What do you think? A Giveaway!

Last night, my precious friend Mary (who I miss too much!) send me these words from NT Wright's Surprised by Hope:

"... a proper grasp of the (surprising) future hope held out to us in Jesus Christ leads directly, and to many people, equally surprisingly, to a vision of the present hope that is the basis of all Christian mission. To hope for a better future for this world - for the poor, the sick, the lonely and depressed, for the slaves, the refugees, the hungry and homeless, for the abused, the paranoid, the downtrodden and despairing, and in fact for the whole wide, wonderful, and wounded world - is not something else, something extra, something tacked onto the gospel as an afterthought. And to work for that intermediate hope, the surprising hope that comes forward from God's ultimate future into God's urgent present, is not a distraction from the task of mission and evangelism in the present. It is a central, essential, vital, and life-giving part of it. Mostly, Jesus himself got a hearing from his contemporaries because of what he was doing... The whole point of what Jesus was up to was that he was doing, up close, in the present, what he was promising long-term, in the future. And what he was promising for that future, and doing in that present, was not saving souls for a disembodied eternity but rescuing people from the corruption and decay of the way the world presently is so they could enjoy, already in the present, that renewal of creation which is God's ultimate purpose - and so they could thus become colleagues and partners in that larger project."

So here's the giveaway...

What are the glimpses of heaven that God is bringing to earth through you and/or your family? What is He doing in His kingdom because YOU'VE said simply said YES! 

This is not bragging. This is not pride. This is giving glory to a God who is willing to use imperfect vessels. It could be the precious discipleship of your children, the faithfulness of submitting to your husband, adoption, moving to Africa, or the moment when you simply listened.

You hear enough about HIS story in me here. I want to hear about HIS story in you!

What kingdom story is HE writing through you?

Because remember, HE doesn't need us; He simply allows us to become messy in the beauty He's creating.

So, here's the catch...try to keep it to three sentences in the comments below. Share something you know HE is doing through you. You know - one of those moments or seasons that God surprised you completely by allowing you to be HIS hope and His joy, and you knew HE was there because it couldn't have been you. Please be sure to respect the privacy of others.

And Monday.... I'll draw from the comments, for one Broken Vessel to win you're choice of a Forgotten Initiative shirt! You can look through these great options here!

And remember...

"We ought not be weary of doing little things for the LOVE OF GOD, who regards NOT the greatness of the work, but the love with which it was performed."

- Brother Lawrence, Practicing the Presence of God

And if I don't hear from you, I will begin telling the stories on some of you myself :)

Because HE is worthy (Thank you Kim.),