"What Manner of [Vulnerability] is this?"

There is no safe investment. To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything, and your heart will certainly be wrung and possibly be broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact, you must give your heart to no one, not even to an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements; lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. But in that casket - safe, dark, motionless, airless - it will chance. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable. The alternative to tragedy, or at least the risk of tragedy, is damnation. The only place outside of Heaven where you can be perfectly safe from all the dangers and perturbations of love is Hell.
- C. S. Lewis, The Four Loves


I read this part of C. S. Lewis' Book this week and was blown away. How many times do we look at love like this? Or forget to look at love like this? From my perception, human nature teaches us one of two things about what love is like:


We must guard ourselves. Don't let anyone get too close or they might truly know you and find there is nothing worth loving. Don't dare make yourself appear weak or in need of love, because then people may abuse you.


Or.


We have to "love" everything and everyone: and that meaning being thrown around from relationship to relationship until one special somebody sticks. We cannot avoid being used and broken before finding worth. And hopefully in finding that person, we can get the most out of them, while bandaging our hearts from the past "special someones."


Love, being God's greatest gift to us is perverted in the worst way - in every area - by the enemy. Satan desires to cut us off from God's enraptured heart for us. God desires freedom from the enemy. If purity can be snatched from intimacy, the enemy gains an advantage. One thing that I love about the love of God is that he knows the ways we are attacked, and comes against those attacks with His jealousy. We often forget or don't even realize God's emotions and that he is always longing, always patient, always contending... Even in the midst of what seems to be our biggest failures. 


 Lewis emphasizes in this paragraph that it requires vulnerability to love. The greatest example of vulnerability to me is the act of God creating people. You, me, and everyone. Each one made with a purpose and an extravagant plan in mind. God dreamed the most beautiful dream when he knit our flesh and hearts at our conception. The dream is alive and possible in his heart at any moment of rebellion in our life. He can start with anyone, at any point. 


The Lord is the God of vulnerable love.

Here, There, and Everywhere.

I am so blessed.

This last week, I had the opportunity to fly home to Colorado to spend the week with my family on the occasion of my brother, David's wedding. It was such a refreshingly fun time. One of my favorite places on earth to be is with my family. It doesn't even really matter what the physical location is, just being together gives me reason to celebrate. This week was just awesome. Not only because of the aforementioned reasons, but the best part is, I gained another sister-in-law! Sonia York is the newest addition to our family, and we all absolutely love her...

After enjoying time at home, I was ready to come back to the community of YWAM and catch up on the happenings of DTS that I had missed out on. The week was on "The Father Heart of God,"and from what I heard from students and staff, it was incredible. Our school was blessed to have John Leach, from Jubilee Fellowship Church come and speak.

This week we have Don Gillman speaking on Missions and giving up rights. After the first class today, I'm pretty much ready to die. Not literally. Well, Maybe. But basically, he challenged us with what it means to die to our old nature. What it means to repent. What it means to live a life worthy of Christ dying on the cross. Incredible.

Along with that, my co-leader, Kurt and I are continuing with outreach preparations. Please keep us in your prayers as we apply for visas, seek the Lord on direction, build team unity, and raise support. We are planning on going to Nicaragua and Brazil, and keeping an open mind if the Lord calls us somewhere else as well.

More to come! That's all for now amigos! :)

Blessings,
Elzabeth

Ir às nações…

olá!

We are continuing as a DTS on this journey, and God is continuing to show himself faithful.
Who is He that He would call a group of young people to become world changers? Who is this God that we serve who desires so eagerly to show us His glory? He is mine. And He is taking me, and a team of 10 people to Central and South America for outreach...

God opened the door for these locations for me very randomly. I wasn't even considering going to this part of the world, but God gave me a peace about it. And more than a peace, a genuine enthusiasm.

After starting preparations with the group for the outreach, we are all getting stoked. Intercession times with the whole DTS have brought up some powerful words for our group. Words concerning things from team unity, to casting out demons and healing the sick in Jesus name...
Um, Yes sir. We can't help but become super excited about all these words.

I have an amazing team. I can't wait to prepare more and finally get to go.

After reading this, please keep my team in your prayers. We want to really dive into what it is that the Lord is calling us to, and I believe that obedience starts now. We also need to have some financial needs met. Personally, I need about $1,000 by the end of the week to start paying for outreach and staff fees. If you are able to or feel led to help at all, let me know!

God is good. And He loves the nations.

~ vá com Deus