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!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)