PERUvin' God's Love: WAKE UP!

Living in Peru has helped me discover the liberation attached to NOT having a tv. I feel like I am really living life, not just watching other people live theirs. I am devouring books here with an unquenchable thirst. Each one takes me to a new place, somewhere beautiful that I have never been before and gifts me with new wisdom and insight. If you have free time and are looking for an inspiring read, pick up Same Kind of Different as Me, co-written by Ron Hall and Denver Moore. It's a true story that will shatter whatever pre-conceived notions you have about homelessness. It was very touching and I plan to get involved with the homeless community when I return to the US. Right now, I'm reading Waking the Dead by John Eldredge. I'm already hooked and I just started it. One of the first things he shares in the book keeps ricocheting around in my head; I hope the more I think about it, the more it will dissolve in the pia mater surrounding my brain and become one with it. Here is the jewel: "The glory of God is man fully alive." -St. Irenaeus
How EASY it is for us to be asleep and to stay that way. It's comfortable, it doesn't require much, if any, effort, no pain or any emotions really. How easy it is for us to become passive prisoners of noise, filling the void when being alone or quiet becomes too uncomfortable. We are a culture of tv, computers, radio, electronics, NOISE and comfort, seeing that we have all of our wants and desires before lending a hand to others. It has been a slap in the face to me here. When I first got here, I was mourning the loss of my independence and all my "things" and often felt bored and out of place. Now I savor this free time, time that I would have been mindlessly watching tv, to just be still and know God or to seek out the smiles of the kids, which clearly reveals God's face to me each time. I have begun the waking-up process and it surprisingly feels so good. I'm sooo thankful for this time in my life. As much as I love to sleep, waking up is so much better. Life is too short to sleep through. "I pray . . .that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened" (Ephesians 1:18).