Is this real life?

What is service? What is the point of “missions”? Why do we serve the poor and feed the hungry? What makes you a “missionary”? Sometimes I find myself serving people just for the sake of doing it because God would be pleased or because it was what I was taught Jesus did. And we should do what Jesus did. But I knew deep down that there was another level to this service that followers of Jesus are called to. For what purpose do we serve people? Just for the sake of helping people? What good does that do in the end? They are happy now, but what about when something bad happens? Or a loved one dies? Or when they die? What’s next? My hope is in our future life with Christ. Can I paint you a picture?

Imagine a place where the hurting people of this world no longer hurt. A place where the blind can see again. A place where broken families are renewed. A place where there are no fatherless sons. A place where the depressed have eternal joy. A place where there is always enough to eat. A place where floods, earthquakes, and genocides don’t take thousands of people’s lives. A place where the ruler is good and kind and fair. A place where the people in this land can trust their ruler and lord, knowing that he is looking after their best interest and cares for them. A place where all types of people are working for one purpose, the praise and worship of their King, the creator of the universe.

This place is the hope I have for the future because of my trust in Jesus as this ruler. The amazing thing is that we can start living that life with Christ now and making this amazing kingdom happen now. I choose to live now with God’s kingdom in mind, and I truly believe that if people get the taste of the kingdom of God and the true life He wants us to inherit, they will want to be a part of this kingdom and to make Jesus Lord of their lives right now. So I challenge you to think about: What is your background? What are you good at? What drives you? Now think about how God has probably worked all of that in your life for the good of His kingdom and for you to use all those things to serve Him. There is a deeper level of service that the Lord really desires from us. God is most glorified when we are most satisfied in Him and when we use our talents and blessings to make His kingdom come to our broken world now. What could you do to make God’s kingdom come now?

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Fancy Wedding, Small Town Church, Refugee Haven

Rach and I talking about our weekend on the long car ride home and realized how crazy and different the places are that we have been in the past 24 hours. We had an absolutely amazing time with Greg and Lori May at their wedding on Saturday. It was hands down the most fancy and posh wedding/reception that I have ever been a part of. When we got to the reception I told Rachel that I felt like we were in a movie or something. It was so much fun to spend a great night celebrating two of my most favorite people with so many good friends.
It felt so strange though to be around wealthy white people again. I might have even lost some of my refugee-english while we were there. Haha. But it just reminded me again how different our life is going to look than so many of my friends.
So then, this morning we take off to go to morning worship at FUMC in Amory. Small town Mississippi church meeting. Again very different than where we had been the night before and where we would lay our heads down tonight.
It was so good to see "my kids".  I have missed them and their teenage antics... Well maybe not the teenage antics but definitely them. It was so hard to not stay all day and visit with all of them. Some short conversation before and after worship would have to do. Those students will always have a piece of my heart wherever I go.
And then, home-sweet-home, we finally got back to our wonderfully beautiful community from everywhere in the whole world. It felt very right to come home to our amazing community of believers, this crazy diverse mix of people we call neighbors (including the band of small children that bombard us with hugs when we come back from anywhere), and the place we affectionately call home.We are not worthy Lord, what more could we ask for?
What a crazy diverse weekend. It flew by and now its back to the crazy thing we call normal life.

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A New Season of Life

I love new seasons, for the most part, because of the freshness of it and the excitement of newness. And along with those things I have grown to appreciate the way the Lord humbles me through them and reminds me how much I need Him.
Day four in Clarkston is over and I continue to feel like a wide-eyed child more and more. I also am more and more aware of how much bigger than myself the task ahead of me is.

1 At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” 2 And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them 3 and said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. 4 Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.  -  Matthew 18:1-4

Through the newness and unknowns of this place that is unlike anything else I have ever experienced, the Lord is teaching me so much about becoming like a child. 

Like being a learner, watching and listening to understand the peoples and cultures around you. 

Like trusting the one leading you, knowing that the Lord has brought us here with a purpose and continuing to trust and follow after Him as he leads us in that.

Like remembering that we are small and weak, the Lord is doing a lot of amazing things in Clarkston and He doesn't need us for any of them, but like a loving father He desires to help us be a part of His great work in this city. 

Our Father has been so good to us over the past few days and I know that He will continue to lead us and guide us, so that we can be a part of the amazing ways He is making His name great among the people of this city. 

Pray for us that we would continue to walk as children being led by our Heavenly Father. 

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Giving Things Away

Luke 5:11 - So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him.


I am not really much of a stuff person. So preparing to give things away and leave things behind, for the most part, hasn't been that hard for me. But yesterday we gave away the first of our three dogs. Abraham was my first dog to have since living on my own. He was my constant buddy while living all by myself here in Amory. So needless to say yesterday was a very sad day for me and for Rachel too.
But I will praise the Lord in this. We were very worried we weren't going to find homes for our dogs and would have to take them to the animal shelter. But over the past few weeks we have had so many leads and two of them have led to homes for Abe and Sheba. God is so good to prepare a way when you need it the most.
But all that to say I have come face to face with what it means to leave something you hold very dear to you behind, and know that this world and all of the things in it will pass away, including your favorite pet (sorry all you hardcore animal lovers). So, I fix my eyes on Jesus and press on knowing that the things that pass away because of this would fade and fail and pass away anyways.

Bye Abe..

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The Lord's Provision

Let me start by saying the Lord has been so good to us. Rachel and I currently have enough support to fully pay tuition for Training School and for living expenses while we are in Clarkston. We are so appreciative to all of the people who have been a part of the Lord's amazing provision for us.
Please continue to pray for the Lord's ongoing provision as we prepare for the years to come in India.

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Pho, Fleas, Flumes, and a Forgotten God

After months of wedding planning, the momentous/emotional/surreal day finally came. Our wedding was such a beautiful mix of our lives joining together, of all of our close family and friends celebrating with us, and of the Lord's name being glorified. For all of you who came, it meant the world to us that you were there to support and celebrate with us.
For me, as the main wedding planner (with the wonderful/much-needed help of my mom and our wedding coordinator, Paige), the day was a beautiful moment of all our hard work reaching its climax as I walked down the aisle. Floods of relief (that our planning was ending with this exciting moment) and waves of emotions (from realization of the weight of what Grayson and I were doing) overcame me.  All that to say that our ceremony was more meaningful than I could have ever imagined, AND boy was I glad that I never had to plan my wedding ever again.
After the ceremony we journeyed to Seattle! Where we drove to the Olympic Peninsula and stayed in Port Angeles for two nights then stayed on Bainbridge Island in the Puget Sound. While in Port Angeles, we made sure to venture out to the Olympic National Park where we spent a day of driving and going on random detours where we saw things like Sol Duc Falls.

We picnic'd at beautiful Cape Flattery and saw the west coast in all its glory.

As we traveled around the Olympic peninsula and the Puget Sound, we saw sweet things like black bears, an otter, deer, and tons of awesome priceless views that are unlike anything we'd ever seen. Our trip can be summarized by the word DETOUR. Our favorite way to adventure is to drive around and find cool things. One of our favs was the detour up a gravel road with a sign that said "Tsunami Evacuation Route." Of course we had to check it out. After ten minutes of winding and a treacherous (slightly painful) climb up a crumbly rock, this is what we found...

In Seattle, we went to some of the scenic places like Pike's Place Market, the first Starbucks, the Space Needle (which we didn't go up in b/c it was way overpriced), and the new Experience Music Project (which was closed when we got there). Who needs to actually go into those famous tourist places anyway? But you bes believe we got our monorail ticket's worth by having a photo shoot with all these famous places.

I'll give Seattle 3 words: Eclectic. Granola. Environmentally-friendly. It was like no other city I'd ever been to. Very neat city to visit if you get the chance. Overall, our trip was superadventurous, relaxing, and of course filled with lots of good foreign food eating. My favorite  was definitely our first dinner as a married couple eating Pho Ga at a small Vietnamese place in Port Angeles :) love being in cool places eating good foreign food.
We're so thankful for our opportunity to travel to a place that we've really wanted to go to and for the relaxing vacation that it was. Now we're back to semi-normal life. The big difference is that now we're doing life together. In the same city. In the same house. Always with the same God. Our adventure totally didn't end with the honeymoon.
Way more to come with "Fleas, Flumes, and a Forgotten God"... so till then, peace and blessings!
Rachel Luther

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Of Course I Do

So the wedding will be t-minus 14 days tomorrow, and I am so stinking ready for it to be here. All of the most important things are pretty much done and ready, so now is just me waiting for that wonderful moment to be here. And then whirlwind through it to the honeymoon. Haha. The feelings I am having for the marriage are very similar to what I feel like our world is feeling right now. It seems that everyone and even the earth itself is groaning more and more in anticipation of Christ returning for His bride and making all things new and right. Its like all of creation is crying
COME ON JESUS!! WE WANT YOU NOW!! WE NEED YOU NOW!!
But it is not yet here so we patiently wait in anticipation. And I patiently wait in anticipation.
Anyways, know that many of you reading this will be there to celebrate along with us, and we are so excited to be able to share this moment with all of you and hopefully share our life together with you as well. Whether that is here in the States or in India or wherever the Lord may lead us.
Many of you know that instead of registering and asking for wedding gifts to start our home here, we are asking that you would send support to help us start a home in India. We ask that all of you would consider regularly supporting us either with your prayers or monetarily or both. Let us know if you would like to commit to doing that so that we can send you updates of what is going on in our lives. And if you would like to send us support please make it out to Grayson and Rachel and send it to:

Heritage United Methodist Church

3 Baracuda Drive

Hattiesburg, MS 39402
We love and thank all of our wonderful family and friends that have encouraged us along the way. Please let us know if there is anything we can do for you or ways that we can pray for you.
Much Love Grayson

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