Penelope Judd

I love this song/parable by Shai Linne. It's a children's song, but it stirs my heart with greater affection for Christ. I particularly like the portrayal of the Holy Spirit's work in the lives of believers. It does have some unfortunate grammar (thanks for that phrase, Karen), but I can forgive that, can't you? Download it post-haste, or better yet, buy the album "Storiez" and enjoy all the great songs.

Penelope Judd

Once upon a time in a distant land

Far beyond the sea where there lived no man

Or woman- in fact, lo and behold

The oldest person there was only 12 years old

Because all the grown-ups had washed away in a flood

One town in particular there was called Mud

Because every sister, cousin and brother

From head to toe in mud they were covered

But anyway, in this town called Mud

There lived a little girl named Penelope Judd

Now Penelope was a very sad, sad girl

Because she was living in a bad, bad world

Where kid teased each other and acted really mean

They lied, cheated and stole and their speech was obscene

With no grown-ups around, nobody was really wise

So every kid did what was right in their own eyes

Penelope would cry- like every single day

No matter what she did, the tears wouldn’t go away

But deep down in her heart, she hoped it would get better

Because of what her grandpa had written in a letter

He said, “Penelope, it’s great news that I bring

On the mountain top there lives a great King

The King has a Son, and being a proud Father

He’s going to throw the Prince a huge party in His honor

But the good part: and I hope it gets you excited

Penelope Judd, you’re officially invited!

He’s sending a Dove- He’ll tell you all you need to know

Just have your bags packed and be ready to go”

It had been such a long time Penelope was waiting

She wondered if the letter was true or just faking

But one day she was playing outside

And to her great surprise, the Dove had arrived!

He said:

Off we go with no delay

Don’t let nobody try to make you stay

We’re gonna see the King, we're on our way

And all the old things gon’ pass away

The Dove told her that He was sent by the King

If she wanted to go, she had to run and grab her things

Penelope said, “OK. I’ll be right back!”

Ran into the house and came back out with her knapsack

The Dove said, “Penelope, the party is in a day

Stay alert, follow me and I’ll lead the way”

So as He flew and Penelope walked the path

She waived good-bye to her friends and they started to laugh

They said that she was silly for following the Dove

Just to go to some stupid party up above

Penelope and the Dove continued on their way

But then she got sad, because part of her wanted to stay

But then she thought to herself, “Why would I want to stay?

Because all they do is play in the mud all day

And while they’re doing that, I’m gonna see the King!”

It made Penelope so happy, she started to sing

She said

Off I go with no delay

And ain’t nobody gonna make me stay

I’m gonna see the King- I’m on my way

And all the old things gon’ pass away

Now when they had been walking for a long time

They reached the foot of the mountain and they started to climb

Penelope got scared, not sure if she could keep

going because the mountain was very, very steep

On top of that, it was now dark outside

The Dove said, “Keep your eyes on me- I’ll be your guide”

Getting to the top was a difficult trip

But the Dove was there to pick her up whenever she slipped

And she was so excited when they got near the top

that she didn’t even stop when her knapsack dropped

The Dove led her to the Palace and said, “Farewell!

See you inside!” He flew away; Penelope rang the bell

A huge angel answered, looked her up and down

She knew something was wrong because he had a big frown

“Can I help you, ma’am?” “Yes, I’m here for the party

I have an invitation” He said, “I’m so sorry!

There’s no way that I can let you through these doors

The King won’t let anyone dirty up His floors”

She didn’t understand, so without coming near her

He reached into his pocket and He pulled out a mirror

And for the very first time, she saw that she was dirty

The Palace was spotless- she knew she was unworthy

As the angel continued, “I’m sorry, little friend

but…”A voice inside the party said, “You can let her in”

The next thing she knew, the Prince Himself was at the door

He looked at her, smiled and said, “There’s room for one more”

He reached out and touched her- instantly she was clean

Wearing the brightest robe that she had ever seen

If the Mud kids had seen it, they would have gone blind

“Where’d you get it?”, she asked, He said, “Actually, it’s mine”

And as He lead her in through the Palace doors

He sang the sweetest song she ever heard before

He said:

Long ago, laid aside my crown

Became a Mud kid, traveled to your town

They kicked me out, didn’t want me around

But those who love me get to share my crown

Staying the Course

I'm back "home" (where is home for a missionary?) after Missionary Candidate School, and as the saying goes, now comes the hard part.

But I feel sort of adrift, coming back to reality after dwelling for a few weeks in the world that is CEF IHQ. I love that place. It's a sort of home where people I love and admire come and go, work and rest, laugh and cry. We are truly a Fellowship.

This morning the VP of International Ministries painted a picture for us of the work around the world for us. It sort of devastated me. I wanted to run to my room and cry for a bit, but instead I went to lunch and cried there (on a side note: is there no place I won't cry? Answer: no, not a one).

As he was speaking (which is a treat to me for several reasons, not the least of which is his lovely Irish accent) he commented on a worker in Africa whose work among the people "shows the value of a life dedicated to ministry". That statement sort of blew me away and left me numb. The value of a life dedicated to God working out through ministry (whatever that "ministry" looks like in your life). What could be scarier, higher, or lovelier?

God continues to remind me of His faithfulness and of how beautifully He leads me through all the twists and turns of life. Now I'm impressed by the need to stay the course in the ministry He has called me to and for which He has gifted me. He has a call on my life which I have often fought against and tried to thwart, but it remains. I'm still in awe of it and often wrestle with the consequences of it, but I also love it. There is a lot of peace that comes by walking in His purposes, even when the hard times come.

So, now I'm done with a little bit of my journey. But I keep on walking. Soli Deo gloria.

"Keep Eating that Cheese"

I am here.

Where is "here"? CEF International Headquarters. This is my first full day of Candidate School (where they teach us about the important ministry of support raising) and I am exhausted. However, I had to share this story.

Today we candidates were treated to a tour of IHQ. We stopped to gaze out at the relatively new Kraft Prayer Garden. It's a beautiful spot where we gather to pray for the states and the ministry taking place in each (we have a front garden for international ministry, in case you were wondering).

We have many buildings and rooms and gardens here with namesakes and there is always an interesting story behind each. Our tour guide, who also doubles as my ministry coach, pointed out the window and explained "this is the Kraft Prayer Garden. As in Kraft Foods." We all exclaimed over this fact, and my delightful ministry coach said with a straight face "that's right. So, keep eating that cheese."

Words to live by.