The gathering

A couple of days ago I heard this cute little rhyme running over and over in my head. I couldn’t quite make it out why and what it meant… “A little bit of this, a little bit of that”. Then the next day it hit me… The Gathering. With just a little bit of this and a little bit of that, how many times have we heard Grandma or Mom say the same thing as they cook in the kitchen with the simplest of ingredients only to produce the most amazing meal!

We saw this last fall when our area was hit overnight by flash rain that caused massive flooding throughout multiple cities across the lower mainland. People were displaced in a moment while driving or even in their homes that experienced major flooding. Whole communities and farms were wiped out in a matter of a couple of hours but lasted months! Some were stuck for weeks with little ways in and out of the cities as major hwys were severed due to mudslides and some are still recovering. It was something we have never seen here before and I have lived here my whole 42 years! Many were helicoptered into other cities and churches, homes and shelters opened their doors. These days, we usually see a church culture that runs to Costco to get all the necessary supplies. This time with little access in and out of our city, not many were able to make it to Costco to save us, and our grocery and big box stores fell short of supplies with few trucks able to stock us back up. So there was a call to the community for help. After a couple of years of isolation due to our fav virus 😉 that shut our world down, people were hungry for purpose and community. All hands came on deck as different churches, communities, and shelters put out the call for supplies, and so many volunteered and gathered what they could find or they had on hand. With a little bit of this and a little bit of that… there was no lack! There was more than enough! There was even abundance! We saw the five loaves and two fish happen before our eyes and everyone finally felt a sense of community, something that we had all craved the past couple of years.

What a difficult moment that was for many, all the while seeing the glory of the Lord’s provision at the same time was amazing! I feel like we have all been waiting in expectation. That something is coming… and soon! What is it? We really do not know, but I feel like it’s going to be amazing. I see the awe that will be on our faces. I hear the groaning of the earth under the weight of sin and people crying out for justice and righteousness. Those with ears to hear let them hear. It’s time to be delivered. Just like in pregnancy. The time of preparation is almost over and the anticipation of something joyful bursting through!

This is the hour of deliverance. The Lord is delivering His people out of Babylon, similar to when He brought the Israelites out of Egypt. I believe it’s a picture of us breaking free from the things of the world that have kept us bound our whole lives. We are breaking free of what breaks the Lord, if we trust Him. It’s definitely a faith walk right now. Programs and religiosity are falling off, strongholds and clutter are being removed, and we are moving forward in freedom into a new season of simple, faith filled, and organic living. As I am writing this, I saw a picture of when I was a little girl (back in the good ol’ 80’s;) ) sitting on grandmas front step eating a popsicle and some watermelon, smelling the roses, playing with my cousins and siblings. Aren’t we all craving that simple life again? Away from the clutter and intensity of this busy world we are living in?

In preparation for the call in the days ahead, we listed our house. We were not quite ready to move when we listed. Our house wasn’t ready and work was really busy. We didn’t know why we were listing, but we felt an urgency (ok I felt the urgency) to list. We quickly had an accepted offer, but it fell through. While I didn’t understand why we needed to sell, I keep seeing a picture of what we needed to move into and what seems to be coming down the pipeline. Anyways, the deal fell through, and here we are months later relisted… waiting in anticipation in a slow market. Many friends are in the same boat waiting to sell, wondering where we will be placed for this day ahead.

For us, I see a home with a large backyard of some sort with a garden… and maybe a fruit tree or two. So here we wait, search, pray, and rest in the Lord trusting that as the markets are crashing around us, that His timing is perfect and the wait is almost over. I pray His timing and plans will prevail for all of us as we trust in Him for the unknown days ahead. And that eyes will see and hear to be ready to come back to the Father’s heart as their refuge. And we would come together as a community to weather the storm together.

I don’t know what’s around the corner, but as I spend time with the Lord I feel so excited and anxious for something big around the corner. Something hard, amazing, and special. And all I can see is our homes being a place of refuge for those around us. A place for people to gather and rest. Community, fellowship, and rest. We may not all be called to move homes, but we are called to surrender our lives before the Lord, simplify the busy and the hustle, step into our calling, and gather together with like-minded friends, and serve those around us.

Are you ready? Do you see? Do you hear? Are you walking forward in faith? Or hiding in shame and fear putting your trust in something that will fall?

So, a little here, a little there… keeps coming to my mind over and over again. Does this mean that the Lord is saying He will provide in the coming days of lack we see around the corner? With a little here and a little there, we will have an abundance of resources when we gather together? Will this be enough for us and the harvest of souls searching for more? I fully feel this! All we need to be is generous and obedient to what He has created us to do for this next hour. When we pool our resources together and plan accordingly for the season ahead using our unique gifts, quick to share, and open our homes and hearts to those around us (with some discernment), we will see no lack.

Let’s get ready for the gathering, my friend!

The Lord is showing me that when we apply this to everything we do… cleaning, work, building something, and most importantly gathering our resources together as a community, we will have more than enough and the Lord will create something beautiful!

Feeling encouraged friend? Grab a copy of my book Redesign to get your home ready to share in the gathering together and get cozy with those around us.

Blessings! Angela