There's an old song that starts "woke up this mornin' with my mind stayed on Jesus."  Well, I woke up this morning with my mind firmly gerbil-wheeling about multiple problems, crisis situations and thoughts of people in trouble.  Praying that God would keep A. alive until she finally realizes she needs help  A is a multiply addicted young woman who is is worse shape every time I see her.  Fretting about what's next for me.  Wondering how God is going to accomplish some real stumpers I've been praying about for a LONG time.  Feeling sorry for myself that I'm not able to go to New York to see my daughter Ruth in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes.

All in all, a pretty pathetic greeting for this beautiful Friday.

Then, I met a young fireball named Rebecca Hathaway from Unlikely Heroes. This ministry has safe houses in the Philippines and Mexico and is starting the groundwork for an outreach to teen girls in prostitution in Oakland Calfornia.

Rebecca and I met to talk about their need for healing and recovery resources for these young women.  They want to apply sound counseling principles with an awareness of "what works" to help people recover and heal from severe, complex trauma.  They also want to integrate healing prayer, deliverance, and God's presence into every relationship, interaction, resource, and program.

How to do that?  Meet someone who has just spent the last ??? years learning, exploring, experimenting, praying, studying, and finding out how to help women heal from trauma and abuse.  How to integrate inner healing prayer and God's healing presence with sound, helpful, evidence-based counseling tools, techniques and practice.  That's me!

Talking with Rebecca was like walking into a room and knowing, without looking, where every piece of furniture should be placed.  Or taking a test and knowing the answers to every question.  or hearing a song in your spirit and discovering someone else is singing the same song. 

AND, the needs of Unlikely Heroes - Oakland are just about identical to the needs of women right here with Because Justice Matters in the Tenderloin.  (More people singing the same song, it seems!)

Could it be that I will be able to team up with Rebecca (and perhaps another therapist) and create resources, curriculum, group outlines and workshop materials that can be used not only by Unlikely Heroes, but byBJM, Freedom House, BigBigHouse and many others?  Wouldn't that be the absolutely most hilariously-wonderful, coolest God-thing?  And, wouldn't I be so happy I'd dance down University Avenue in Madison?

Hmm....this seems like one of those things you couldn't plan if you tried.  God-incidence!   Let the dancing begin!