A month or so ago I was sitting in church listening to a very good sermon and the pastor said something I think I'll never forget.
"He [Jesus] died of a broken heart so that we might live with broken hearts."
What is our greatest sin? Pastor went on to say. What is the sin of the world? Could it be that we do not have broken hearts for the lost? Could it be that our eyes are blinded so that we can't see as God sees? Could it be that we hardly care whether souls are lost around us?
Could it be that Jesus died, in part if not in whole, so that my heart could be changed and then broken for His lost children? I'm not arguing that Jesus died so that my sin could be forgiven, but if sin is defined as not living up to God's standard, isn't it a rather major problem if I don't have His broken heart for the lost?
I still don't know where I'm going to be next year. But wherever I am, I want to put this principle into action. Lord, give me Your heart for the lost!
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
Monday, December 19, 2011
SM 2012 Convo...reminiscing
We have "Student Missions (SM) Emphasis Week" once a year on my college campus. I think it should be more often. Anyhow I was reading blog posts by random people and someone mentioned the chorus to this song we sang during SM convocation that week. And I remembered how I loved it. A very powerful song.
"Who you love, I'll love
How you serve, I'll serve
If this life I lose, I will follow you"
How did He love? How did He serve? Am I willing to follow Him all the way?
"Who you love, I'll love
How you serve, I'll serve
If this life I lose, I will follow you"
How did He love? How did He serve? Am I willing to follow Him all the way?
Sunday, December 18, 2011
Christmas!
As of Wednesday of last week, I'm done with my first semester of college! And my grades are all good and I've successfully switched my major to elementary education. God is good!
Today we decorated for Christmas. We hadn't done it on the usual Sunday-after-Thanksgiving because we couldn't figure out how to decorate with Mr. Keesa, our little gray kitten. . .well, we could figure out how to decorate, just not how to keep said decorations up there! Today we decided we'd just try, and see what happened; and so far, nothing has been knocked off and we haven't even had to actually use the water spray bottle. Yay! So now the living room actually looks like Christmas, and that makes me happy. :) Hopefully I will post pictures soon.
I plan to write a lot this break, but we'll see if that actually happens. I've been enjoying cooking and cleaning and reading and just being here around the house. Such a refreshing break from classes.
More later! In the meantime, take some time to ponder the real meaning of Christmas with me!
Today we decorated for Christmas. We hadn't done it on the usual Sunday-after-Thanksgiving because we couldn't figure out how to decorate with Mr. Keesa, our little gray kitten. . .well, we could figure out how to decorate, just not how to keep said decorations up there! Today we decided we'd just try, and see what happened; and so far, nothing has been knocked off and we haven't even had to actually use the water spray bottle. Yay! So now the living room actually looks like Christmas, and that makes me happy. :) Hopefully I will post pictures soon.
I plan to write a lot this break, but we'll see if that actually happens. I've been enjoying cooking and cleaning and reading and just being here around the house. Such a refreshing break from classes.
More later! In the meantime, take some time to ponder the real meaning of Christmas with me!
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
All the Children of the World...
"Jesus loves the little children,
All the children of the world.
Red and yellow, black and white,
All are precious in His sight.
Jesus loves the little children of the world."
I'm thinking tonight how strange it is that, growing up, my favorite song was "All the Children of the World." Granted, some of it was because I could never figure out what race a "yellow" child belonged to. . . I knew Native Americans used to be called "red men," and I knew I was white and there were other people who were black, but yellow? I'd never seen a person whose skin tone was anything close to yellow!
The really amusing thing is that I grew up on the West Coast of California, in Pacific Union College, around hundreds of Asian students. The joys of being a child and hardly recognizing race! (I still haven't seen a healthy person whose skin I would really call yellow!)
I guess that would still be my favorite Christian kids' song, though. Partly because I've grown up to love kids, and partly because I've grown up to love cultures and races and different people groups. I wonder if God put that in my heart from the very beginning. I wonder how He's going to use it now!
All the children of the world.
Red and yellow, black and white,
All are precious in His sight.
Jesus loves the little children of the world."
I'm thinking tonight how strange it is that, growing up, my favorite song was "All the Children of the World." Granted, some of it was because I could never figure out what race a "yellow" child belonged to. . . I knew Native Americans used to be called "red men," and I knew I was white and there were other people who were black, but yellow? I'd never seen a person whose skin tone was anything close to yellow!
The really amusing thing is that I grew up on the West Coast of California, in Pacific Union College, around hundreds of Asian students. The joys of being a child and hardly recognizing race! (I still haven't seen a healthy person whose skin I would really call yellow!)
I guess that would still be my favorite Christian kids' song, though. Partly because I've grown up to love kids, and partly because I've grown up to love cultures and races and different people groups. I wonder if God put that in my heart from the very beginning. I wonder how He's going to use it now!
Sunday, December 4, 2011
A Beginning?
Almost two years ago I went to Peru.
That was a life-changing trip. I decided I wanted to go back, one way or another, someday (if, of course, God guided me there).
Last summer I had the opportunity. Or at least, I thought I did. It was the perfect place, the perfect slot for my abilities, multi-media work for a nonprofit organization--exactly what I wanted to do with my life.
But it didn't work. God closed the door quite firmly.
Then, in the middle of this school year, I had another opportunity. Even better, for my new major of elementary education--teaching school, using my Spanish skills, similar place to the one I knew I loved, still in Peru.
That didn't work either. Another door in my face.
Finally I made a last e-mail to another organization--one with no roots in Peru whatsoever--telling God that "this would be a really easy door for You to shut," just in case He didn't realize that. I didn't really want to go there, not because I thought it was a bad organization or because I didn't think I'd like the work; just because I'd decided I didn't want to go anywhere next year.
They e-mailed back. I could go to the Dominican Republic, Guatemala, or El Salvador. Now applications are flying and forms passed out and things are moving. And I'm scared. If this is a beginning, what am I starting?
I talked to a dear TCK friend today and asked what they thought. "Pray about it," they said, "and God will work out the details."
Good reminder. If God doesn't want me in Guatemala (my current first choice), then He's already shown that He can close the doors. If He does want me there, I don't want to be anywhere else!
That was a life-changing trip. I decided I wanted to go back, one way or another, someday (if, of course, God guided me there).
Last summer I had the opportunity. Or at least, I thought I did. It was the perfect place, the perfect slot for my abilities, multi-media work for a nonprofit organization--exactly what I wanted to do with my life.
But it didn't work. God closed the door quite firmly.
Then, in the middle of this school year, I had another opportunity. Even better, for my new major of elementary education--teaching school, using my Spanish skills, similar place to the one I knew I loved, still in Peru.
That didn't work either. Another door in my face.
Finally I made a last e-mail to another organization--one with no roots in Peru whatsoever--telling God that "this would be a really easy door for You to shut," just in case He didn't realize that. I didn't really want to go there, not because I thought it was a bad organization or because I didn't think I'd like the work; just because I'd decided I didn't want to go anywhere next year.
They e-mailed back. I could go to the Dominican Republic, Guatemala, or El Salvador. Now applications are flying and forms passed out and things are moving. And I'm scared. If this is a beginning, what am I starting?
I talked to a dear TCK friend today and asked what they thought. "Pray about it," they said, "and God will work out the details."
Good reminder. If God doesn't want me in Guatemala (my current first choice), then He's already shown that He can close the doors. If He does want me there, I don't want to be anywhere else!
Sunday, November 27, 2011
Back to School
Oh my, such a lack of anything here, I know! But it has been Thanksgiving break and I have been working hard on relaxing!
We had a lovely Thanksgiving dinner with friends; then we (as always) skipped Black Friday and went out hiking instead. :) Break has been very relaxing up till today--actually through today; I just had some last-minute homework to finish, but all in all I am still ahead of the homework game. Haha. Now it is back to college for two and a half weeks, and then, Christmas break! Grandparents coming, best friends coming home, Christmas music (need I say more?)--oh I can hardly wait!
More later, hopefully...
We had a lovely Thanksgiving dinner with friends; then we (as always) skipped Black Friday and went out hiking instead. :) Break has been very relaxing up till today--actually through today; I just had some last-minute homework to finish, but all in all I am still ahead of the homework game. Haha. Now it is back to college for two and a half weeks, and then, Christmas break! Grandparents coming, best friends coming home, Christmas music (need I say more?)--oh I can hardly wait!
More later, hopefully...
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
What Inspires Me
Different things inspire all of us. Perhaps if you know me or if
you've read some of my previous posts you've learned that my goal is to be a missionary...wherever I end
up in the world. So in pictures and words, here are just a few things
that inspire me.
Playing on the "blob" at summer camp in the U.S. It's amazing how
Christian summer camps impact the kids who come to them. I've
experienced it myself and this summer I hope to be a part of that
experience for someone else! Camp can show God to kids like almost
nothing else can!
Unloading trucks for a medical clinic in the U.S. Maybe I'm not a nurse
(yet), but pointing out lines on an eye chart is pretty simple. And
you never know when you might get the opportunity to witness to the
people you're serving--or to your fellow staff members!
Schoolgirls in Belize. Need I say I love kids, no matter what country
they're from? :) Sharing God's love...being the hands and feet and arms
of Jesus...that's what really matters!
The city in Lima, Peru. "People live in those things?!" Yes they
do...not all of those buildings have roofs and I don't think a single
one is what many of you would think of as an "acceptable" house. How
many of those people have ever had the chance to hear the gospel?
Birds-eye view of "jungly" area in Belize. Flying over the jungle is
amazing--you can hardly see a sign of people anywhere, yet they're down
there! Someone has to find them and give them the good news of
salvation in Jesus.
Heading under the canopy on a Peruvian river, en route to a jungle
village. Peru is where I received my call to missions, and it still
holds a special place in my heart.
So many people in this world! Do we really want Jesus to return soon? Really?
"And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come." (Matt. 24:14) It's not impossible...we have Jesus' power to see us through! Nothing is impossible with God, no matter what country you're in.
That's what inspires me. What about you?
Playing on the "blob" at summer camp in the U.S. It's amazing how
Christian summer camps impact the kids who come to them. I've
experienced it myself and this summer I hope to be a part of that
experience for someone else! Camp can show God to kids like almost
nothing else can!
Unloading trucks for a medical clinic in the U.S. Maybe I'm not a nurse
(yet), but pointing out lines on an eye chart is pretty simple. And
you never know when you might get the opportunity to witness to the
people you're serving--or to your fellow staff members!
Schoolgirls in Belize. Need I say I love kids, no matter what country
they're from? :) Sharing God's love...being the hands and feet and arms
of Jesus...that's what really matters!
The city in Lima, Peru. "People live in those things?!" Yes they
do...not all of those buildings have roofs and I don't think a single
one is what many of you would think of as an "acceptable" house. How
many of those people have ever had the chance to hear the gospel?
Birds-eye view of "jungly" area in Belize. Flying over the jungle is
amazing--you can hardly see a sign of people anywhere, yet they're down
there! Someone has to find them and give them the good news of
salvation in Jesus.
Heading under the canopy on a Peruvian river, en route to a jungle
village. Peru is where I received my call to missions, and it still
holds a special place in my heart. So many people in this world! Do we really want Jesus to return soon? Really?
"And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come." (Matt. 24:14) It's not impossible...we have Jesus' power to see us through! Nothing is impossible with God, no matter what country you're in.
That's what inspires me. What about you?
Saturday, November 12, 2011
He Died...
(not my picture)
This weekend at our college is a special Evangelism and Missions Weekend sponsored by the Religion department. We have a guest speaker, Dwight Nelson, pastor of another Christian college's church in Michigan. The meetings started last night and today we had three meetings and some seminars. I only went to last night's and two of today's, but they were such a blessing!
Anyway, today, Pastor Dwight was talking about what Jesus went through on the cross. Wow. . . it really came alive for me. And then he said something that really struck me.
Jesus died of a broken heart--broken by our sin and by separation from His Father--so that we could live with a broken heart--broken by the world's need of Him.
What would it mean to let God break my heart so that I love the lost like He does? It doesn't sound pleasant, but I think I want it. I want to love others like Jesus loves them. I want to care about them enough to be there for them like He would be. I want to love them enough to introduce them to Him. What about you?
"I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me." (Galatians 2:20)
"Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men." (Philippians 2:5-7)
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