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“This is a remote place,” they said to Jesus, “and it’s already very late. Send the people away so they can go to the surrounding countryside and villages and buy themselves something to eat.”

But he answered, “You give them something to eat.” They said to him, “That would take eight months of a man’s wages! Are we to go and spend that much on bread and give it to them to eat?”

“Go and find out how many loaves we have,” he said. When they found out, they said, “Five. And two fish.”

Then Jesus directed them to have all the people sit down in groups on the green grass. Then, taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to his disciples to set before the people. He also divided the two fish among them all. They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of leftovers. The number of the men who had eaten was five thousand. Mark 6 v.35-44

When we only open our eyes to the possible, and not the impossible, we become blind to the reality of God’s Kingdom among us.

We, like the disciples, often fail to consider the impossible option as a viable option. But Jesus did not distinguish between the possible and the impossible. Instead, he looked at what we call “problems” and “needs,” and he saw incredible opportunities to manifest the tireless love, life-giving hope, and infinite possibility that indicate the presence of God’s Kingdom.

When we see the world through Kingdom eyes, we realize that the resources, ideas, and experiences we are blessed with are more than enough. More than enough to make a difference. More than enough to bring God’s light into the world. More than enough to open up the way to healing and restoration. In small but powerful ways, many churches around the world, often in contexts of enormous need, are quietly revealing the truth of the “Kingdom among us.”

Churches like the Assemblies of God in Peralta, Dominican Republic, who, in the worlds eyes are poor and struggling (a mere 70 in number), are being salt and light in ways that make a tangible difference in the health of over 15,000 of their neighbors!

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A Franciscan Benediction May God bless you with discomfort at easy answers, half truths and superficial relationships
-so that you may live deep within your heart

May God bless you with anger at injustice, oppression, and exploitation of people
- so that you may work for justice, freedom and peace.

May God bless you with tears to shed for those who suffer pain, rejection, hunger and war
- so that you may reach out your hand to comfort them and turn their pain to joy

And may God bless you with enough foolishness to believe that you can make a difference in the world…
- so that you can do what others claim cannot be done… To bring justice and kindness to all our children and the poor…

Amen

I’m praying not only for them, but also for those who will believe in me because of them and their witness about me. The goal is for all of them to become one heart and mind— just as you, Father, are in me and I in you, so they might be one heart and mind with us. Then the world might believe that you, in fact, sent me. The same glory you gave me, I gave them, so they’ll be as unified and together as we are— I in them and you in me. Then they’ll be mature in this oneness, and give the godless world evidence that you’ve sent me and loved them in the same way you’ve loved me.

Jesus’ last prayer for His disciples in John 17 (v.20-23, The Message)

As the world crisis deepens and the cries of creation and the suffering among us rise to unprecedented levels, we find ourselves compelled to respond. The problem is that our need to do something is coupled with our super power values of efficiency and independence so that we inadvertently end up contributing to the very thing we desire to eliminate.  We get something done; build a building, bind a wound, develop a program — but oftentimes we do so in selfish rather than selfless ways, unconnected rather than connected ways, and as a result fail to communicate God’s love, beauty, and truth in ways that truly reveal His Kingdom.

What if we were to change our “worldy” ways for the Kingdom Way? What if we began to be of one heart and mind and unify our common compassion for this hurting and broken world? What if we were truly bound together in our love for God, one another and those we serve in such amazing ways that those who witness the Kingdom community at work could not but wonder and believe that another world is possible?

Our prayer is to walk together with others as we respond to the hurts and hopes of the suffering among us in such a way that we are fully aware of the implications of our actions. May we continually remind ourselves of Jesus prayer and intentionally enter into a process of connecting deeply in community that will allow our light to shine brighter and provoke all to glorify God as they witness His love in real, lasting, and tangible ways.

We are excited to use this newly created blog to share insights and lessons that we are learning along the Way from those faithful followers that are revealing the reality of Kingdom here on earth!

We believe that we are all on a journey of faith that has a clear call to mission… God’s mission to heal, restore and bring wholeness to all areas of life as we know it. Our lives, individually and in community are the living signposts that mark the Way to God’s Kingdom; a Kingdom that is here now and still yet to come in all of its fullness.

We hope our missional journey together will be enriched, challenged and spurred on to more spirit led manifestations of His love.