Nov 1, 2012
In January, I got to visit the mission field. It had been five years since I’d been there. During that time, I met up with an old friend, Gabriel, and this time I got to meet his wife and daughter. His wife is energetic and kind and makes amazing ginger tea. Their daughter, Faith, is two years old. When Faith was born she had a band around her kidney that restricted all blood flow; this meant she had to have that kidney removed. Having a kidney removed as an adult is a major thing, even more so for a baby that’s just a few months old. The prayer request reached us here in the States. Since she was my friend’s daughter, it hit especially close to home for me. The Lord’s hand was so evident throughout Faith’s surgery and she did fine. Her other kidney picked up all the work it needed to do. Praise the Lord! She is now healthy and incredibly smart, and she loves to sing. When I visited she knew about 30 songs in several languages. I know the Lord has a special plan for her life.
Spending time with people like Gabriel and his family made the trip really special for me. Getting to see how the Lord had grown and used friends during the five years since I’d seen them was encouraging. It’s just a simple thing, the reunion of friends, but it was a wonderful snapshot of all God can do in a life and how faithful He will be to complete the work He has begun in each of us. None of our journeys are complete; they’re just five years further along so it gave me a lot of hope, too, hope in all God will do in the future. It has nothing to do with us and everything to do with who He is.
I sometimes liken the part I get to play in building God’s Kingdom to the part a two year old plays when they help wash dishes. They might throw some suds around on the dish, but the adult takes care of the real work. This isn’t to say the Lord only gives us petty jobs; rather, He’s the one accomplishing the work, no matter how big or small. It’s His power and strength working through me, and doing it with Him is the greatest treasure. Just like time spent with your two year old is the real treasure, not the twice cleaned bowl.
It’s Him enabling us to serve. It’s Him walking with us every step of the way. “He who called you is faithful; He will surely do it.” 1 Thessalonians 5:24
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Oct 29, 2012
How many of us have ever been in some kind of situation that made us just want to scream? I know I have; But really, what is it that makes us so jumpy, so on edge? Maybe it’s our tendency to want to control everything.
Really, when you think about it we would have been a lot better of if God had just made us robots with no freedom of choice, and no personal creativity, but He didn’t. So there comes a problem that we as Christians all face. We all “freak out” when our “control” over circumstances is threatened.
It’s true! Think about it, I can’t begin to tell you how many times, in my own life, when God stepped in and said “ok I’ll take that, you have had it way too long” or “this is how I want you to do it” or even just plain and simple “no” that I started running around (mentally) like a chicken with my head cut off because my “control” was threatened, I “freaked out”.
I absolutely love the quote from a certain movie that I like where the heroine says to the hero “don’t freak out!” because I feel that that’s exactly what God is saying to us! Psalm 46: 10 says “He (God) says, Be still (Don’t freak out!), and know that I am God…” and I must say that God has really been challenging me with this verse over the last couple of weeks.
I was sitting down thinking the other day (a dangerous occupation) and it occurred to me quite humorously: The animal God chose to relate us to as Christians was sheep, SHEEP!? I don’t know about you, but when I heard this I wanted to say (freaked out) “Come on God, a sheep? Really?”. Friends, the fact of the matter is, sheep are stupid and easily freakoutable. I wanted to say: “God, about this whole sheep thing, I personally would love to be an eagle or a wild mustang”. But I didn’t, in all my wisdom and knowledge, I decided to give God the benefit of the doubt; after all, He does know everything. Then it hit me, what’s really amusing about this sheep comparison is that we even make bad sheep!
When a sheep gets to know its master, and learns to hear His voice and recognize, it comes when called. But in keeping with our analogy from earlier, when I (one of God’s sheep) hear His call I tend to want to run the other direction.
I’m so glad that God gave us examples to look at and apply to our own lives especially in those twelve men that were closest to Him. When you think about it Jesus’ disciples were masters at the art of freaking out. Look at Mark 4:35-39 “…when evening had come, he said to them, “Let us go across to the other side.” And leaving the crowd, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. And other boats were with him. And a great windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking into the boat, so that the boat was already filling. But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion. And they woke him and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” Isn’t this great?! I love it! I can just here Jesus waking up and saying to those guys “Could you please stop yelling?! And Peter stop hiding in that barrel we’re not going to die!” (That was a paraphrase). Now we come to my favorite part in verse 39 “And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.” I have a sneaking suspicion that Jesus was not just talking to the wind and waves here. I know what I would say if I woke up to my friends yelling and screaming at me, and the wind was blowing, and huge waves crashing. I would say exactly what Jesus said: “Peace! (stop freaking out) Be still!
Another place we find this example of being full of peace in God is Psalm 37: 7-8 “Be still (peace) before the LORD and wait patiently for him; do not fret when people succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes. Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret (don’t freak out)—it leads only to evil.” In this passage it is a little different. Here we see that “freaking out” can actually damage our relationship with God (“…it leads only to evil.”)!
Friends, the Bible says “do not fear, worry, fret (don’t freak out)” over a hundred times, almost as many times as the word grace is mentioned! So why is this so important? Why is it so damaging to us to worry? The answer is simple; Freaking out causes us to focus on our self, to take our eyes off of Christ, and ultimately, (if not dealt with) causes us to try and take the control of our life back from Jesus!
So how than, if we have a problem of “freaking out”, do we deal with it? The prophet Jeremiah says “But blessed is the one who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in Him. They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.” The answer: We simply trust Him. Remember the Lord and who He is, be still and trust that whatever the issue is, He is bigger! Also memorize Psalm 25: 4-5 and let that be your comfort whenever you are tempted to “freak out”.
“Show me your ways, LORD, teach me your paths. Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long.”– Psalm 25: 4-5–
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Sep 11, 2012
At a recent prayer meeting, Danny talked about how important it is to keep your camera lens clean. If it’s not cleaned regularly, then dirt, dust, and sometimes even fungus can get in the camera or lens and ruin any chance of taking a nice photo. This all is a representative of a bigger picture. We are supposed to keep our hearts, minds, and eyes clean so that we can clearly reflect God’s nature to those around us.
So often Christ is misrepresented by those who claim to be Believers, but lie, steal and destroy those around them. Clearly they are not “loving one another” as Christ commanded us to do. Now, I’m not writing this to judge them, or knock them down in any way. Because how often do we, ourselves misrepresent the Lord to those around us?
Maybe we are frustrated in traffic at the person who isn’t turning fast enough. Or the person in the grocery store took the last item off the shelf that you needed for dinner that night. Or maybe you are tired and exhausted, and get impatient with those around you. I know I struggle a lot with those simple things. But doesn’t God say in John 13:35 “by this all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
A good test of this happened not too long ago for me. I had the privilege to travel up to Pennsylvania, with my best friend Katie, to spend a few days at Christmas with my amazing family. I was so excited, yet so nervous at the same time. I’m not sure why I was nervous, they’re my family and I love them dearly. But it had been a year since I had seen most of them, and I knew I had missed a lot. Would I be able to just fit in like normal? Would they notice any growth that the Lord had done in my life? Would I be able to love them like Christ loves them, and be a good representation of Christ to them?
As the days flew by, I could feel my energy draining. By the time I was boarding the plane with Katie, I had just come off a very busy week at work. I was emotionally, physically, and mentally exhausted. I wasn’t sure I would have enough energy or enthusiasm left to give everyone attention when they came over. The only thing left for me to do was pray. Pray that the Lord would use me, despite my inability to give anything.
As I arrived, I felt like I was a visitor. I love my Mommy, my brother, and the rest of my family and friends. But I knew that I didn’t “belong” in PA anymore. No matter how much I may think about how things “might have turned out”, what I could be doing, who I might be hanging out with. It was like God confirmed to me, yet again, that He called me to Gospel for Asia, and that no matter how hard things may get, He will use me as I remain faithful to Him in Texas.
Time flew by as we moved from the open house on Friday, to Christmas Eve celebrations on Saturday, Christmas on Sunday, and then last minute things on Monday. Each day, God filled me with His Spirit, His patience and His love. It was like, even though I had nothing left to give, all God needed was a willing heart. A willing heart that allowed Him to clearly reflect His glorious, and awe-inspiring nature, to those who gathered around. I was able to play with my cousins, and not be frustrated with them, but enjoy every moment spent with them. To talk with relatives and boldly share what the Lord is doing in my life, and share possible plans for the future. To laugh and worship with friends, without being shy or nervous about who the Lord has transformed me into in the past year. To spend time with my mommy, brother, and Katie and not be worried or flustered with all the chaos of preparing for people to come over. And as silly as it seems, it was enjoyable to spend time playing with my mom’s dog Sawyer, and her new puppy Finn, even when Finn would try to escape in the yard.
I guess what I’m trying to say is, no matter how tired you may be, always keep your camera lens clean. Allow God to work through your life to those who might be around. Ask the Lord to make you a clear reflection of His magnificent glory.
Thanks for reading, I’m praying for each of you. God Bless!
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Aug 28, 2012
Wow, it has already been 6 months as a student here at Gospel for Asia School of Discipleship! The Lord is teaching me so many things and He is also encouraging me! I think the biggest thing the Lord is encouraging me to do is to keep following, pursuing and seeking Him no matter how I feel. I think this is the absolute hardest thing for me to do because when I am emotional and don’t know why (and even when I do know why) I just want to hide and get away from everyone. Now if I chose to rely and act on what my emotions said, I would probably be back home. Making the decision to rely in faith on the Lord’s promises, is so hard for me, but once I do it I feel better because when I read His Word I truly trust what He says. There have been times however, when I read God’s Word and didn’t feel any different afterwards — this is where faith comes in.
Hebrews 11:1 says “Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see” (NLT). This verse explains it perfectly. When my emotions decide to take over; immediately faith needs to step in. I have to have confidence that what I hope to happen (which would be that the feelings go away and ultimately that His perfect, good, pleasing will would be done so He may be glorified) and by hoping this will actually happen I can be so assured that it will happen. I know the Lord and He promises to answer the cries of His righteous ones, to deliver, and give them such perfect peace for those who choose to trust Him and keep their thoughts fixed on Him (Isa. 26:3). He also promises us that when we seek Him with all our hearts, we will find Him (Deut. 4:29) He is not going to hide Himself from us. He doesn’t desire us to stay on an emotional roller coaster for the rest of our lives! He came to give life and to give it more abundantly! (John. 10:10).
I find this so encouraging that the Lord showed me this because it really is so important to this Christian life. I mean think of one who is in the position of leadership. Don’t you think there are days when they just feel like giving up and not leading anymore? I mean those in leadership have so many different tasks to do, decisions to make and there not always easy decisions, and they most importantly have to shepherd their flock like Jesus calls them too. If they decided to just give up and stop leading because that’s what their feelings were telling them, I don’t think we would have any leaders in the world, and I know Gospel for Asia would not still be in existence.
The Lord has shown me I have to train my emotions. Whenever I feel them coming up and taking over I have to immediately go to the Lord and ask for faith. And all I need is faith as small as a mustard seed to move mountains. (Matthew 17:20) God has used so many people in my life, especially here at Gospel for Asia to remind me that my emotions and heart are very deceitful above all else (Jer. 17:9) and I need to put my faith in the Lord’s promises. The president of Gospel for Asia, K.P. Yohannan reminds us all of this very often. We need to be reminded because emotions are nothing we can hope in and make decisions based upon.
I think back in my life before School of Discipleship when I used to make so many decisions based on my emotions and every single time, it turned into a huge mess. I remember receiving a text, e-mail, or phone call from someone who made me so angry and instead of taking it to the Lord I decided to react and I ended up really hurting that person and caused them to view God not as a loving God but as an angry God because I called myself a Christian. I praise God that He has been so gracious to me and grown me very much in this area of my life! I also praise God for even bringing me here to School of Discipleship so that these areas in my life can be revealed.
I desire to live by faith and I am encouraged to do so by all the wonderful people here at Gospel for Asia. Each day they encourage me even when I fail to not give up and to keep running the race for Christ. Praise God 🙂
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Jun 22, 2012
A few days ago a friend and I went to goodwill so I could attempt to find some clothes for a talent show As we were exiting this store we heard this quiet “excuse me,” but we ignored it thinking it wasn’t directed at us. Then twice we heard the “excuse me!” but a little louder this time, I turned around and discovered this pregnant lady trying to get our attention. So I walked back over to her and she looked rather nervous and kinda surprised that we had acknowledged her call. I asked what she wanted and she proceeded to tell Katie and I that the car she was using ran out of gas, and someone dropped her off at the Goodwill so that a church friend could pick her up and take her to another friends house so she could get money for gas for the car she was borrowing. She asked if we could maybe give her a ride to the CVS down the street so she could meet up with a different friend there.
We of course said that we would give her a ride and asked if there was anything else she needed. As we walked to my car, she kept repeating “thank you Jesus” and “thank you so much girls” and such. Once in the car she started talking a lot, and said that she was talking so much so that she wouldn’t cry. So in an attempt to keep conversation going and encourage her, I asked what church she went to. She answered and asked why I asked about church and if we were Christians. I gladly answered, “yes we are Christians, and I asked because I noticed you saying ‘thank you Jesus’ and was just curious”. She smiled and kept talking a bit more and then asked where we went to church, so I told her about the church I attend and about Gospel for Asia. By this time we had reached the CVS and her friend wasn’t there. She was starting to get really nervous and panicky and without thinking I offered to take her where she needed to go and help her out in whatever way I could.
She was overfilled with thankfulness and happiness that she was literally speechless. After she regained her composure, she asked if we could stop by Taco Bell to get her some food for the baby. We of course went to Taco bell’s drive through and paid for her meal. I gave her my contact information and kept encouraging her that it was the Lord’s answer to my prayers that I am able to help her out as one of my sisters in Christ. She kept marvelling over how calm and peaceful Katie and I were the entire time. After Taco Bell, we drove to her friends house so she could get her friends debit card to get gas, but she needed $25 so she could get gas. We didn’t have cash on us, so we went to an ATM and I got her some money so she could fill up the car she was borrowing. After that we went back to her friends house, she got the debit card, then we drove her, I’m guessing to her house.
I invited her to Gospel For Asia’s prayer meetings on Tuesday night and she said she might come. I’m hoping to hear from her again, and I’m so glad that we were able to be there to help her out. God is so good! I had been praying for an opportunity to obey Him without hesitation, and He gave me this! I’m glad this sister is safe, and I’m glad we could be a light and encouragement for her. God’s timing is so perfect. 🙂
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