Good Grief...

You may not even believe this when I tell you, because I'm having a hard time wrapping my brain around it as well: We had to call 911 again last night - this time for my mom. The paramedics ran some tests on her and it turns out that she had forgotten to take her blood pressure medicine the past 2 days. Couple that with the trauma from this week and no sleep during her stay at the hospital with my dad, led to one stressed-out heart. Thankfully, we did not have to return to the hospital and were all able to stay home last night to get a good night's sleep!
I feel the need for a Psalm:

Psalm 91

He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High
will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.

I will say of the LORD, "He is my refuge and my fortress,
my God, in whom I trust."

Surely he will save you from the fowler's snare
and from the deadly pestilence.

He will cover you with his feathers,
and under his wings you will find refuge;
his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.

You will not fear the terror of night,
nor the arrow that flies by day,

nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness,
nor the plague that destroys at midday.

A thousand may fall at your side,
ten thousand at your right hand,
but it will not come near you.

You will only observe with your eyes
and see the punishment of the wicked.

If you make the Most High your dwelling—
even the LORD, who is my refuge-

then no harm will befall you,
no disaster will come near your tent.

For he will command his angels concerning you
to guard you in all your ways;

they will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.

You will tread upon the lion and the cobra;
you will trample the great lion and the serpent.

"Because he loves me," says the LORD, "I will rescue him;
I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.

He will call upon me, and I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble,
I will deliver him and honor him.

With long life will I satisfy him
and show him my salvation."

"He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. ... If you make the Most High your dwelling— even the LORD, who is my refuge - then no harm will befall you, no disaster will come near your tent. For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone." Psalm 91:1, 9-12

He is Mighty to Save

I have just been through the worst week of my entire life. Thankfully, it's over and I truly believe God has a purpose for it all and will be glorified through it.
Here's the story:
On Monday, my mom was at a meeting for work at the elementary school next to my family's house. The meetings normally last 30 minutes, but this one lasted over an hour. During the meeting, my mom's friend, K. (who, by the way, wasn't even supposed to be at the meeting!) received a phone call from her daughter. Her daughter, M., was in an inebriated state the previous night and had somehow managed to break her thumb. During the phone call, the meeting finished, so my mom grabbed K's things and waited for her in the school's office while she finished up her phone call. By the time the phone call was finished, it was 3:45 in the afternoon. My mom decided that she didn't have enough time to make it back over to the office (her work day is over at 4:00), so she went home to finish up work. She arrived home at 3:46 to find my dad lying on their bed, in desperate need of help. She called 911, began CPR, and finally at 4:00 the paramedics arrived on the scene and whisked him off to the hospital. His heart was beating at 100/250 - a pressure few survive. Had my mom not arrived when she did, my dad would no longer be with us.
In the days following, we discovered he had a heart arrhythmia and 90% blockage in the LAD - a very major artery in your heart. He was so close to having a massive heart attack. After a complicated angiogram, 2 stents, and a brief stay in ICU, we now have my dad home with us.
While I have to believe God is good, all the time, I am so thankful that His plan and purpose for my dad have not yet been fulfilled this side of heaven and we get to keep him here with us. God's orchestration of all the events is mind-boggling. Only He could have done that. K and M are two non-believers and yet He chose to use them to fulfill His purpose in my dad's life. That is so incredible. My prayer is that God will be glorified in their lives as they come to know Jesus as their Savior. My God is mighty to save.

"Yet He saved them for His Name's sake, to make His mighty power known." Psalm 106:8

Information Overload

Yesterday, I went with my friend, Ashley, to visit a couple of her classes at Dallas Theological Seminary. It was... insane. The first class I visited was Angels, Man, and Sin - though it's actually some crazy name like Angelology, Anthropology, and Harmitology... My brain literally hurt after walking out of that class. It was completely overwhelming - but just what I needed. The next class - an Old Testament survey class - was much lighter and a bit easier on the brain.

I have so much to learn, but do I really want to go back to school?? Papers... projects... studying... I wish there was a button to push and you just instantly know all the information.

I have to go though! So much to learn and so much work left to be done. I'm in!

"He told them, 'The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.'" Luke 10:2

Things that make you go, "Hmm..."

Over the Thanksgiving break, I'm diving into as much of Isaiah as I can in 5 days. What's crazy is that in my research this morning, I found an interpretation that was just introduced to me last night at growth group.

One friend brought up the idea that many verses in the Bible can and are used out of context but with seemingly good intentions. For example, many people use Jeremiah 29:11 as a source of comfort, when contextually speaking, it was written for Israel, as God's promise of blessing to Israel. I wondered though, due to God's character and fulfillment through Jesus, if that promise of blessing could still apply to us, as God's adopted children? Life and life abundantly right? Hmmm...

So how do we read the Bible? Personally? Historically? Literally? All of the above? Hmmm...

For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Hebrews 4:12

To Write Love on Her Arms

Today is the national awareness day for To Write Love on Her Arms. TWLOHA is a non-profit organization that raises awareness on depression, suicide prevention, addiction, among many other issues faced by so many people today. I love this organization because it offers the only Eternal Hope there is while also recognizing that our Eternal Hope has also provided present-day hope through the Church, counselors, modern medicine, and other treatments for mental illnesses. For more info, check out: www.twloha.com

In honor of TWLOHA Day, my growth group had a fabulous time writing love on our arms.

"She gave this name to the LORD who spoke to her: 'You are the God who sees me,' for she said, 'I have now seen the One who sees me.'" Genesis 16:13

A few things I love...

1. Autumn. Most of my life, I've been a Spring girl - with all the flowers and rain and baby animals, but Autumn '08 is really turning me into an Autumn girl. Have you seen the trees lately?? I actually see leaves in colors besides green and brown. Love it!

2. Hope.

3. Not being sick!!!

4. Jesus. He's just so good to me.

5. I would end there, but 4's just a weird number on which to end a list, so I'll add a 5th love: My cat. I know I mostly just complain about the guy because, good grief, he mostly just drives me crazy! But awww, Charlie is just so darn cute. I wish I could figure out how to post a pic so you could see his cute face. Ah, I heart Charles.

"When the LORD brought back the captives to Zion, we were like men who dreamed." Psalm 126:1

Ghana 08 in Pictures

I just realized I never posted my slide show of Ghana. So here we go...

You are NOT going to believe this...

I challenged myself - due to a long story - to read the Bible in 90 days.... I'm on like 190 now... Yeah, not sticking to the plan. I have a (legitimate) reason though! It's just that the details are insane. I'm all for knowing details about some things - like maybe people, relationships, and other girly things. :) But buildings?? Minute structural commands... 1 cubit high here, 2 cubits wide there.... not so interesting.

Confession: I gave God a hard time about that. "Why must I know all this?? Good grief! It's taking me way too long to focus and get through this..." (Don't worry - my pride is now obliterated by the Great I AM.)

A month later or so, I get my answer. And I am fascinated. No, deeper, I mean, deeply enthralled by this God of ours. I'm probably the last one to get this info, but a refresher course is always good for the soul. So y'all, GET THIS:

God gave Moses so many details on how to build the Tabernacle so as to copy what He saw in Heaven!!! Not only that, but the Ark of the Covenant foreshadowed what Jesus' tomb would look like when He was buried! (Exodus 25, Hebrews 8:5, John 20:10-12) How incredible is that!? Oh y'all, isn't that beautiful?? Our God is intentional. He has a purpose for everything - even when we are blinded by the details of the journey towards accomplishing that purpose.

"Whom God did set forth a mercy seat, through faith in His blood..." Romans 3:25 (YLT)

His hands

I have a thing with hands. I'm pretty sure I always have. I notice people's finger nails - probably with more of a jealous eye than anything. It's true, I confess, I'm totally jealous of pretty nails. Somewhere along the way, I've just destroyed mine. But anyway, let's move on... My thing with hands: My grandmommy has the most beautiful hands, so does my mom. They'll be totally embarrassed when they read this, but ladies, it's true. You do have beautiful hands.

His hands have been on my mind lately. Shane and Shane sing a gorgeous song, check it out: "Before the Throne of God Above." This is my current anthem. They sing, "My name is graven on His hands..." And that is where it started: my fascination with His hands. The line comes from Isaiah 49:16, one of my most favorite sentences in the entire Word of God:

"See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands..."

As a part of the New Covenant, I can rest assured (thanks to Ephesians 3:6) that while Isaiah gave those words to the Israelites, God gave them to us. My name is written, no, engraved, on His hands.

Back in the day, Hebrews would engrave a symbol of their city on their hands as a sign of devotion to their land (Exodus 13:9). He has written my name on His hands as a sign of His devotion to me. I find it even more awe-inspiring that these very hands, that have my name engraved on them, have also been pierced by nails because of my sin. How much more deserving is He of my devotion!

May His Name be forever engraved on my hands.

"The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hands. "
Psalm 19:1

My Enduma (The Re-do)

** I wrote this post a couple of weeks ago, titled "Don't be the one without proper attire!," but my heart has been unsettled with it, so I'm calling for a re-do. :) **

I'm in love. It's true. I'm madly in love. After reading the Parable of the Wedding Banquet in Matthew 22, I fell in love with Jesus all over again. I truly felt like His beautiful Bride, but not because of anything I've done. It's all Him, I tell you!

I'm pretty sure I hadn't ever really read this parable. I didn't remember it at all. In fact, I was highly shocked the first time I read it! I had my own ideas about how the King would treat one of His guests... and then the King had His own ideas!

Here's Stephanie's brief summary of the Parable of the Wedding Banquet, just in case you were like me and hadn't read it:

The king's son is getting married, so the king invites "all those who had been invited" and was rejected - even after a 2nd invitation! He destroys all those people for mistreating his servants who were sent with the invitations, and then the king sends out an invitation to anyone the servants could find. The servants gather all the people in from the streets and escort them to the wedding banquet. The king came in to see all the people and noticed one man not wearing wedding clothes. After questioning the man, who was speechless, the king had him thrown into the darkness where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

In Stephanie World, when I first read about the king finding the man without wedding clothes, I got really excited. I thought, "Oh wow, the king is going to take him under his wing and give him new clothes, and just really give him the royal treatment!!" And then I continued reading..... And found that instead the man was actually thrown out into utter darkness...?!!! Ok, so not exactly a happy ending. What gives?? My God is not mean, so I had to do some research.

Turns out that what I found swept me off my feet! Since the servants had gathered people straight in from the streets, no one had proper wedding clothes. If proper attire was expected of them, it had to be provided for them, which is where the king comes in: He provided the wedding clothes. He had to! He mentioned to his first invitees that "everything is ready" (vs. 4) for the wedding banquet which leads me to this idea that He was the provider of the proper attire. The Greek word used for "clothes" in these verses is transliterated "enduma" which means an "outer garment." The fact that it's an outer garment is awesome because that means the guests' own stained, tattered and torn street clothes were covered by this beautiful enduma, fit for a wedding, given to them by the king himself. Oh, I love that!

This symbolism Jesus uses here sings to my heart, y'all! As you know, we are all invited to the Wedding Supper of the Lamb. (I am giddy just thinking about that day! I just really can't wait!!) In order to attend this Feast, though, we must be covered by Our Enduma, Jesus Christ. And I love how He covers us so my God will not be able to see these tattered, old clothes I've been wearing all these years! Oh, how great is our God!

"Then I heard what sounded like a great multitude, like the roar of rushing waters and like loud peals of thunder, shouting:
'Hallelujah!
For our Lord God Almighty reigns.
Let us rejoice and be glad
and give him glory!
For the wedding of the Lamb has come,
and his bride has made herself ready.
Fine linen, bright and clean,
was given her to wear.'"
Revelation 19:6-8

One Touch

This is the 3rd blog I've started today. Since the words in my heart just don't want to come out, I'll let Nicole C. Mullen take the mic and express it all for me.

Wanted: Discernment

I love when opportunities fall in my lap. I love being asked to do something. Somehow, though, my plate just became full. Too full, I think, and I don't know what to do, so I thought I'd talk it out here.
Here is what is on my plate:

1. Regular job
2. 2nd job
3. Refugee Mission work
   
4. Growth Group
5. Stepping Up
6. Piano lessons
7. Nursery work
   

I haven't quite started - or actually gotten - that 2nd job, but I'm hopeful my interview this Wednesday will bode well in that department... hoping and praying... and begging.... Anyway I'm just worried how to balance everything, or if I shouldn't balance everything and give up something - or some things. I've been praying about it and then had a great conversation with a friend. Her advice was excellent: There are good opportunities and there are the best opportunities. Choose the best opportunities. Sounds simple enough... if only.

So which one is the best? I am absolutely certain the 2nd job is the best - especially since it's certain to get me to the end: out of debt and in to seminary, so I'll keep that one. Refugee work: Work with these people who don't know Jesus but want to know Jesus and they're right in our own backyard - that's what I want to do. Growth group & Stepping Up will keep me sane - at least that's what I'm hoping - building my relationships with friends and God, doesn't get much better right? Piano lessons - I can't really quit those, can I? And I don't really want to - just a little more income is always excellent. Nursery work - I'm at church anyway, so I think that one can stay. And plus it's really fun.

So basically, maybe everything can stay. Or maybe I can just see how things go and then decide?

Tea Party With Jesus

This morning has been SO fun. I braved church last night - successfully! - since I hadn't run a fever all day, and so I could rest this morning in case my body continued to lack the energy I so desperately desire. My body won out this morning and I didn't make it to Sunday School. But my pride is telling my body that Jesus simply had other plans. Take that, body!

Back to my Tea Party: Allow me to set the stage for you, as the title "Tea Party" may be misleading. Replace tea with a bottle of water. Replace the pretty dress with my pajamas. And replace the nice, china tea set with a few Bibles and close to ten of my favorite Bible study materials. And there you have it: My Tea Party with Jesus. Probably sounds more like an all-nighter, college study session, but Tea Party just sounds better. I digress. Moving on...

Thanks to LPC's Catalyst, I've been in and out of the book of Jude the past few days. Jude has been a welcomed NT relief from my "read the Bible in 90 days," which by the way is not on schedule as it has taken me 20 days to get through Exodus. Our God is a God of details, which is reason #23958723 that He is God and I am not. Okay, back to Jude: Today I finally had the energy to really dig in to His Word and see the goodness God gave Jude. Before I reveal said goodness, I want to share the road I traveled this morning that opened my eyes to the goodness. It started in an email from Cheryl asking me to research Hinduism since the children we'll work with in a storying session this week have a Hindu worldview. The article she sent me lines up with the beliefs a dear NYC Hindu friend has shared with me the few times I've been able to pick his brain about Hinduism. What I found fascinating in the article were their 3 paths to salvation through YOGA! Yeah!! YOGA!!! Three different kinds of yoga "give" Hindus salvation, or so they think.

That leads me to the goodness I found in Jude:

"Dear friends, although I was very eager to write to you about the salvation we share, I felt I had to write and urge you to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints. For certain men whose condemnation was written about long ago have secretly slipped in among you. They are godless men, who change the grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord." (Jude 4-5)

Jude's writing to a group of believers whose church had become infiltrated by false teachers. He's urging them to fight for the Truth. NASB & KJV translate my favorite part "...to contend earnestly for the faith..." (italics mine). I love that! Contend earnestly. John MacArthur's comments on this verse, "... Jude wrote this urgent imperative for Christians to wage war against error in all forms and to fight strenuously for the truth, like a soldier who has been entrusted with a sacred task of guarding a holy treasure." (The MacArthur Bible Commentary, Bold mine)

Jesus! Toss me my Sword! I'm goin' in! AH! Doesn't that just get you all rowled up inside!? We've been entrusted with - according to Strong's: "delivered something... to keep, use, take care of..." - God's Word. As His saints, it is our duty to guard His Holy Treasure, to make sure others know that JESUS is THE Way, THE Truth, and THE Life. No one can get to the Father except through Jesus (John 14:6). No Yoga, no Buddha, no good works... Only Jesus.

I am so excited by the fact that God has entrusted you and me with His Holy Treasure, His Kingdom Secrets (Matthew 13:11). We may not know all the secrets, but we sure do need to tell the ones we do know!

"How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, 'How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!'" Romans 10:14-15

Come Weary Saints

Confession: I stole the title from a really cool album by Sovereign Grace Music. I stole it with good intentions though because it completely encompasses all that I'm feeling at the current moment. I'm sure they wouldn't mind.

I am completely exhausted. Thursday night I started feeling sick, so I took my trusty Tylenol PMs in hopes they would do the trick. They didn't. 4:30 am rolled around and - to put it nicely - I found myself with some kind of stomach virus. It was horrible. Needless to say I didn't go to work on Friday. I hate missing work. Having a sub stresses me out more than just going to work myself. Is that strange? Probably.

Anyway, so I was hoping this 3 (now 4) day weekend would be a nice little respite with Jesus. So far though, it's turned out to be more of a respite with my pillow. :( I feel like that is such a waste! I did find encouragement from my Ghanian friend, Gideon, though: "I will talk to our Savior about you. He will give you strength as you rest in Him." Indeed. Our God is good. Now if only I'd be faithful to be still and rest in Him...

"As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for You, O God." Psalm 42:1

Warning: Venting

I hate this time of year more than ANYTHING. And I mean anything. I hate having to undo what some people have done during the first 4-6 years of their child's life. It is a daunting, exhausting, and highly irritating task that I don't wish upon ANYONE. And I mean anyone. I hate having to start all over. I hate the training leg of this 9-month race. (That thought reminded me of Jesus. Perhaps I'll go there in my next post. For now, I want to vent some more...) Last week, I'm pretty sure I loved my job. Today, I despise it and want a new one in a desperate way. I'm pretty sure I felt this exact same way this time last year - and the year before that, and the year before that, etc. but I don't have any proof, so I'm putting this out there in hopes that come October, I'll re-read this and say to myself, "Did I really write that??" PLEASE let that be the case!!

P.S. And by the way, since when is defiance (aka "oppositionally defiant") a medical issue, as opposed to a sin issue?? Seriously people. Seriously.

Obedience

I heard this story at a Bible study and cannot get it out of my head, so I must share it here. Hopefully I'll get all the details right:

Beth was at an airport waiting for her flight, studying God's Word, when she noticed all the people in front of her staring at something behind here. She waited for an opportune moment to turn and stare, and she found that the object of everyone's attention was actually a frail, peculiar-looking very old man with hair down to the middle of his back, all hunched over in a wheelchair. Immediately God told her to go over to him, and of course she argued that she was busy, studying His Word, and told Him to put the man on her flight and then she'll witness to him. God wouldn't let up and said, "Oh no, I don't want you to witness to him. I want you to brush his hair." !!!! So finally Beth was obedient and went over to the man and asked him if she could brush his hair. "Well, darlin', if you really want to," he said. He let her get his brush out of his bag (because she didn't have one! ha) and she began to brush his tangled, messy, matted, but clean, hair. Once she got all the tangles out and got it looking beautiful, she knelt before him and asked, "Sir, do you know Jesus?" "I sure do," he said. "Of course you do," Beth thought. The man continued, "I've known Him Ever since I married my bride for she wouldn't marry me until I knew my Savior. I haven't seen my bride in two months because I had to go have open heart surgery and she's been too ill to visit me. I'm headed home to her and I was just thinking to myself, 'How can I see my bride looking like this? I'm such a mess.'" And that's when God sent Beth to brush this man's hair.

Doesn't that just make fall head over heels in love with Jesus? God loves us. And He meets us exactly where we are with exactly what we need.
This story also makes me think of all those "little" moments where we hear that still, small Voice telling us to do something - sometimes something as crazy as ask a little old stranger if you could brush his hair... and how often we do or don't obey that Voice. It makes me think about all the times when people in my life have obeyed His Voice and how different my life would be had they not listened. For instance, if my parents hadn't listened to Him, I wouldn't be a Christian. If my Amanda B. hadn't called me the afternoon after a bad break-up, I wouldn't have been encouraged and heard how much Jesus loves me. If Mona hadn't listened, I'd still be wandering in some desert. If those 20+ people who gave towards the Ghana trip hadn't given, I wouldn't have gone to Ghana. There are countless more stories just like that throughout my life. The impact of one person's act of obedience can impact eternity. May we all be mindful and discerning when it comes to His Voice and may He give us the boldness to act out in obedience.

"'You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt, and how I carried you on eagles' wings and brought you to myself. Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine, you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.'...." Exodus 19:4-6a

A little blurb

I love God. Absolutely and completely adore Him. I love so much about Him, but right at this moment, I love how He gives me just enough of what I need from Him and His Word. Just enough so that I'll catch it and recognize Who it's from and why He gave it. The Word may be a 'whole novel' or it may be just a blurb, but it's all His and all I need. I love that.
I was writing in my journal a little bit ago, just sorting out some personal thoughts, trying to figure out what I was missing. I come home to FINALLY having internet again and I begin to catch up on all the lovely blogs I've been missing for 2 whole days! ;) I come to precious Beth Moore's, and she signs off with this:

"And believe God for something BIG. He's so capable."

There it is, God said. Believe Him. Believe in His power, ability, and willingness to love us exactly the way we need to be loved - which, in this moment in time, is the something BIG for me.

"The Lord is near." Philippians 4:5b

Ghana 2008

Written Wednesday, July 2, 2008

It's hard to believe the 2 weeks in Ghana have come and gone. I still can't believe I'm home. I still can't believe God sent me to Africa! What an honor it was and still is to serve my Lord. So many things have happened in the last 2 weeks... so many experiences shared...

My 12 day journey in the Northern Region of Ghana proved to be a life-changing adventure with Jesus. We led a Vacation Bible School, took part in street evangelism, trained teachers to develop Sunday school lessons, registered over 275 people for National Healthcare, and visited the compounds for World Vision and Compassion International (organizations that sponsor poverty stricken children and provide them with healthcare, education, and spiritual nourishment). We saw the power of God heal a dying girl from a snake bite. We prayed over a 14 year old girl who had been bound by chains fastened by her earthly father due to her refusal to renounce her faith in Jesus Christ. The perseverance and liberty God gave her was profoundly humbling. We had the privilege of ushering over 100 souls to His Throne of Grace. Hallelujah!

I have seen with my own eyes the depth of utter hopelessness. Never could I have imagined such a thing. I remember sitting in Cheryl's (our leader) classroom and she said, "The person sitting in that chair right now will not be the same person who returns to the US. Your life is about to change dramatically." I can honestly say that I did not believe her. The Lord called me to short-term missions when I was 17, so I have been able to serve Him overseas a few other times. While all those experiences were certainly new at the time, my Ghana experiences were completely different. When I speak of utter hopelessness, I not only speak of the physical hopelessness - the poverty, the disease, families living amongst trash and sewage. Pile on top of all of that the spiritual hopelessness - idol worship, Allah worship, ancestral worship... and you come to the depth of utter hopelessness I witnessed with my very own eyes. I've never seen anything like it. And to know that this is only one depth of hopelessness - the Bottomless Pit of hopelessness is still yet to come. My spirit's jaw can only drop to the floor and I can only fall to my knees and cry out to the God Who Hears on these people's behalf that their hearts may be softened to the Holy Spirit's calling. Thank God there is still hope for them - for they are still alive and still have a chance to choose Jesus.

God taught me through Ghana that there are truly only 2 choices in life: believe God or don't. There is no middle ground. You cannot believe Him and your life stay the same. Your life will change when you believe that He is Who He says He is.

As I continue to process these experiences, I'm sure I will have to post more later. Until then, to God be the glory for the great things He has done.

"Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous deeds among all peoples... Say among the nations, 'The LORD reigns.'" Psalm 96:3, 10

Humbled

One of the hardest but most rewarding weeks is finally OVER! I will forever be grateful to any and all leaders. Leadership is absolutely the most humbling thing I have ever experienced. I helped put together the Vacation Bible School for some refugee kids from Burma, Iraq, and Nepal. They span the religions of Muslim, Buddhist, Hindu, and Christianity. Those precious babies stole my heart the moment I saw them. So many came in on Monday scared and nervous and wouldn't mutter a sound, but by the end of the week, were wild and crazy just like kids should be at Vacation Bible School!

COOLEST.THING.EVER: Four languages going on all at the same time. Four different Names for Jesus - yet all for the One. I just got a taste of what Heaven will be like.

So while that was absolutely so cool, this was one of the hardest things I have ever done. Looking back, I wish I had enjoyed it more. I wish I had taken more in. While I absolutely loved every second of it and was so honored to be a part of it, I was just so focused on making sure everything went smoothly, that everyone else was happy. Leaders have to deal with everything - the complaints, the problems, the issues... It's almost overwhelming. Of course there's plenty of encouragement in there too, but I find it pretty fascinating that just last week, I journaled about knowing who I am and who I am not and choosing not to live for the approval and disapproval, the encouragement and discouragement, of any man. I choose to live solely for His approval. I must choose each day Whom I will serve. I choose Him. I prayed that those words were true and authentic... Boy, was that choice and those words ever put to an intense test! I hope I passed it...
Once again I was stretched and knocked to my knees in humility. I felt completely inadequate - and most days overwhelmed - for the job that was set before me, but once again, my God was faithful to thoroughly equip His child for the task He gave her. We will not know until His side of Heaven just what seeds were planted where, but I anticipate a 100 fold harvest. :)
My God is good and I cannot wait for the day when I hear the Names of Jesus spoken in all the world's languages. Now THAT will be the COOLEST.THING.EVER.

"After this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. And they cried out in a loud voice:
"Salvation belongs to our God,
who sits on the throne,
and to the Lamb."
Revelation 7:9-10

Blessed

Wow, I'm still in shock of how well last night went. Though it was chaotic at first, which was expected, everything fell right into place. The Lord was all over it! Thank You, God, for Your eternal faithfulness even while I'm prone to wander.

Last night, I had a chance to have a pretty long conversation with one of the refugee women from Burma, Caroline. She had been a medical assistant in the amputee ward of the military hospital. She has seen, smelled, and heard things that I can't even begin to imagine. Caroline said that sometimes they would just run out of supplies so the amputees couldn't even have their wounds cleaned, they'd just have to suffer with infection. They were all given food full of parasites, but it's either eat that and maybe get sick or go hungry and for sure get sick.

Sometimes it's just so hard for me to remember the rest of the world. People live like Caroline - and worse - all over the world, everyday, 24/7, with no reprieve. It is so easy and comfortable to get caught up with the American & western way of life. We have it so good. We are truly, deeply blessed. I know He did it that way so we will use our blessings to give to those in need. May we be obedient.

"... we should continue to remember the poor..." Galatians 2:10

100 Fold Harvest! Luke 8:1-16

I love the way God makes Himself known. I just love it. His presence poured over the Living Proof Live Simulcast with Beth Moore this weekend. Here are a few - or thirteen - of my favorite things:

1. Thanks to all Jesus has done for us, we can be women of means. (Luke 8:1-3)
   
2. Receive His Word, act on His Word, and watch Him produce a 100 fold harvest. Surrender your life to the maximum impact of the Word of God.
3. Treasure the wonder: we've been made privy to the secrets and mysteries of the knowledge of God. (Luke 8:10)
   
4. The Word of God makes us competently competent. (2 Timothy 3:16-17)
5. Protect your heart: hide His Word in your heart and allow it to assimilate, resonate, and take root into the very depths of your faith. Don't allow anyone to snatch His Word away from you - His Word is not up for grabs!
6. God has a very accomplished purpose for every word He gives me. (Isaiah 55:10-12)
   
7. Expect the test: In times of tremendous suffering, agree to sow His seeds, for we will come out with sheaves of joy! (Psalm 126:5-6)
8. Dig the roots: Know that I know that I know that Jesus loves me. Your roots are as deep as you believe that God loves you. (Ephesians 3:17-19)
9. Stop the choke: anxiety chokes the word right out of you. Prayer is the cure for anxiety. (Philippians 4:6-7)
10. You "doing your thing" for God effects a thousand generations. (Exodus 20:5-7)
11. Retain the Word: possess it as your own.
12. Press forth to your 100 fold: persevere, no matter how long the road of obedience is, even if you think you've lost the vision, persevere.
13. There is a time when every answer will be given, when all mystery will be accomplished, but until then, we will tell the knowledge of the secrets of God that we know. (Revelation 10:5-7)

"Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up and yielded a crop, a hundred times more than was sown." Luke 8:8