Stir

I plunged my wooden spoon down into the center of the batter and carefully pulled it up and toward the outside of the glass bowl only to repeat the process again after slightly turning my bowl after each stir.  The smell of vanilla mixed with buttermilk and flour made it difficult not to eat the mixture before it made it to the hot, buttered skillet.  I allowed myself only about ten stirs.  If you have ever made pancakes - or if you have ever heeded Alton Brown's advice - you should  NEVER over-mix.  In fact, there should still be small clumps of flour mixture remaining in your batter when you are finished.

As the pancake batter hit the pan and began to sizzle, I heard little footsteps make their way to the kitchen counter and onto the bar stool in hopes that glaring at the cook might speed the final product into existence.  My six-year old was overjoyed that I was making these pancakes for supper.  Yes - supper - not breakfast.  And maybe her presence did hurry the little delicacies along - I scooted the first finished product from my spatula onto her plate before you could say "bacon", and the maple syrup was flowing before you could say "eggs".  And, as if pancakes for dinner were not enough, the next thing I heard out of her mouth was,

"Can I have chocolate chips on top?"

My kinda girl.  And, I figured since I was making cakes covered in liquid sugar for dinner, I might as well answer her question with a "yes".

I asked a very different kind of question about two months ago.  No, it had nothing to do with chocolate chips.

The God who flooded me with light and hope while Glory was alive had chosen to rescue me from a journey through darkness that I had been traveling since about six months after Glory had died.  He had given me a new purpose that I never would have had if not for my struggle.  My questions was...

"Where do I begin?  How do I find the road to action to fulfill Your purpose for me?  How can my story be used to stir others into action?"

Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find;  knock and the door will be opened to you.
Matthew 7:7    

He answered my question by bringing me together with three other women - all with stories of pain and redemption - to accomplish His plan.

STIR is an organization formed by four women who have been rescued.  Four women who desire to share their stories with the purpose of acting to help our hurting world and to stir others into acts of compassion and love.  I am honored to be a part of the STIR team and was blessed to be able to share Glory's Story at our first brunch on Saturday.  STIR has a Facebook page and you can find them here on Twitter.  

I can't wait to share with you where God takes Glory's Story next - I have no idea what this journey will look like - but I'm so glad you are taking it with me...

Glimpse

Stories have been told since the beginning of time.  Passed down from generation to generation.  Spread across the world from one country to another.  Embellished with fictional dragons, wizards, and lands where trees walk and speak.  Inspired by a truth that will not be silent.

Today, stories can be told in many different ways - through books, movies, blogs, and the list goes on.  What do you do when you are on the brink of hearing a story?

I like to feel like I'm in a place of security and comfort.  A place where I can concentrate on what is being told and have ample time for my mind to absorb it and to let my thoughts wander with it.  Time to learn from it.  Time to find the meaning.  And then, if it is the kind of story that is told to STIR the listener to move, time to search for the road to action.

Then He told them many things by using stories...
Matthew 13:3

This is me and my good friend Rebecca.  We have something in common - Our Stories.

Our stories aren't exactly the same, but there is one similarity - the stories that brought us together didn't have the happy ending that we wanted them to.  In fact, they really haven't ended at all.

I know, I know.  You're thinking... "that's really not too great of a way to form a bond with someone - a story with a sad ending."  Am I right??

Let me assure you that these stories do not have a sad ending.  And let me tell you why it is the greatest way to connect with people and form friendships that will never be broken.  The stories that unite us are still being told today, and even though they didn't end the way we had imagined, they have produced a joy and a passion and a purpose that we never could have imagined or experienced if we had never been the main characters in our own stories.  And it is through sharing these stories that we are able to see a glimpse of Glory...