Sacred Covers

It’s hard to believe but I have one flaw. I tell Emie she is lucky to be with a man who has but one small flaw. With all the issues I could wrestle with, I have refined it down to one. I love to sleep in.

For me lying in bed a few more hours after my kids wake pre-dawn is great. I enjoy it, I love it and though I can rise early, I really see no need in it (don’t ask Emie what she thinks please). I relish in meditating with my eyes sealed shut. Pondering the great mysteries of God and asking for more revelation sooths me. Emie doesn’t believe I actually pray during this time but I do. As I doze in and out of consciousness my spirit connects with my Lord.

The reality is I am not a morning person by nature (neither is Emie but someone has to get up with the kids) and would rather stay awake late into the evening in peace. I see sleeping in as my personal alone time (much like I view my bathroom time), my secret place, where no one can bother me. Just me, my pillow and Jesus snoozing away, talk about intimacy. When this secret place is intruded, be afraid be very afraid.

The conflict comes in around 6am (that late if I’m lucky) when the Locke Tribe awakes from their re-freshing, re-energizing, re-lets-wear-our-parents-out night of sleep. They come bounding into the bedroom to wake up papa.
“Wake up papa! Come on get out of bed.” What dreadful words.
“No, leave me alone, I’m praying!”

They never give up, those little rascals. They try harder for a few minutes and resort to making loud noises, which being a professional sleeper by trade doesn’t deter me at all. I stay my course. For hours they will do this, boldly bouncing on my bed proclaiming their intentions of the day. Wanting me to join them in simple games, coloring, watching a video (pagan I know) keeps them focused on their objective.
If none of these tactics work they resort to the ultimate blow for a professional sleeper, his covers. The Sacred Covers are that which separates him from exposure, from relationship, from intimacy, from being well, naked.

I must have a heavy blanket on me to sleep, call it security or insecurity I don’t mind, but if I am to get 8-10 hours of precious sleep, the covers must be in place. They start small to test my attitude. A pull with a giggle begins the descent of comfort. I notice as my shoulders are exposed to the elements and I fight back. I grab and tug with a little grunt to show my resolve to win.

The amazing beauty of kids is they learn fast. They adapt to their surroundings quickly. So they give it some time, waiting until I am asleep again. Watching every move to see me loosen my grip on the veil that separates me from their reality, their life and their games.

Then in one great swoosh the covers are ripped off the bed flung through the air and uselessly lying on the floor. Laughter breaks all silence and I have been exposed (no I don’t sleep naked)! There is nothing to hide and the kids pile on wrestling their papa to life again.

Remember though, once you have awakened the papa and violated that secret place his power is unleashed. Only his kids would ever dare to come so boldly into this space and only his kids would ever dare to experience his power!

“We can boldly enter heaven’s Most Holy Place because of the blood of Jesus. This is the new, life-giving way that Christ has opened up for us through the sacred “COVER”, by means of his death for us. And since we have a great High Priest who rules over God’s people, let us go right into the presence of God, with true hearts fully trusting him. For our evil CONSCIENCES have been cleansed with Christ’s blood” (Heb. 10:22).

“I no longer count on my own goodness or ability to obey God’s law, But I TRUST Christ to save me. For God’s way of making us right with him DEPENDS ON FAITH! As a result, I can really KNOW Christ and EXPERIENCE the mighty POWER that raised him from the dead” (Phil. 3:9-10).

The sacred covers have been ripped off, happy wrestling!


Step one: Watch the video (Our year in Picture & Song).
Step two: Reread the update
Step Three: Play video again with eyes closed and hear how Jesus has ripped off the covers.

He@th Locke

Images create image (or something like that)

Heroes come in all shapes, sizes and talents!

CasterBridge: A place with no bridge.

A day outside the house, praise the Lord.

downwardspiraling.blogspot.com

Good Buddies are hard to come by.
My friend Andy is an amazing man of God. I'm sure he would say otherwise, but any man who loves Jesus more than "father or mother, son or daughter, house or job, reputation or 'responsibilities'" is a MAN of GOD in my book and Gods.

Read his Blog & see for yourself.

He@th

Aquaduct: Mobile Filtration Vehicle

Check out this innovative idea.


My personal thoughts believe it's more impractical than practical, but I love that minds are being used to solve basic problems.

Here are my concerns on the Aquaduct (for those that care).
1. The majority of people in 3rd world countries live on hills, in crowded cities and/or down narrow foot paths. Leaving those who really need the bike unusable. Also I can't honestly see any African using it.
2. What are the costs and accessibility for repairs?
3. It seems heavy and difficult to ride. It supposedly carries 20 gallons of water which would be 166 pounds (this I figured from the video, they mentioned the average family of 4 needs 20gals of water per day and later mentioned that the Aquaduct could provide all a family needs in one trip).
4. It is the slums that have major sanitation problems, the source of the water is key. Wells provide cleaner water to start from than gutters or polluted rivers, obviously. So we need to educate and provide alternative water sources and cheaper ones. I am amazed how much it cost to dig a hole in the ground.
5. After watching the video a few times I have to be bold enough to ask if they have ever been to a 3rd world country. I am not accusing them for action rather the importance of seeing things with our own eyes first.
6. We love to develop large organizations that can make a significant difference but they end up being controlled by donors desires instead of the practical needs.
We see it and have seen over and over here in Africa.
7. God has already provided a solution for clean water, the sun. If you place a clear bottle of water in direct sun light for 6 hours it kills every bacteria harmful to man. There is a huge profit to be made on "bottle water" when simple education could be cheaper and instantly usable. Think of the cost to produce bottle water; plastic, molding plastic, fuel cost for delivering the bottled water, personnel, etc.

Those are my immediate thoughts. What tends to be more of a concern (in my thinking) is infrastructure issues. History proves that the problem lies NOT in available resources rather the many hands it must go through to reach the ones in need. Everyone gets a cut of the pie and the starved are left with crumbs.

The reason I hit this so hard is because I would love to see a practical solution to a practical need. If you have one or would like to start one, let's talk. The challenge is put forth.

Maybe the best option is to actually build an aqua duct that brings in clean water to villages and slums.

OK I am going on and liable to be disliked even more.

Blessings
Heath

Trust and Faith

Here I am again, on the edge of the cliff I asked God and Heath to take me to 10 years ago! I have been begging God to give me more faith and ability to trust as we prepare to jump one more time. I don't want to worry my way through this next transition. I want to SOAR in FAITH with great expectation of what He will do, not flounder in fear of what MIGHT happen if he doesn't come through! So in the begging, I am looking at every turn for examples in the natural of what faith and trusting in God looks like in the supernatural.
My favorite picture is from Heath and Asher in the pool. The other day as Asher was on his tummy "superman style" being propelled through the water by the strength of his Papa, I was reminded that this was true trust. Asher doesn't know how to swim. But he wasn't doing ANYTHING in that deep water to keep himself afloat except trust that his Papa was going to hold him up. He wasn't even holding on! He was just enjoying the ride.
Then I remembered a moment from my childhood. My dad was trying to teach my younger brother how to swim (sorry little brother!!). I remember my brother holding on to my dad's neck for dear life and begging him to take him to the edge!! He was NOT enjoying himself and in fact, I think he left a few scratch marks on my dad's neck! That would be the picture of worry and fear.
I have had moments in the last few days where I am definitely leaving claw marks on Abba's neck and I'm screaming in his ear to find some edge for me to put my feet firmly on. But as I'm praying for more faith and trust, he is teaching me again how to take my thoughts captive. The more I think of what He has miraculously done for us in the last 10 years and the more I meditate on who HE IS as my God and my Abba, the more relaxed I get. That's when I can almost feel like I'm letting go and enjoying the ride!

So that's trust. But what about faith? Well, I felt like God said that faith would be the same picture only Papa is invisible in the pool. Asher could only hear Heath's voice and still be able to get on his tummy and trust the strong hands of his daddy to propel him through the water even though his eyes couldn't see him! Hmmmm. That would look like insanity to any onlooker. A two year old jumping into a pool because he says his daddy is in there!! Then it would look miraculous if he really was afloat "superman style" being propelled through the water with no effort of his own!
So that's where we are. We believe Abba is in the pool and we believe we hear him asking us to jump in once again. To you, it might look (once again) like insanity! I think faith generally does appear to be insanity to the onlooker. But I am determined to exercise faith AND trust this time. Faith is urging me to jump one more time and trust allows me to enjoy the water without having a death grip on Abba's neck! And once again, I am sure it will appear miraculous to all the onlookers!

But, I'm still learning . . . . soooooo, PLEASE pray for me! I love you all! Thanks for your love and support!

Emie

"This is a hold up!" (aka Locke and Load)

It was bound to happen sooner or later. South Africa is known for its murders, thievery, petty crime, and just plain stupid robbers. The capital, Johannesburg, is supposedly the worse city in the world averaging 50 murders a night. In Nelspruit I get the low down from the security guards who patrol our house at 2am because some dog tripped the alarm, “people get knifed for cell phones and shot for cars.”

We needed cash to pay the clinic. I told Emie and the kids to wait and I would walk around the corner to the ATM. The bank machine is located right in front of a major grocery store and people are everywhere. I have used this ATM many times and never felt any threat. Today I felt the need to watch my back.

The ATM’s are actually little cubicles. You walk into a frosted glass box closing and locking a door behind you. There are security guards on patrol 24/7 standing less than 10 feet from the machines. They seem to be more secure than Fort Knox, except when they get blown up by the really smart thieves (happens almost weekly, in daylight mind you). All the precautionary features were in place today; the frosted box, the doors and the guards. I checked my back as I went in.

I had a split second thought I should close the door. Yet, I did nothing with it. I want to live in peace and not fear. Today I was taking on all those professional thieves with my stubbornness. I would succeed with my withdrawal and be out in less than 39 seconds, no worries.
I took out my wallet, pulled out my debit card and began to put it into the electronic money tree.

At that same moment I felt a firm hand grasp my shoulder. He had slipped past the guards, and into my frosted box. Adrenaline instantly rushed through every vein of my masculine physique. A deep male voice reached my ears and I heard, “this is a hold up!”
I spun around and thrust my forearm into the throat this 6ft 3 Goliath. I pushed with every ounce my buck 30 body could give. The struggle began and I was bound to win. At least I was determined to show it with my eyes. They were fierce! My knife was in my pocket ready for action.

As the struggle quickly unfolded my neurons where communicating, STOP! It wasn’t a “hold up” it was Michael. A friend who soon realized that I would rather fight than flight and he started laughing and walked away yelling, “close the door!”

Had the battle waged on I would’ve been a pile of meat loaf. But I was going to give everything I had learned from Bruce Lee, William Wallace and Maximus combined.

Michael was lucky because I was about to open up a can of whoop arse!

It ended as soon as it begun, so . . . The End.

He@th Locke

He could not rise above convenience!

“He could not rise above convenience” is what Stephen Ambrose wrote about President Jefferson’s inability to act on his “words” concerning slavery. Jefferson left it to his successors to resolve.

I have ruminated on those 6 words this past week. Convenience kills me; it kills us and it destroys faith. I believe God set up life for those who are willing to rise above convenience. He says it like this, “to those who overcome.” To those who can get pass the unknown, the uncertainty, and the un-money (had to go with it), a whole new world opens up. A world without limits, endless possibilities and memorable adventures awaits any individual who can trust.

This past year has been a challenge for me (family included) in getting over conveniences. I, like many, enjoy stability, finances, reliable cars, routine, running water, options in the food groups, and the vast array of entertainment America has to offer. On the other hand I, maybe unlike some, can’t stand sitting behind a desk 8 hours (for any salary), driving on pavement everywhere, wasting time in front of a TV, shallow conversations, saving all my money for when I am to old to do anything with it and the mundane that America offers. This unwillingness to be “normal” catapults me to soar above conveniences. It’s either that or suicide (not literally mom). I must live abundant life, full throttle, go big or go home!

For some conveniences are daunting to scale. They have built that wall too high and thick: the kids, retirement, the job, grandma, debt, etc, etc. It’s time for a sledgehammer to make the Christmas wish list next year!

For others the fear of living in slavery brings resolve for immediate action. 2007 was our pay off for destroying our wall of convenience. Many have followed us every step of the way and asked the Lord to spare us from our insanity! Thanks!

This past year has taken us to paradise (yes, better than Hawaii) in Pemba, Mozambique. It was an answer to 10 years of praying . . . we were finally living overseas! It was there we worked with orphans, hosted the world for chocolate cake and the Holy Spirit. We saw people delivered from demons, healed, saved and set free. We grew in the prophetic and released others into it. We met amazing people who brought Jesus closer and the world smaller. We watched our kids struggle and come alive in a foreign country, witnessed amazing provision for airfare and other basic necessities. We drove Land Rovers, hunted hippo, killed snakes, rats, and caught lizards. We swam in the Indian Ocean, caught and released crabs as a game, BBQ-ed overlooking pristine beaches and had our first family dog (but not our last). We endured spirituals attacks, great arguments, sleepless nights, banditos, and intense humidity all to conquer in Jesus’ name.

We left for South Africa on vacation never to return to Mozambique. We got mixed up at the wrong guest house but the right one in the long run! We hosted more amazing missionaries from around the world, birthed our fourth child, cooked more than Emie ever wants to again, and realized Jesus is speaking the same message the world over. We swam until our bodies were prunes; kids got great tans, went on 3 safaris, visited a reptile park and gazed upon waterfalls that give the Columbia River Gorge a run for its money. We read dozens of books, colored, studied, wrote, painted 3 masterpieces and received revelation for 18 business plans. We would never have experienced this as a family if convenience won out and we said no to Africa. What could you be missing out on?

As I sit and wonder what returning to America in 4 weeks will bring for the Lockes, I find myself longing to stay in the conveniences of our current situation, Nelspruit, South Africa! Cheap living, sun, and a little routine sounds nice. It is weird to feel nervous returning “home,” but I do. No job, no income, no home, no car, no microwave, nothing known and uncertainty might have something to do with it. This is what I love right? Well, to be honest, not tonight. Tomorrow it may bring adrenaline, but right now it seems un-supernatural. It feels like convenience is winning in the first half, but he won’t in the second.

Many have asked and more are wondering what are we going to do when we return. This is where convenience begins to loose his hold. We are going to “do” the same thing we did before we left and the same thing we did while in Africa. Love, serve, bring the Kingdom, set people free, heal the sick, cast out demons, and never settle for slavery. We are going to fight so we experience what the Word of God says we can experience. We will walk in freedom and freedom will walk in us. We will not do things because they have always been done a certain way. We will teach as directed, preach when prompted and share when moved. Christianity is life, it doesn’t end or begin, it always continues. Our geographical location only brings new adventures and amazing stories but never a new Jesus. We live the same everywhere and anywhere He calls us to (this is why missionaries are not better than you).

These past 6 months God brought me more clarity to his plan for the Bride. I see it. I feel it and I can almost smell it. I understand it more now than if I had succumbed to my conveniences a year ago. 2008 will be a melding of the last two years with all that the Holy Spirit has been pouring in and letting out of me. Two roads are about to merge becoming a superhighway with a tornado ripping down the middle. Wait and see!

President Jefferson was not a hero. His greatest achievements were mere words (and great words they were), he wrote a lot and lived none of it. “He could not rise above convenience.” Another man did though, Abraham Lincoln! He chose the unknown and uncertainty. His ability to overcome opened up a whole new world, one free from slavery.

We have two options, live in convenience and be remembered only for our words or overcome and never be forgotten for our actions. What will people be ruminating about you in a few hundred years?

Blessings
He@th Locke

Offspring

Happy New Year

Hey Team Africa,
Happy New Year! I won't send a list of names to reveal the people who joined us in fighting on Christmas!! Thanks for your vulnerability! Needless to say, we weren't alone. (I was fairly certain we weren't!) Conclusion . . . we're all real! We're all human. I recently heard a sermon about Jesus coming NOT to make bad people good but to make dead people alive! Think about it for a minute. When I give my life to Jesus, he doesn't take the bad in me and try and make me better/good. Nope, he takes me dead in my sin and spirit, and makes me ALIVE in HIM! I have gone from death to life. This truth has been extremely liberating for me in the last few weeks. It frees me from the works mentality that I wrestle with. I think Jesus doesn't care so much about how "good" I am as He does about how ALIVE I am in Him and let His Spirit be in me?! If I'm letting His Spirit be fully alive in me, then I will do the will of the Father in the power of the Holy Spirit and without the works mentality! When I'm worried about being bad or good, it causes me to have the mental checklist, the rules in the forefront of my mind, and then judgment of others increases if they don't follow my rules for goodness! Just plain bondage! I want FREEDOM and LIFE!

Anyway, I hope you are ALIVE and the people around you experience HIS LIFE in you in the midst of your realness. I don't ever want to pretend I'm good or have it all together. . . . because I'm not and I don't. We are on a journey together, friend. Just ask anyone who has to live with us! But I am alive. So I don't have to hide my wrestling and struggle from you. As Hebrews 10:14 says, "For by that one offering He perfected forever all those whom he is making holy." In the spiritual realm, I am perfect forever because of the blood of Jesus. And on earth I am being made holy by the blood of Jesus and His Spirit within me. So let's be made holy together and not be afraid to be real and vulnerable with those we are in community with. Vulnerability frees those around us to be real, to be honest with who they really are and what they really wrestle with. Then, in the safety of true community, we let the Holy Spirit work out those things in us. Often he will use those around us as iron sharpens iron. We love you and consider you our "safe community" to be real with!

My commitment to vulnerability and realness runs deep. I have seen too many very ordinary people labeled "extraordinary" because of their ministry or position. They are put on pedestals and become idols for those who feel a lesser call or lesser commitment or even lesser as people in the Kingdom of God. With Paul, I want to be able to say this: "I don't want anyone to think more highly of me than what they can actually see in my life and my message." (2 Cor. 12:6) Heath may call me pessimistic! I prefer to call it realistic. You could all write of the glories of your week or month and sound stunning (try it . . . you'll be amazed how great your life sounds!!). It may just give you a more realistic picture of how much of life has to be left out when a missionary or minister sends out an update or stands in a pulpit for a couple hours a week or a musician gives an interview, etc. Nope, grass is not greener, I'm not better, and we're in this together! So, be free this year to follow in obedience wherever and whenever the Lord leads! You have what it takes to be a radically obedient lover of Jesus! All you need is the Holy Spirit ALIVE in you! And if you have said YES to Jesus, YOU HAVE WHAT IT TAKES! Go live it (and take a few people with you)!

Enough of that: Here's a quick update on our kiddos.
ABIEL: Her favorite color is now green (no longer pink). She's a fish and would spend the whole day swimming. But since she can't, she spends the rest of the day reading, doing art, or learning new crafts (sewing, cross stitch, weaving, etc). She's become quite good at naming all the birds who come to our yard to sing, eat and bathe! She LOVES all the people who come through the house and is quite the little hostess! She misses her friends in Oregon very deeply and is excited that we are planning to go back soon. She is an INCREDIBLE little mommy with Eilanna! Makes life a lot easier for me! I can't believe she'll be 9 this year!

JUDAH: He looks like a California boy with his blond hair and dark skin! He too is a fish and has learned to swim here at the pool! He's quite brave and is keeping up with Abiel very well! He is learning to read and driving us all nuts asking us what everything says!! He is so inquisitive and LOVES to learn about anything to try and keep up with his sister!! He is very loving with Elianna and learning how to be friends with Asher. He is a movie man and will quote a whole movie for you if you let him! (Don't!) I can't believe he's almost 6 !

ASHER: He is coming into his own little personality! Watch out world! He's a little parrot and mimics anyone who's talking! He's also coming up with some really clever and cute sayings lately! The other day, Elianna was crying and I told him we needed to go get her before she cried her head off! He said, "Elianna's head comes off?"
Heath asked him to pick up his toys one night and Asher replied, "Jesus doesn't pick up!"
He was playing hard outside and came in to say, "I have a tummy ache in my knee!"
He is now concerned and caring toward Elianna and is very protective of her if he thinks someone holding her is going to walk away with her! He lets me know where she is all the time! He is keeping up with Judah and can wrestle him to the ground! Judah may be in trouble in a year or two! He's adorable.

ELIANNA: She is by far my most high maintenance baby! I think Heath's description of her being our little tornado of Grace was too prophetic! She LOVES to be held and HATES to be ignored (me too but I don't scream about it . . . well, most the time I don't!). She is a princess and wants to be treated that way! She is beautiful and has started responding to us with smiles. She is getting more and more fun as the weeks go by! I can't believe she's already 7 weeks old. She does sleep pretty well at night for which I am grateful. I'll try and get Heath to post some more pictures of her on our blog soon.

We love you all. Happy New Year! It has been said that 2008 is the Year of New Beginnings!
Love in Jesus,
emie for the locke fam

--

Generosity 101

Christmas in the Southern Hemisphere is a reprieve from up North. I’m not sure if it’s the weather (today happens to be a very humid 85 degrees) or the lack of flickering icicles hanging in rhythm to Jack Frost. Maybe it’s the lack of commercialism or the lack of finances. Whatever the case may be I get the sense that the 25th of December could come and go without me noticing. With so little to buy I have been forced to ruminate on generosity once more.

I love 2 Corinthians 9 insights into this mystery. I get to determine the level of return I want for my generosity. It may be a lot like the stock market. There is risk involved, but I don’t get anything if I don’t risk anything. Many of us have a hard time risking so much with such great uncertainty of return. I then take this attitude into being generous. Subsequently it hinders me. Yet there is no possibility that I could ever give and not receive, it’s a sure thing. It is a principle of the Kingdom of God.

God loves a cheerful giver. Yet I wonder why we don’t laugh when the offering plate passes us, maybe he means something more. The word cheerful connotes more than a
simple chuckle. The meaning carries the idea of hilarious. It’s to the point of being ridiculous, wild, and comical. I picture handing someone money yelling, “ I can’t believe I’m doing this!” or, “Why am I having so much fun giving?” I had one of those experiences awhile back.

I took some used books and tried to get some money for them at a used bookstore. I guess I was getting tired of moving them around. I was both surprised and $150 richer with a wad of cash in my pocket. I came bounding out of the store victorious and noticed a homeless man down the street digging through the garbage can. I knew I should have gone out the other door. I was stuck, the Lord had set me up and he was going to have a hilarious hoot of a time. He told me to give him my spoils. As I strolled over to him, the Lord said to give it all to him. ALL? Yes! ALL. How about $30?

That seemed like a good compromise, so I pulled out $30 and put it in my pocket. “I know you hear me Heath. I said all!” “OK!” Twenty more went into my pocket. By this time I had come up to him and he was in a pretty desperate state. He could not look me straight in the eyes and just seemed to be out of it. It was a few awkward moments before the Lord gave me questions to ask as he kept up his search for lunch. Finally we broke through and he wept on the side of the road as I prayed for him to be delivered of alcohol and other demons. Immediately we had eye contact and he was a different person. He stood up right, spoke clear sentences, and never went back to digging in the trash.

It had to be the most phenomenal conversation I have ever had. We were both crossing borders into each other’s lives. He was living a life of guilt and convinced the Lord would never forgive him and I was holding out with “my” money. As we talked we were breaking down lies and he was becoming clean. I have never seen such a transformation like the one I experienced on the sidewalk of Stark Street in NE Portland.

Our conversation went on for about 45 minutes as he shared life as a homeless man and how his choices landed him there. He spoke of his family that he longed to see again and his desire to make things right. It was heavy but freeing all in the same moment.

I asked Him how much money he would ask me for if I told him to ask for anything.
He sheepishly said $20. Twenty dollars? That’s all? I was beginning to catch onto God’s humor.
Why didn’t you ask me for $50?
“I am not worth that much,” he said.
“Yes you are!”
“Why not ask me for $100, or $150, or a million dollars?”
“No way,” was his reply.
I handed him $50. “Here this proves that God loves you.”

With tears rolling down his face and snot coming out both nostrils, he was slowly catching the love of God as his beard was catching his emotions. He took hold of the bills and took hold of about $50 worth of God’s love and forgiveness.

This was getting really fun now and I could not contain my excitement. “Actually, here is another $50 for you to prove you are worth it. You already have the most expensive gift you could ever receive. If I gave you a million dollars it still wouldn’t compare to the price of Jesus’ gift. This money stuff is cheap. Here. Jesus is so madly in love with you, have another $50. And you know what. I have a brand new pair of sneakers in my truck that I think will fit you.

He was a mess, snot everywhere and completely beside himself. He could barely stand as shock was setting in. Then he would seal the deal and prove my sincerity. He wiped his nose and offered me his snot-covered hand in a shake and said, “We’re friends.” Without thinking too long, I shoved my hand into his and we embraced. It was beautiful.
He strolled down the road with his cart, $150, and a new pair of sneakers. The most important gift he left with was $150 experience of God’s unconditional love. I climbed into my truck and screamed at the top of my lungs, “That was so much fun. I loved it God. Thank you!” My 4Runner became a hovercraft that day. My wallet remained empty, but my heart became full.

For the first time I understood hilarious giving. All I wanted to do was shower this man with the love of God through the tangible. I caught a glimpse of giving when it is so ludicrous, so bizarre, but so God. I could just see Jesus rolling on the ground in laughter, yelling, “I love this stuff! It’s so outside their box, it’s hilarious.” He probably laughed for hours.

I tried to attach a song but could not so here are the lyrics.
SONG LYRICS: Brave Saint Saturn "Heart Still Beats Inside"

"The girl in the alley kneels with exhaustion
She's guarded by the skinny guy who limps from some infection
Behind a veil of bleached thin hair her eyes tell a story
Like a photo of Berlin, December 1944
She's looking for a handout, she's been high for several weeks now
She's too far gone for whoring and the money just gave out

And her heart still beats inside
And the blood runs in her veins
A remnant of life remains
Her heart still beats inside

The man finally comes to the door, I've seen him several times
He always looks pissed off and his sunglasses stay on
I think he got his biceps and tattoos while in prison
And it doesnt seem to bother him when he says "go to hell"

And his heart still beats inside
The blood runs in his veins
A remnant of life remains
His heart still beats inside

The thought it comes to my mind, to somehow intervene
But it could bring me trouble, and what can I do anyway?
It's hard to be effective when it happens so often
To see a life unraveling, through drawn venetian blinds
I'm sickened by compassion, I'm stifled by my limitations
Anesthetic apathy, come take the pain away

And my heart still beats inside
The blood runs in my veins
A remnant of life remains
And my heart still beats inside

Oh God, we need you here
We're sinking fast and we dont care
The evidence is all around me, on both sides of my door
Our hearts beat"

The END


The word “generosity” comes from the Old French; the original word carries with it a meaning of, “characteristic of noble birth.” Umm, it sure seems to fit perfectly. People who are generous, characteristically reveal they are of Noble Birth.

So this Christmas, risk it. Your Father has more money to spare and you have something to prove . . . Your Noble Birth!

“Godly people give generously to the poor. Their good deeds will never be forgotten” (2 Cor. 9:9). “Thank God for his Son- a gift too wonderful for words (and worth more than all the money in the world)” (2 Cor. 9:15).

Merry Christmas from way down South!
Heath Locke

P.S. If you are unaware of the New Years Homeless Party (In Portland)contact Andy and Serenity Coulombe at serenity@sterling.net

Andy and Serenity, You go for it and take as many with you as possible, show them the kingdom and let the kingdom show up! Amazing what happens in a year. Bless you guys. We love and are proud of you!

Wonder Bread for monkeys

Today I was sitting out at the pool watching the kids swim when I looked over to see a monkey eating a slice of bread. It finally dawned on me that he got it from our kitchen. It was if he was sitting there mocking us feasting on his snack.

I stood up and he made a direct shot for our side door. I took off running after him to save the house from being taken over by monkeys. Instead of going in he went up the windows onto the roof. I grabbed the water gun and loaded my ammunition. The kids were out of the pool and looking on the roof to see the little rascal when another monkey came out of the kitchen window holding his slice of wonder bread.

I redirected my attack towards this culprit as I did he changed his course and headed straight for the kids. Abiel went left, Judah went right and Asher (who was smaller the the monkey) went left/right only to be "dancing" with the monkey. He was stuck.

I was in hot pursuit (fully loaded mind you) and gave him the best shot from my "Stream Machine" only to speed his progress towards Asher.

Fortunately the monkey went more right and grazed by a stunned Asher and quickly climbed up the roof back into the trees behind the house.

SO this Christmas keep your windows shut and never let a monkey dance with your kid.
Heath

Elianna

In her native element on the back of Emma our house cleaner.

Safari #2

I love this place!
You should come for Christmas.

Heath