Blessings

(orchids at our local aquarium)

Sometimes we all have difficult days.  Or weeks.  Or months.  And then, sometimes, after affirming that we do believe what God has promised (more on that later), then it's helpful to reaffirm our blessings.  Because we all have them.  Here are some of mine! :)

--Beautiful fall mornings!

--Waking up early enough (aka 4:30) so that I'm off work in time to see those beautiful mornings

--Autumn leaves

--New friends

--Old friends :)

--Papers that turn out well

--A career path I am getting excited about

--God's leading

--Memories

--Music

--Writing

--My journal

etc...

How have you been blessed recently?

Worship

(Image from Hubblesite.com)

Worship...true worship...such a wonderful thing.

I've gotten to experience a little bit of it the past few weeks. Started attending a different church service--there are so many churches in our area, 'tis not even funny, so I have lots of options. ;) But oh--so beautiful. So wonderful. Refreshing and humbling and just amazing. Everything is quiet, first service (9:00) so there are hardly any people. And we sing. Only one or two songs, usually a hymn.  I love hymns. Used to hate them, but I've changed my taste or something because I love them now.

Oh, that old rugged cross
So despised by the world
Has a wondrous attraction for me
For the dear Lamb of God
Left His glory above
To bear it to dark Calvary!

So I'll cherish the old rugged cross
Till my trophies at last I lay down
I will cling to the old rugged cross
And exchange it someday for a crown.

Is that not something beautiful? He left it all--ALL--glory and honor and power and loveliness and adoration I can't even imagine--and He left it for me. Because He loved me from the foundation of the world. He is utterly, unfathomably amazing.

And I complain when He tells me "no" for my own best good. I complain when He shuts a door I shouldn't enter. Why am I so ungrateful? Why am I so untrusting?

Who He IS

I love this song...the other day I was trying to explain what I believe Jesus might do if He were on this earth today and it struck me again how amazing He is.  Who IS our God, really?  Who is He to you?

It seems I've imagined Him all of my life

As the wisest of all of mankind

But if God's holy wisdom seems foolish to men

He must have seemed out of His mind

For even His family said He was mad

And the priests said a demon's to blame

For God in the form of this angry young Man

Could not have seemed perfectly sane

For we in our foolishness thought we were wise

He played the fool and He opened our eyes

We in our weakness believed we were strong

He became helpless to show we were wrong

So we follow God's own fool

For only the foolish can tell

Believe the unbelievable

Come be a fool as well

--Michael Card, "God's Own Fool"

"For My thoughts are not your thoughts,
      Nor are your ways My ways,” says the LORD.
       “ For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
      So are My ways higher than your ways,
      And My thoughts than your thoughts." --Isaiah 55:8-9




Loneliness

(high peaks in the Colorado Rockies)

 

"The soul hardly ever realizes it, but whether he is a believer or not, his loneliness is really a homesickness for God."  --Hubert van Zeller

Found this quote in the church bulletin this last weekend and couldn't resist it.  What if we looked at loneliness that way?  What if I looked at loneliness that way?  Maybe it wouldn't be such a terrible thing anymore...

Though I Can't Be There...

...I can pray!  Ever read missionary books/biographies and wondered if the same amazing things still happen?  Ever wondered if you could be part of that?  Ever thought that you could never, ever leave your home country and stay sane?  ;)  Ever wanted to leave on a mission trip, whether you stayed sane or not? 

Some of us, most likely, will be called to proclaim the gospel in far-away places.  Others of us will be called to proclaim it here at home.  But from following missions and missionaries closely, I know one thing for sure: things can be a whole lot more intense when you have to leave everything you know and start all over in a new culture.  The devil gets super-active when God's people start following Him, wherever they are.  And what's one of the best ways to defeat him?

Pray!  Today Missional Mama posted some excellent thoughts on how to support overseas (and home) missions through prayer, and I would highly recommend you check them out!  Prayer is a powerful weapon.  It supports missionaries like nothing else can--and it strengthens your walk with God, too.  Can you ask for anything better than that?