Wrecked Again!

Hey all you faithful blog readers. I am back after a few month hiatus. Sorry it has taken me a while to blog, but here we go again...
Well, it happened. I got wrecked by God. Again! In a good, wake up kind of way, though. I had the privilege of taking my Sr. High youth to LiFest a few weeks ago and it was awesome! LiFest is a huge Christian music festival held every year in Osh Kosh, Wi. We camp for 4 days and listen to some of the best artists in the Christian music industry. It is very uplifting and inspiring. In addition to being inspired, I got wrecked! You see, LiFest is much more than just the music. It includes great speakers, workshops, video presentations, and a strong presence by Compassion International. I have been to LiFest at least 5 times now, and have always had a wonderful experience, but this year God got me again. It wasn't that I didn't expect to hear God speak to me, or that I was blindsided by something new. Maybe it was just the right time in my life for listening, or hearing God call to me in a different way.
On Friday I went to hear Shaun Groves, national singer/songwriter and Compassion International Advocate, speak at one of the side stages. God used Him to pry open my heart and my ears. He taught from scripture in ways I had not heard before. He was teaching from Exodus 16, where God provided Manna for the Israelites. Every day, God provided enough for everyone. He clearly instructed His people to take only what they needed for their families for that day. Those who were greedy, or didn't trust God, and took more than instructed, had their leftovers turn to maggots. I was immediately challenged to think about the "leftovers" in my life, and how they can become "maggots" to me and my family.
After this teaching on Exodus, Shaun took us to the Apostle Paul in Galatians where he was remembering his commissioning from the Apostles who told him to "...always remember the poor, which I was already eager to do." From there we opened to II Corinthians 8:13-15, where Paul was talking about equality. Paul says that nobody is to leave themselves hard pressed, but that we all should strive for equality. "At the present time your plenty will supply what they need, so that in turn, their plenty will supply what you need. Then there will be equality. As it is written (Exodus 16), 'He who gathered much did not have too much, and he who gathered little did not have too little'."
This was the beginning of my wreckage! Who am I that I live in such excess? Why do I have so much when others have so little? What do I really need? What is really important to me? Will the things I think are important turn to maggots? Maybe they already are, and I just keep filling myself with things that aren't truly satisfying. The word that stood out to me was "enough." Is God enough, and do I trust Him enough with my life?
The next day, the entire youth group went through the "Compassion Experience," an air-conditioned trailer run by Compassion International that sends participants through an audio guided journey which details the life of one of three Compassion "graduates." These are real success stories that show those on the guided journey the impact that Compassion has on thousands of lives across our world. This was the culmination of God wrecking me that weekend. The end of the journey in the experience places the participant in a room with sponsorship packs all over the walls. It is our opportunity to respond to the challenge we just received "to change their world" through Compassion. Now, this is not nearly my 1st experience with Compassion. In fact, Jen and I have sponsored Munga from Kenya since 2005. But this time I broke down in tears as the 1st packet I encountered was a little girl from India who was the same age as my daughter Allie. They are both 5 years old. I couldn't fathom Allie having to endure the hardships that Saraswati was enduring. I couldn't imagine Allie not feeling loved and not knowing Jesus. I could hardly breathe when I read that Saraswati lived in an area that is a high risk for human trafficking. That was it! I (Jen and I) was sponsoring another child. I left that trailer with a sponsorship packet in hand, wiping my face of the tears & snot, and holding a free T-shirt. Yeah, free T-shirt!
The final piece of the wreckage was when I called and told Jen that 1. We sponsored another child and 2. I was willing to cut out some of the "leftovers" in my life to do so.
 So God wrecked me enough to give up Direct TV. Considering my sports watching addiction, this is significant in my world. But I don't want maggots! I want to be the person that I challenge and encourage others to be. Mostly, I want to trust God with everything in my life, and be able to tell everyone that He truly is "enough."
Now pray for me as I muster the courage to make these changes!
To God be the glory! Amen.