"you can build a wall, or you can build a bridge..."

You can do one of two things in your world.
You can build a wall
or you can build a bridge
to every person you meet.
I'm out to build bridges,
are you?
Come and build bridges with me.
{Ann Kiemel}

So, my latest "discovery" is Ann Kiemel. I heard her speak on the radio a few weeks ago and was hooked! Her speech was mostly about how her journey through trying to have children and how God provided children for her to adopt. Her style of speaking was so different... she told her story as if she were talking one-on-one with someone. And every once in a while, she'd just start singing... something like "God can do anything, anything, anything. God can do anything, anything by faith." She said that when she was being wheeled into the operating room, knowing that she would most likely would never get to meet the baby that had been growing inside her (and it wasn't the first time she'd been in that situation), she began to sing to herself, a little innocent made-up song about how great God's love is. I really can't describe it well enough... in order to really do it justice I can only recommend that you listen to the broadcast I heard... so if you want, you can listen to it here: http://listen.family.org/daily/A000002160.cfm

The quote that I put at the beginning of this post is from the chapter that I read today of a book that I got by Ann Kiemel. Her writing style is just like her speaking style... simple, clear, yet so very profound and inspirational. The chapter that I read today was about how there was one boy in a group of kids that Ann worked with that was always kind of un-sociable... I get the feeling he was the "un-lovely" type, and no one wanted to be with him much. One day Ann suggested to the other kids that they "try an experiment", and to love this little boy, more than they had ever loved anyone else. And by reaching out to him by sitting next to him and writing him notes and buying him soda... by showing love to him, he changed. This really encouraged me, because I've always wanted to reach out to the people that no one really likes, but I've always really struggled with actually doing it. But reading this chapter made me want to do it even more, so I'm determined to pursue it :o) God has loved me so so much, and there's nothing that I've ever experienced that is at all better than the love that He's shown me, so I'm ready to pass it on!

"You can't stop love.
It crushes barriers.
It breaks and builds bridges.
It finds a way through.
It never gives up.
It's hard work.
It listens.
It walks ten extra miles.
It's something you do.
Jesus did it for me.
He died to set me free.
He lives to share my life with me
and I go to His
and my
people
and love wins."