused or that they didn't do it. The translator told me that they didn't do it. There were only 3 out of the 10 that wrote something down. We asked to see their response and they reluctantly handed it over. I asked her why the others didn't do it, so she asked them. She then turned to me and said, they don't know the answer. I thanked them for their honesty and realized this author was right. They need to know how to be men.
Thankfully, William was with me and I asked him to share what it meant to him to be a man. He shared from his heart - his story, his thoughts, his challenges. And then he said something that I think is pretty profound. He said, "Men don't do easy." He continued to explain that when there is an option in front of you to do easy, men don't take that option. Whether it is character, integrity, morals, faith. It doesn't necessarily have to be hard for the sake of being hard, but men don't take short cuts.
William was saying this in light of Renato's option for easy. Renato even mentioned that it was too hard. And it is. Our culture spends much time on making things easy.- microwaves, hot showers and cars, to name a few. Isn't there even a commercial with a red button labeled easy? There is much pressure on men to be leaders and to be great. But they don't know how. Robert Lewis says that boys become men in the presence of a clear vision for manhood. And that is what is missing in so many. These boys don't have that. Renato's father is a drug dealer. So is Jokim's. Jonathan's father is dead - killed by his mother because of betrayal. Rene's uncle actually framed Rene, he is the reason Rene is in jail and Rene is innocent. These young men don't have an example, don't have a clear vision of what it looks like. They are left to make it up. And it just doesn't work.
Please pray that we can teach them how to be men. To paint a clear picture of what masculinity looks like and how Jesus, fully man, did it.
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Posted in General Posts by Jodi Greenlee on 8/31/2010
August 31, 2010
Malaybalay, Philippines
I saw the brilliant pink sky peak through the curtains and it invited me for a closer look. I got out of bed, opened the curtains to welcome the invitation and there it was. A dead bird. That isn't something that you generally want to see first thing in the morning. And for me, a bird lover, it was rather devastating. I talked myself through the circle of life as I watched ants already devouring the eyes. Little did I know the significance of that bird in the day to come.
I had my quiet time in my usual spot which overlooks the glorious mountains and now, the bird. I tried to maneuver myself so I didn't have to look at it but it was centrally located. My eye kept coming back to it, looking at the frailty of life. It was a young bird. I could tell by its color. I wondered what happened. Why this bird? Why my balcony? I know, it seems a bit dramatic for something that can be written off as the food chain. But I generally think there is more to life and its circumstances than we tend to think. Now, I don't think that the bird on the balcony was a sign that would change the fate of the day or the course of my actions. But I do think that it is worth pondering. So, I did.
And again, I was brought back to Matthew 10:29-31 -"Not one sparrow falls apart from the will of Your Father." It may seem insignificant, a sparrow, but it isn't. The Father knows about it and it doesn't happen apart from His will. And what the Father knows about, I want to know. I spent some time on His sovereignty. It was an unfortunate event, seemingly, but God knew about it. It wasn't out of His control. He is perfectly in control. Even in the lives of sparrows, that in Biblical times are sold two for one penny. You may not believe this, but the bird was a sparrow.
I'm still processing through His sovereignty, His goodness, His character. Perhaps I'll never be done with that. But I'm thankful I spent some time on it this morning. Because I watched one of His children walk away from Him today. And it was painful. I'm not sure if the fall of the sparrow this morning was painful to God because I know it all fits into His brilliant design of nature. His sovereignty. But I wonder just how massively God's heart breaks? If He has such great love and He does, I would imagine He feels great and massive heart break. I imagine it because I experienced a little bit of that today.
We went to get Renato today so he could join us for class at the jail. In hindsight, probably not smart to bring someone back to the place they just got released from but we are in the process of figuring all of this out. His house isn't far from the dirt road we traveled down. It is some what centrally located in the village. We walked up to his door and found Renato lying on the couch. He sat up as we came to the door but his usual smile was nowhere to be found. He didn't want to go to the jail with us today. I was fine with that. I was beginning to realize that the visits there, even for something good like education may be taking a toll on him.
I was about to walk away, content that I could teach him at a different time, a different day. But William asked if I wanted to talk to him. I was going to save it for another day, we were already late to the jail for class. Luckily Pilipino time is later than I am! I asked if I could come in and I sat beside him and asked how his heart was. He turned his head into his knees, covering it with his sheet. He started crying and I swallowed hard as I heard each word come out of his mouth. He told us that he didn't want to go with us anymore. He told us that he felt awkward with us and that he was comfortable with his friends from before. He told us that he had been hanging out with them and was going to continue to do so, doing the things they were doing.
The whole time he is talking, I am replaying the accounts of just 5 days ago. The words he spoke to me then. But I had to coach myself through the fact that he is 16 and he has been through so much in that short amount of time. I am sure there are many lies that hang over him - not worth it, rejected, unloved. And he is a baby Christian without someone to walk Him through what it means, how to act, what the Bible says, and more. So I was no longer amazed at that just 5 days ago he was singing a different tune, I was more amazed that he fought that long. I noticed something before he hung his head. The spot on his face was gone. I wonder if the spot was enough of a reminder of what he stood for, and now he didn't know.
I experienced a wide range of emotions. Mainly, I was sad. I knew he wasn't rejecting me, he was rejecting what he didn't understand and what was foreign to him. But I love Renato, as if he were my own and it pained me to watch him walk away from what I knew was best for him. I told him that I loved him. And there was nothing he could do that would change that. I reminded him that he knew where to find us, he has our phone numbers. I also reminded him to look at his arm every once in a while. When I left the first time in April he asked for something to remember me by. I gave him a bracelet (a friendship bracelet type) to which I have a matching one. I have kept it on since that day. And I wanted him to know that even though the color has faded and the thread is frayed, my love for him hasn't and won't.
I sat in the van on the way back into town and wondered many things. Mostly, What am I doing? Who am I to think that my love could change him? Or anyone for that matter? I wondered some of these things out loud and William reminded me at that point, that it wasn't my love that I was loving him with. Maybe that is why it hurt so badly! How was I about to walk into the jail and pretend like everything was going to be okay? How was I going to love the other boys like it mattered? Did it even matter? Then I remembered the sparrow. Not one falls without Him knowing. Not one. Not the one that was on my balcony. How much more is He aware and in control of the lives of His children.
God is sovereign and brilliant in his plans. I was reading a blog by Steven Furtick about Job. We remember Job for his miserable life. But the book doesn't end with that. The book ends with God's abundance in Job's life. He went through the misery to get to the abundance. Not every one does but He knows. He sees. And He knows what He is doing. He isn't losing the battle in Renato's life. He will use what is happening for His good. He certainly did in my life, when I walked away for a life that was easier and more comfortable and seemingly meeting my needs more than I thought Christ could.
I trust God, He told me to trust Him when Renato got released. I was afraid this was happen. But I still trust Him. Because I know He knows. I know His heart breaks. I can't begin to imagine the pain. My eyes are still puffy from the amount of tears I shed that day and that was 3 days ago. Jake Hamilton sings a song about the sparrow called Embrace. A line of the song says "If your eye is on the sparrow, then your heart is on me." The chorus repeats again and again - It's all gonna be okay.
It's all gonna be okay.
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Posted in General Posts by Jodi Greenlee on 8/21/2010
August 20, 2010
Manila, Philippines
It was March and I was on a bus ride from Tanzania to Kenya. It was a long bus ride, one of the numerous long bus rides from the year and it was hot and bumpy. Not the kind of bumpy you experience on say, an unpaved road, but the kind that sucks all the carbonation out of your soda. My diet coke went flat. Thankfully, I don't get car sick that often, so I decided to read a book that I had been dying to read that was finally in my hands. So I read A Million MIles in a Thousand Years by Donald Miller in the time it took my diet coke to go flat, 1 hour. When I turned the last page I was Infinitely more sad that I was done with the book than the fact that I had wasted shillings on a coke I didn't drink. Each page flew by as it spoke to the greatness we were all called to. The hope of more and how we can be intentional with our lives to get it. The book wonderfully describes the importance of creating memories and moments that have impact and can change our lives and the lives of others.
The next month, without realizing it, I got to see the story line of the book played out. We went to the Philippines and I was introduced to 10 minors at a city jail there. And I realized a very important point that Donald describes in his book. We live out the best story we know how. These boys in the jail were doing just that. They have no education and live in poverty, so they act out of what they know and have seen. Their story includes risk and rebellion, perhaps to nurture a longing and a desire we all have for more. Donald Miller, in his book, introduces us to a friend who had a daughter who chose the same story line, risk and rebellion. And as a father, he explained that she wasn't a bad girl, she was just living out the best story that she knew. I love that, because it is true. These boys didn't wake up one morning and decide to go to jail - they were operating out of all they knew and believed to be true about themselves.
So, we invited them for more. And perhaps that is what I like most about living a better story is because when you do it for yourself, you can invite others to do the same. More than I want it for myself, I want it for others. For others
to see the potential they have inside of them. For others to see all
that God created them to be. We invited these boys to see the truth of who they are and who they can become. We invited them to see that the more they are searching for isn't in the risk of stealing or drugs but in the depths of their Creator and Father. And when they accepted the invitation, they changed. They changed. I saw it before my eyes.
And so it is August and I am back in the Philippines. This is my third time since April and I just got done with a board meeting to work on the next steps of what a better story could look like for these young men. We are in the beginning stages of building a rehabilitation home for these young men and others like them who need a second chance. This home will provide a positive place for them to experience love and learn about their identity. The home will provide holistic care and provide education and job training in hopes that they will become a positive member of society. It will be a place where they trade in one story for another. A place where they can live not only a better story, but the Best story. They can live out their identity as a son, lavishly loved by God. That changes everything.
I will be writing more on what this will look like on a different site, I will post that information later. This blog is in response to a friend's suggestion to enter a competition to win a trip to Portland, Oregon to a conference about Living a Better Story. I will have just gotten home from the Philippines, so it is great timing and will be great information to help in the efforts to go back. You can also check out Brandy Chaffer's idea of Living a Better Story. She has an amazing heart and I am excited to see this lived out in her. Below is Donald's video about the conference - you should come! Or you should at least read the book!
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Posted in General Posts by Jodi Greenlee on 7/6/2010
July 6, 2010
Malaybalay, Philippines
I sometimes feel like my time at the jail is a movie and the soundtrack includes the song that Kelly Clarkston sang when she won American Idol, A moment Like This. I remember watching that moment and I am sure it was amazing for her, it changed her life. But there are moments that happen each day at the jail that change my life and the lives of the minors, all because of what God is doing.
Yesterday, I had three helpers so I got to kind of step back and watch the progress of the minors. And I had to hold back tears and excitement. They are learning, they are growing, and they are becoming more confident. I can't explain it really, but these are moments that every teacher longs for. The moments of lightbulbs, the moments when they ask for more homework because they are enjoying learning, the moments of confidence in speaking when they actually look you in the eye and speak.
You can keep up with the progress of the minors at www.willmiller.theworldrace.org. He has been going with me to the jail. He is a past world racer and is back in the Philippines exploring what is next for him. He has been an amazing help and I am so thankful for his ministry. Read from day 22 - present, about what is happening in the lives of the minors. He captures from an outside perspective what I sometimes can't put into words.
I have never been surfing, I have always wanted to, but I can imagine this is what it feels like. On the board, watching the brilliance of the wave unfold before you, and you, just there, enjoying the ride. Enjoying moments like this! Moments that shape your life, all because God works and invites us to join Him. And like the wave, it unfolds before you brilliantly and you just get to watch in awe of God's brilliance!
"Some people wait a lifetime" is part of the song. My advice, is to not wait a lifetime to experience the moments God has for you, the plan, the purpose, to be all that you were created to be. There is always MORE of God, always. The invitation stands, don't wait. Accept the MORE of Him He offers. You won't be dissapointed, you can't be.
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Posted in General Posts by Jodi Greenlee on 7/5/2010
July 6, 2010
Malayabaly, Philippines
**WARNING - Toy Story 3 plot spoiler**
I'm not sure if you have seen Toy Story 3, but you should. It is a great movie. I must admit, I saw it but not in a theater. There are tons of pirated movies in Asia, NOT that is makes it okay but this one was at the children's home and so, I watched it. I was intrigued by the spiritual parallels. Those of you who know me, especially my team, will know that I LOVE spiritual parallels and can find them in most places and things. This movie was no exception, in fact it was almost too easy. It was oozing with messages of identity. I decided it would be a good lesson for the minors. You can't keep spiritual parallels to your self!
This past Saturday, we watched it. It was in English and so I had them listen for words they understood and try to write them as best as they could. I was surprised at the amount of words they actually picked up. Surprised, but proud. We went over the correct spellings and pronunciations and called it an English lesson.
I also had them keep an eye on the purple bear in the movie. Which was perfect as well, both are words we are working on. And oddly enough - both are fairly hard words for them. Purple sounds more like furfull, and bear sounds like beer. But despite the pronunciation breakdown, I wanted them to watch the plot of the beer, I mean bear.
 Lotso, the purple bear with a strawberry scent, was a favorite stuffed animal of his owner, a little girl. He went everywhere with the little girl, even on vacation where he was left with two of the girls' other favorite stuffed animals. They made it back to the girl, but not before she found another Lotso bear to take his place. At that point, Lotso made the decision that he was unloved and told the other two animals the same, that they were unwanted and unloved. They ended up at a daycare where Lotso was a controlling dictator of all the animals. He was angry because he felt unwanted. He was mean because He felt unloved. His behavior was directly based on his beliefs. And so is ours! If we believe the same things about ourselves, our actions will show it.
Woody and the gang ended up at the same daycare because Andy, their owner was going to college and the boxes to keep and donate got mixed up. Lotso tried his best to persuade them that their owner didn't love them. He even went so far as to say that they all were just trash waiting to be thrown away. Woody and the gang didn't fall for it because they believed they were loved and had a great purpose - to be played with by a loving owner. Hence, the plot, to escape Lotso and get back to their purpose.
In the end, Lotso ended up as trash - he became decoration on a trash truck, the very thing he thought he was. And Woody and the gang ended up loved and living out their purpose to be played with, the very thing they thought they were.
What do you believe about yourself? That is what you will become. Actions follow our beliefs, not the other way around. It was beautifully portrayed in this movie. And sadly, it is painfully evident in life. Take the minors for example. They didn't wake up one morning and say, today is the day I want to go to jail. They made agreements that they weren't worth much and that they were unaccepted. So, they acted out of those beliefs and ended up in jail. Not all of us end up in jail, but all of us act out of our beliefs about ourselves. What do your actions show about you?
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Posted in General Posts by Jodi Greenlee on 7/3/2010
July 3, 2010
Malaybalay, Philippines
Tomorrow is Independence Day in America. I am very far from America, but I am having a celebration all my own because freedom is and will continue to reign at the jail and in the hearts of the minors.
Yesterday, it took everything that I had to hold back tears as Jonathan read his first word. He sounded it out and read it. He has never gone to school, as is the same story for 2 others. And really, the average education level is grade three. They are learning. But more than that, they are learning about what it means to be who God has called them to be. They are learning to be confident, to not walk with the burden of shame. They are learning how to have manners, and walk in the brilliance of truth. They are learning what it means and looks like to be loved, lavishly.
A few years ago, I had a dream. I wanted to have a place for at-risk kids to be able to come and have a second chance. A place that would rehabilitate them to be productive members of society, through love and education and responsibility. A place that would help them realize the abundance they were called to as a child of God. Sometimes, for whatever reason, kids miss out on that foundational truth, that they are a child of God. It changes everything, and I believe everyone has the right to know that. Even, and maybe especially those who others don't know what to do with. Those who have a pattern of destruction because it is all they know.
I kind of took that dream and put it in my pocket for a rainy day, not really knowing what it would look like or where I could join Him in that work. But as each day passes here in the Philippines, that rainy day may be soon approaching. There is great need for minors in this city to have a place to go. Because of funding, they really have no place for them and just keep them at the jail until a judge decides to let them go. So, instead of being rehabilitated into something greater, they are being sustained into a lifestyle of crime. With no education or chores, they are left to watch life happen around them and make agreements that they aren't meant for more. So when they are released, they don't know much else different than finer skills of what got them there in the first place.
When I think about that for these boys, my heart hurts. You know, the hurt in the pit of your stomach. There is so much potential in that cell. So, I have been talking to different people about what it would take to have a rehabilitation center for these boys. A place where they can learn life skills. Get an education. Learn job skills. And most importantly gain a foundation about their identity in Jesus Christ. They aren't bad kids, they just made a bad choice. There are always consequences but there is grace too. Imagine partnering the two. That is my dream. A place that would show them love in a way that would transform them while they are living out the consequences of their actions.
If they don't commit another crime until they are 21, they will have a clean record. Imagine having a program that would give them an education, life skills and job skills all built around the foundation of identity so that when they are 21 they could be released with a clean record and a foundation for success!
I have had great conversations with social welfare, attorneys, and more about what it could look like. I have found great favor but at this point, it is still a dream. A dream that is bigger than I could imagine. But now that I see their faces and can see Jonathan as a productive citizen, there is much fuel to the dream. Please continue to pray for favor, for God's provision, for God's direction, and for continued open doors.
I am praying that you too, will dream with me!
Above is a picture of a young elephant in Thailand. If you look closely, you can see the chains. That elephant will only learn and experience what is within the radius of that chain. If that has been his life and then he is released, death is imminent. He won't know how to survive. If we can make a place that showers these minors with the truth and success while they are in the radius of their chains, success will be imminent when they are released!
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Posted in General Posts by Jodi Greenlee on 6/20/2010
June 20, 2010
Phuket, Thailand
Happy Father's Day!
Today is a day set aside to celebrate my father. And this blog may look a little different than my mother's day one, or even the birthday ones for my family. I won't be making a list. It isn't hard to come up with 32 reasons I am thankful for my dad. But in thinking about how to best honor my dad, I want to focus on two things.
One...
As I have grown in my relationship with my heavenly Father, I have discovered truths about Him and how He has taken care of me, His daughter. And it has actually been a parallel to revelations in how my dad has taken care of me, his middle daughter.
There has not been a day on this race that I have gone with out food. It may not have been what I wanted to eat, goat for example, but I was provided for and lavishly. I never went without a place to lay my head. I never went without people to love me and take care of me. I never went without.
And as I look back on my life, I never went without because of the provision of my dad. I may not have eaten what I wanted, fish sticks for example, but I was provided for for sure. I never went without a place to lay my head. My favorite was my yellow canopy bed because I felt like a princess. My dad even went without to make sure that I was taken care of. He sacrificed much to make sure that his daughters were taken care of.
As I step into this new season of my life, I don't know many of the details. I wish I could lay out a brilliant plan of what the next 5 years of my life will look like. But the truth is, I have no idea. I have no idea what the next 5 months will look like! But I know I will be provided for. My dad paved the way for that long ago. And I have seen the lavish provisions my Heavenly Father blessed me with this year every step of the way, not one detail left out but all things fitting together for the good of those who love him.
Two...
God has taught me a lot about leadership this past year. I stepped into leadership in month 3 and out at month 9. I am not your typical leader. On any personality test, choleric (lion) is the lowest. But for some reason, my whole life has been shaped by leadership. I have been in sports and organizations, never really content with just participating. And even if I was content, this year for example, I am invited for more responsibility. In reflecting on that, my first invitation came from my dad.
I was on the softball field. I can actually still picture the circle the team made close to the dugout at Redan Park. My dad was one of the coaches and was directing us as to where our positions would be. First base - Stacey. Outfield - Erika. Pitcher - Mandy. Catcher .... who was going to be catcher? I got a sinking feeling. I didn't want to be, so I looked down at my cleats hoping my own dad would realize my fear and disdain for the position. No one stepped up to the plate, literally. The pause hung over the team until my dad told me to suit up, I would be behind the plate.
What? All I remember was the anger and fear I felt. I am sure I turned so that no one could see my tears, especially my dad. But I suited up anyway. With each piece of equipment, I felt like I was putting on armor for a battle I was sure to lose. I knew what it would take to be a catcher, and I wasn't prepared or cut out for the position. This was fastpitch, so I would have to call the pitches, call the cut offs from the outfield, manage the people on base, etc. The catcher is the one position that can see the field and therefore directs the flow of plays and reminds the field of outs, plays, etc. The catcher encourages the pitcher and has to protect the umpire from wild pitches. There is a lot of pressure on the catcher. And I didn't want to be a part of it.
I don't know why my dad volunteered me. I don't know if it was because we just needed someone and I was the coaches daughter and well, coaches are always harder on their kids! I don't know if it was because he saw something in me that I didn't. Whatever it was, I stepped up to the plate. I don't remember what it felt like the first time behind the plate or the first time catching a pitch but over time, and a short time, it felt like home and did for many years after that, even when he wasn't my coach.
I never thanked my dad for calling me for more. But I developed many leadership skills on the softball field because of that decision he made. And my Heavenly Father always has His hand out to us, inviting us to more. I've seen it this year. Sometimes, it takes doing something that you don't think that you are good at or facing something that you are afraid of. But my dad coached me through my fears of catching and my inability. How much more does our Heavenly Father. He doesn't ask us to join Him in His work without seeing us through it. And it isn't as hard or as fearful as we think. My dad was there for every game. My heavenly Father never leaves me or forsakes me.
Dad, there are more than 32 reasons that I am thankful for you but I didn't want these to get lost in the list. They are imporant to who I am today. As I learn more about my Heavenly Father, I learn more about you! Perhaps all of those questions you hate aren't necessary after all! I'm glad you are my dad!
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