Are You Aware? Publication & Journey

It's hard to articulate into words the profundities of this little girl and who she represents to me. First off, this image was taken from behind the lens of one of my closest friends on earth: my fellow Elder's wife, fellow missionary, fellow creative force in the trenches of ministry, Mrs. Jasmine Lopez. Be amazed by this woman's gifts at Jaziphoto.com.Behold the image of a beautiful child from the community of Sacacoyo, El Salvador, a place where we have developed a solid partnership. Every year, sometimes twice a year, we serve the Country of El Salvador and their people. We love the people, as this is where my husband and his family is from. The blood of El Salvador runs through my husband's and son's veins, reaching my blood that runs through the veins of my concern, compassion, and service.It surfaced in 2010, but 2011 started a raging cry in the byways of my consciousness, awareness, and what would turn into the epicenter of the message that God would press into my voice: The Voice of Justice in all the earth for the defense of human rights and dignity of the poor, forgotten, underprivileged, marginalized, and oppressed. As a pastor's wife, I was summoned with the responsibility to raise awareness both in my community, and anywhere else God renders me the platform. Positioned perfected under my lips is a microphone God has put before me. In the quietness of my studying and searching, He called me to duty with words I will never erase: "My daughter I will bless you with a burden for the least of these, as they are the greatest of these to Me. You will break for I break for and deem important what the Scriptures deem important. You will understand my heart for justice and fight for the rights of the oppressed. You will go into your circles of influence and raise awareness. Do not be afraid, I am with you. Tell the leaders of my Church what I want from their efforts, their building, their budget in a way they will hear and listen. I'm not interested in program, I'm interested in people. I don't want another machine, I want a mouthpiece comprised of the members that make up the Church through the admission of My Son. Go....write, speak, serve, fight, announce, defend. I will give you the words to say. I love you."You know what? He did give me the words. Coming in 2012, I will publish a book called Are You Aware? The Voice of Justice. Here's a sneak peak into my introduction:

Author’s Note

It’s hard to articulate how this started, this indignation within me. I can only point to a prayer that I prayed not long ago. Unbeknownst to me, this short collection of eight words would transform my life forever. “Lord, break my heart for what breaks yours…” As soon as I whispered those words, it was as if an avalanche of justice, righteous indignation, the audible cries of human suffering, and the centrality of God’s heart became real in Technicolor and surround sound! From that moment on, I was haunted by societal ills, horrendous statistics that represented real people, and a burning, unquenchable longing to see justice take its stand. There lied this unapologetic feeling that would not dissipate. I quickly became sensitive to injustices that were left unanswered both by the Church and those that had the resources to the eradicate them. Paradoxically, I became intrigued by what some parts of the body of Christ were doing; therefore, wanting to join that band of brothers and sisters who were agents of change. I was angry, flustered, anxious, and passionate with a fury that I cannot succumb to mere words. All I knew is that I had to do something with where I was at and the resources I had. I was not ready for the journey that was blazed in front of me. It would soon be this platform that I would stand on personally, spiritually, and professionally. It would become the driving force of my life that would create and establish awareness, solutions, and action! It was on now- there was no stopping me.I quickly became a student of this fresh awareness. I devoured every book I could get my hands on that lent itself to the notion of Social Justice, activism, and solutions from Hole in the Gospel by World Vision president Rich Sterns, to Irresistible Revolution by Shane Claiborne, Humanitarian Jesus by Christian Buckley and Ryan Dobson, and Invisible by Arloa Sutter just to name some. I wanted to know what God said about this and how He felt we should respond as His Church. I peeled back a whole new world of real people engulfed in real suffering, an immerging community of activists with the Church responding and turning a corner ready to slay the giants, and a Humanitarian in the person of Jesus that I never really noticed until now. My heart was set on fire with an unquenchable cry from the gut of my soul. It captivated my faith, spread coal on the furnace of my conscience, and provided a compass by which to follow.______________________________Here, on my blog, I'll post pieces if you will, of my manuscript, the pages that spilled from my fingertips as I furiously typed away on my MAC in the wee hours of the night, and those Sacred Saturday mornings where inspiration would really kiss my words. I just want to inspire you, call you, press into your God positioned pulse of justice, compassion, and the ability to fight for what is right. We all have that within us. As followers of Christ, it is our mandate to live out the pulse of compassion and justice on the earth, for it clearly states in the words of the prophet Isaiah, "For I the Lord, love Justice"(61:8).Stay tuned, I'll be sharing my insight on what the Lord so graciously gave this beautiful mess I call myself. I love you deeply, so much so, I have committed my life to serve you and humanity.