invitations

"Then he also said to him who invited Him, 'When you give a dinner or a supper, do not ask your friends, your brothers, your relatives, nor rich neighbors, lest they also invite you back, and you be repaid.  But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind.  And you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you; for you shall be repaid at the resurrection of the just.'" (Luke 14:12-14)

Thinking about this verse I read a few days ago.  Surely it applies at face value.  But could it also apply in the same way that the parable after it applies--the parable of the great supper to which none of the original guests would come (vs. 16-24)?

We have a feast, a rich dinner of knowledge about God, about who He is, about what He can do in us.  Who are we inviting?

Anybody else?
Our "rich" neighbors and friends, who already know all we do, and will "repay" us with blessings?
Or are we inviting the poor?
The maimed?
The lame?
The blind?

Who needs this feast the most?  Who are the people I know "forgotten" by the Christian world, isolated from us because of their spiritually crippled state in our eyes?  (Remember, the Jews believed that anyone who wasn't well-off must have offended God and therefore been cursed.)  Who are the people starving near our land of plenty?

Who do I need to invite?

I Hast Returned :)

At least for the moment!  School is starting on Thursday and I'm gearing up for it, buying a few last books, checking my schedules, looking at syllabi, transferring assignments into my "keep-everything-in-one-place-book" a.k.a. "external brain" a.k.a. planner, working, praying and planning for the small group we're continuing, riding, and trying not to go crazy. 

That last task is the most difficult.  ;)  But today it was like God impressed me, "Hey, you can't even make yourself grow six inches taller by worrying; why don't you give up on a hopeless task and let Me handle all this?" 

Oooohhhh yeeahhhh.  I remember that...really...

I can plan.  And I'm getting pretty good at planning, if I say so myself.  But planning alone isn't going to eliminate the stress from my life.  And stressed people are not "all there."  If I'm stressed out, I'm not
*a good person to live around
*inspiring
*open
*happy
*available for other people
*able to listen to God.

What's more, everyone and their dog (and I think I mean that literally!) is stressed these days.  I think maybe a great way to witness for God is to have a full life (guided by Him in its content), but not be all worried and hyper-stressed about it.  For sure, being that way is something only He can work in us!

So with that inspiring, impossible thought (but remember, God specializes in the impossible!), I am off to get ready for small group tonight.  :)

(butterfly and wild bee-balm in Tennessee)

  

So there is a simple reason for my lack of posts.

Lack of inspiration.

Sometimes things just struggle to be inspirational.  And for those of us who live on passion and inspiration, that can be a little difficult.

But God is still very much alive, very much at work, very active, despite me. I just pray that He will open my eyes to see His actions. 

Reflections on Missions

Seven months ago I prayed. 

I asked God to send me wherever He wanted me to go. 

I thought that would mean going overseas this coming school year.  That's where I wanted to go.  I even had the particular area of the world (and preferably country) all mapped out.

Guess where I am?  Right here, same country, same state, same town, same house, same school--happier than I ever imagined I could be.  He sent me half an hour away, then decreased the distance a bit further for the long-term, and said, in effect, "You want a mission field?  Here, have one that nobody else thinks about, that nobody else cares about, and that you are going to love."

I still remember the day.  Really?  This?  God, You are AWESOME! 

A lot of people seem to worry God will "send them to Africa."  Well I was the opposite.  I worried He'd keep me in the States.  Now I'm delighted with the thought of staying here indefinitely. 

What I want to say is?  

God's will isn't always the one and only thing you don't want to do.  Sometimes He will work on those areas outright, and it will be difficult.  Sometimes, if you give Him permission, He'll change your heart so it isn't quite so difficult as you thought it would be.  I'm not saying there won't be tough times.  Absolutely there will.  But why do we seem to assume that God loves to "torture" us with difficult experiences, and throws them at us whenever He can?  

Wind

(Wyoming prairie)

Wind blows away
Here and there
Where it will
Rustles leaves
Whispers grass

And so am I
if I am walking
in the way
He's given me

I do not choose
I do not plan
I do not set the way
I simply go

Go gently
Go strongly
And maybe nobody ever knows
where I come from
where I'm going

Like the
wind blows.

"'The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes.  So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.'"  John 3:8

(extra) ordinary

Ordinary. . . that's what life is.

usually.

It's studying U.S. History to try to CLEP a class, plugging information into a database, searching for seemingly nonexistent information in said database, sending letters, shaking off umbrellas, delivering mail, working out, going to bed, getting up, trying to stalk the sticky-note trail to remember where you left off yesterday. 

(sticky notes save my sanity and the sanity of everybody around me, but when they're almost everywhere, it's hard to remember what's really going on here.) 

But, what if we were not just ordinary?
What if we were extra? 

We have extra--our God gives us the resources of the universe if we will only ask.  But common sense and everything in nature tells us that extra is meant to be used.   Our having extra means

we can give extra
we can love extra
we can be extra

Extraordinary. 

wisdom

(lupine in Wyoming)

"He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose." (Jim Elliot)

What am I giving up today?  What are you giving up?  Is it what we think of usually--money, time, maybe the thrill of an in-and-out relationship or the prestige of a well-paying future (or current) career?  Or is it something more common--

pride of thinking you're better than another

choice to go where you know God hasn't called

old hurts

refusal to accept God's grace and forgiveness as meant for you

fill in the blank

Yet, what are we gaining?  

These things we hold onto, they will disappear.

What He offers, just for the taking, it stays forever.  

Forever.  

Only a fool says no to that. 

my vision

(Tennessee wildflowers)

Be Thou my Vision, O Lord of my heart;
Naught be all else to me, save that Thou art.
Thou my best thought, by day or by night;
Waking or sleeping, Thy presence my Light.

Riches I heed not, nor man's empty praise;
Thou my inheritance, now and always.
Thou and Thou only first in my heart,
High King of Heaven, my treasure Thou art.

Now and always, You be my vision, the source of my dreams, the Lord of my heart. 

heart

(image via Google, design mine)

it's always an unlikely time when truth hits home.  This time, it comes as I'm sitting in sun-spotted shade atop a big dapple-gray mustang, joining my riding buddy in good-naturedly trying to persuade our instructor to vow she'll never leave our area. 

"aw," she says, "but my husband's cousins live there.  And..." she pauses and glances at me, "well your family, I haven't seen them much, but they seem to really be a family.  But you," looking at my new friend, "yours...you know, it's like mine.  And they [the cousins] really are family.  And it would just be fun to be part of that, you know..."

she goes on and I listen and it's not like she is really scarred, just opportunistic as always.  But me...another matter.  That night I go home and I'm angry.  It's strange to feel angry; I'm usually anything but simply mad.  But now I am.  It's not fair.  It's not fair that I have a "real" family and she doesn't.  It's not fair that I have a "real" family and my other friends don't. 

God, it's not fair!  Why?  I'm no better than they are!  

the heaven is quiet.  I watch a movie Monday night.  Courageous.   A great Christian movie and a great story line, but just one part stands out to me above all the rest: the brief gang initiation scene.  There more to give a quick background than anything else.  And I find myself crying.  Because I know this scene isn't for real, but suddenly I'm thinking about the kids who don't have "real" family and more often than not, this is what comes out of it.  What about the kids whose family never bothered to care about anybody other than themselves?  What about them? 

God, why must your children suffer?  WHY?  

"I would stop it if I would," He whispers.  If it were the best thing.  If stopping it would stop it for good.  But that doesn't work.  He showed that to us in the Flood, that just eliminating the problem-makers doesn't solve things long-term.  Someday we will have all chosen, and then sin can be done away with.  Safely.  In the meantime...

i see a glimpse of His heart.  And I see a decision I must make.  To back away is unthinkable.  So I choose to go.  To give heart with no guarantee back.  To touch other lives. 

so.  starting full-time work for which I am very blessed and grateful, and I like the job and the people I'm working for/with.  But for a somewhat ADD individual, working 8 to 5 in an office, well it do take some gettin' used to.  :) 

riding still and loving it more and more.  Thoroughly, thoroughly addicted.  I'm quite sure I love it more now than I ever did as a horse-crazy preteen.  And that is pretty bad.  And I'm delightedly happy that way, just in case you wondered.

going to go on vacation in ten days exactly.  Fun times.  I just hope I remember to tell everyone who needs to know, before I disappear off the face of the known earth. . .

i'm thinking of a more thoughtful post.  Honestly.  Just not sure how to put it yet.  But in the meantime thought I'd say I am not dead :)

Random Inspiration from Finals

On a further random note, this is my 100th post!

Could it be You make Your presence known
So often by Your absence?
Could it be that questions tell us more
Than answers ever do?
Could it be that You would really rather die
Than live without us?
Could it be the only answer that means anything is You?
--"Could It Be" by Michael Card

I love his music.  Know it's old, I don't care.  :)  Good is good no matter when it was created. 

"Some trust in chariots,
and some in horses,
but we trust in the name of the LORD our God."
--Psalm 20:7

Might seem this applies to finals.  Well it does, but really it hit me yesterday evening for a different reason, which perhaps someday I'll find the time to explain.  Awesome verse either way.  :)

 Le finals, they are done.  Walked home after donating my books (because I couldn't sell them, sigh), to a quick workout and shower and Bible study, so only now the reality of it's finally hitting me.  Only one more 4:15 morning and then a free week till I start my new job almost full-time for the summer!  No more classes till late July (I'm taking a summer class)!  Vacation in less than a month!

SO sososo sooo blessed I am!

gone

it's the week before finals.

therefore.

i am gone from here till I return. :)

The End Is Near!

...that means, three weeks till finals. :)  Therefore everything is hitting crunch time.  But really at the moment I don't care.  It's one of those times where you just have to look at everything and be like, yep, it's coming up, and you know what, scrambling isn't going to get me anywhere because by now either I know it or I don't know it.  Sooo we'll do our best and leave the rest to God and what's already in our brains.  :)

Tomorrow I have just about 50 minutes to do homework.  In the whole day, yes, from 4:15 a.m. till about 9 p.m..  Haha.  I won't bore you with my insane schedule.  Life is good and as long as I don't let myself get overwhelmed, I'm happy.  :) 

GOD is good too. :)  All the time!  And now I shall go take a math test and leave you entertained with this random post.

for His words

sooo...how long it has been since I wrote!  ay well, nothing we can do about the past, just use it to learn for the future. :) 

so busy lately.  Just doing the same thing over and over and over and over and...well you get the idea.  Work, class, study, class, study, sleep, repeat process. 

missing spring break.  Because during spring break I got this little taste of what...of what my life with God might be able to be like.  Of what it's like to really hunger for His Word and for time with Him--to really want it, even on the bad days, maybe especially on the bad days.  And of what it might be like to start really seeing where He's put me the way He sees it.  Of having a passion for people, especially the people He has recently put in my life--or, more accurately, put me in theirs--in response to what I directly asked Him for.  I want all that back.

it can be the same.  My priorities just have to be right; I've been letting the big things slide way too often.  And what is this next month of college anyway?  A few tests, a few classes finished...what is that in comparison to the lives and hearts and souls of me and of His other children?  What can a person give in exchange for his or her soul?  Does that really mean anything to me?

i'm going to go for it.  I've got to.  I need it, they need it, maybe even He needs it.  I'm going to soak myself in His words, seek Him the little that I can, let Him do the rest. 

my prayer these next few weeks?
Lord, give me Your heart.

favorite verse this week

(sunset on the beach outside Lima, Peru)

there are two verses that meant a lot to me this week and I can't really nail down one that was particularly better than the other.  So I shall just share them both with you, and elaborate on one.

one was an old favorite--Psalm 2:8.  "Ask of Me, and I will give you the nations for your inheritance, and the ends of the earth for your possession."

another seemed particularly suited to college life--James 1:5.  "If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given him."

the two are somewhat different, I suppose, but both mean a lot to me.  Regarding the first one, for a long time I have wanted to "be a missionary" overseas; right now I believe I'm called to missionary work here in the States.  Either way, it impresses me that God gives us people as an inheritance.  Maybe that seems a little strange, but think about it: what does God value above everything else?

His children; the people He made.  He wants them to be with Him forever.

so then, it's actually rather amazing that He would be willing to give me, to give us Christians, His children in a special sense, the privilege of sharing Him with those who are lost.  They are our inheritance.  He invites us to ask Him for them.  And as far as He can make it, the answer will be Yes.

He says so.  He will not force, so He cannot guarantee their salvation.  But when we ask, we take the key to unlock His power for them.  

And that is a powerful promise to me.

verses & tips, week 11

Another week--really?  Life has been crazily busy around here and God is good to let me keep my sanity!  :)

In case you missed it in previous posts, I have created a Google calendar for this memory project and you can click here to go to it.  This is helpful for me as I don't have to write every reference out a million times.  As a sneak peek, this week looks like verses on blessing.  Sounds great to memorize! :)

I'm going to try to go and write now about my favorite verse this week, though it'll be a little hard since there were several really great ones!

UN-centered

i wrote about centered a few days ago.  Still pondering what that means in real life.  Because you know, some days you just don't feel centered at all.  If I were to compare it to riding again, it would be like sitting on the horse with all your feet and arms and head waving around to the sides randomly.  Haha, well that's what it kind of feels like sometimes.  I don't like it, wonder how to make it stop.

sometimes discipline can fix that un-centeredness.  When I was working with a therapeutic riding program, it was always, "No, feet in the stirrups."  "Helmet on."  "Hands up."  "Hold the reins."  "Or you have to get off!"

that last one usually got attention. :)

so sometimes you just have to put your weight back where it belongs.  However it's going to get there.  Sometimes you're un-centered spiritually and you need discipline.  Prayer, Bible study, whatever spiritual disciplines God impresses you as being important right now.  Sometimes--often--that is what's lacking.

but what about when you do those things and for whatever reason it doesn't work?

i think of these times as when God is silent.  When He doesn't do what He "ought" to do under the circumstances.  Think of the story of Lazarus (you can read it here if you want).  It's been my experience that God lets these times happen, perhaps to test us, yes, but mostly to let us seek Him more fully so that we'll be ready for something great that He wants to do in our lives.  Perhaps it is when I feel un-centered that He is working to make me more centered in HIM, not in anything else.

thoughts

sitting here in the library and thinking, watching people go by (because I am hopelessly distractible when it comes to other humans...well, okay, when it comes to most anything remotely interesting).  The library is quiet in the morning but when afternoon comes, it comes alive--books, computers, people all over.

all ready to go riding this afternoon.  Homework done, helmet and half chaps in the car, keys in my pocket, beautiful warm spring day.  <3 <3 <3. 

listened in to an interesting conversation this morning; it's amazing what comes out over 6:00 breakfasts after a 5:15 start at work.  This campus, it needs Jesus.  I know most of us are Christians but you know, Christians still need Christ.  We need a permeating, all-encompassing, dive-in-deep experience with and passion for this Great I AM who is waiting right here for us to respond.

We need to find HIM.  What if we saw?  What if we knew?  What if our eyes were opened and we viewed the behind-the-scenes spiritual dramas that rage on this very ground?  Perhaps it would be enough just to think about it a little more, to ask our Father to give us more of His strength so we could join in with Him a little more often.  What do you think?

verses & tips, week 10

I can't believe I'm in the tenth week of memorizing already!  Sometime I would like to start sharing my favorite verse from each week, since so far there are several that have really affected my life or my outlook or have just been perfect for that week.  But anyway.  Here again is the calendar for March memorization; this week I'm memorizing the following verses:

• Luke 6:30
• Psalm 2:8
• James 1:5
• James 1:6
• Job 12:7, 8
• John 15:7
• Luke 11:13

And it looks like the "theme" for this week is asking and receiving.  What a great topic!  I'm definitely looking forward to these verses!

As for a tip--last week's verses had a lot of lists in them!  From the fruits of the Spirit to the characteristics of God, those lists can be hard to get in order!  So one thing I did last week was sign language/hand motions for the major words in the text.  You don't have to use "official" ASL (although it's a good excuse to learn a new language!); just come up with your own signs to help you remember.  If you're anything like me, using your whole body to learn a text will really help you embed it in your mind!

If you want to join me in Project 366 and enjoy the awesome experience of having God's Word embed itself in your heart and mind, just leave me a comment!  You can start right now and don't have to "play catch-up" at all if you don't want to.  :)

centered

centered is the new word I am thinking about.  (I get this every now and again, a word strikes me and I ponder its implications for a while, just fyi).  :)

when I ride the horses, I want to ride centered.  For me, simplified, that means I know where my weight is at, and everything else moves around that point.  Being centered gives balance.  Freedom.  Excitement.  A horse that will move forward and relax.  Whether I am centered or not all the time, I need to ride centered all the time, whether we're walking, trotting, cantering, jumping.  Otherwise I fall off eventually.  And when I attempt to fall off, my instructor nearly has a heart attack. . . and I love my instructor and don't want her to die, so I try not to fall off or look like I'm going to.  :)

centered.  I want to live life centered, too.  Centered in GOD.  In His Word.  I want my "weight" to be right there in Him, so everything else can move around that point.  So I can have balance and freedom, so I can move forward and relax, at the same time, no matter what we're doing together.

centered.

focus

(flowers in Wyoming garden)

 I have discovered lately, I've lost my focus.  Somewhere in the argumentative essays and research papers and tests and quizzes and family stress that surrounded the last month or so, I lost it.

I lost my prayer time.

I lost my Bible study time in any depth.  

I would've lost my passion for ministry, except that I started wondering why I didn't have anything to say about God any more.

And then spring break comes, and another outbreak of tornadoes in our area (mercifully, not so bad as last spring's, but that doesn't mean much to those whose houses were wrecked), and I shake my head clear and say, What HAPPENED?

What was I thinking?  What am I thinking?  What am I doing to our relationship, God?

Dear Lord, may I forget school and doing well on tests and making good grades, if that leads me away from a relationship with You!  Show me the way back to a heart in sync with Yours; that is all that matters in the long run, and that's all I want to matter for now and for ever.  Just give me Your heart for others, and link my heart with Yours.

March Calendar for Project 366!

Hopefully this works...

You can access the calendar for March (soon to be updated, I hope) by clicking here in any browser...at least that's what they say. :)

Back with Verses & Tips...

Until I get the calendar working (I am dubbing last week "catch-up week" since I, for one, forgot and didn't memorize at all :-/), here are the verses I'm doing for this week. :)  Hope to get a whole calendar for March done soon!

Psalm 31:21
Nehemiah 9:17
Psalm 117:2
2 Peter 1:5, 7
Job 6:14
Galatians 5:22, 23
Joel 2:13

Verses & Tips, Week 8

For the first time this week, I forgot whether this was the eighth or ninth week of memorization!  :)  My theme for the coming week is humility.  And the verses I'm memorizing:

• Sunday: Luke 14:11--"For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."
• Monday: Psalm 25:9--"The humble He guides in justice, and the humble He teaches His way."
• Tuesday: Philippians 2:8--"And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross."
• Wednesday: Romans 12:16--"Be of the same mind toward one another. Do not set your mind on high things, but associate with the humble. Do not be wise in your own opinion."
• Thursday: Psalm 149:4--"For the Lord takes pleasure in His people; He will beautify the humble with salvation."
• Friday: James 4:10--"Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up."
• Saturday: Proverbs 11:2--"When pride comes, then comes shame; but with the humble is wisdom."

Those are some beautiful promises and ideas to stick in my mind!  I'm looking forward to this week's verses!

If you'd like to join me in memorizing, please just leave a comment!  You're welcome to join at any time and don't have to "play catch-up" if you don't want to!

7 Tips to Surviving College

...some of which I'm still working on...but I thought, being an all-knowing second-semester freshman, I would share some of my great knowledge.  Ha ha.  :)

1)  Do not under any circumstances reduce your quiet-time with God!  It will be tempting, especially when you have a dozen homework assignments and half a dozen papers to do.  But that time will make the rest of your time more productive.  I guarantee. If you must do something different with your quiet time, increase it!

2) Take care of yourself.  Eat healthy food at regular times, SLEEP at least seven hours a night, drink lots of water, and exercise every day.  Healthy living is one major thing that hardly any college students ever do, and if you can manage it you'll be far and away more productive.

3) Prioritize.  God comes first.  Then family and friends.  Then work (if you have work).  Then school.  Then social life.  Okay, that's my personal list.  But realize that having friends and being involved in the ministry God leads you to (whatever that is) are not necessarily the same as having a social life.  If you can manage being social on top of everything else, good for you!  But that's not what you're going to college for (I hope).

4) Use your time well.  This is one area I struggle in . . . I get distracted so easily and while it isn't over bad things, it's usually at very inopportune times.  If you work with a schedule, make a schedule; if you don't (like me), make a to-do list and focus on getting rid of all those things before you relax with the latest Olympic equestrian qualifications or videos of the 2008 Beijing Olympics eventing teams...okay, I digress.  :)  Use your time!  Find niches here and there to fit in reading, planning, maybe even some easy homework.

5) Be a student.  Okay, maybe you're not going to Harvard or Yale.  Or again, maybe you are.  Either way, you're a student now.  That means...you study.  You don't have to be a total nerd, but do your homework, read, turn things in on time, listen in class, take notes if that helps, and your grades will thank you.

6) Don't panic.  Ever.  Maybe you forgot that you had a twelve-page paper due tomorrow.  Do what you can, don't pull an all-nighter, go to sleep, wake up early, work some more, turn it in.  Something's better than nothing.  If you forgot it altogether, see if the teacher accepts late work; if not, let it go.  And take it as a lesson learned.

7) Break things up.  Relax sometimes and find something you like to do and do it.

Prayer

I have been asking God to "let me see."  Let me see how He sees--people, events, what goes on in this world.  To have His heart. 

And He has.  And then I find myself looking at Him and saying, "okay, what do I do now?!" 

Pray.

My friend has a cyst about to rupture; they need to do almost-emergency surgery.
Pray.

My boss's daughter falls at school and breaks multiple bones, right after a major leg surgery.
Pray.

My grandmother breaks her pelvis in two places and can't take care of my grandfather any more and what are we going to do?
Pray.

It gets to sounding almost corny, but the truth is that prayer is power and I am asking Him now for the courage to pray with people and not just for them.  And to continue opening my eyes.  Because it is really a life-changing experience and I'm so so grateful He is showing me this!

Verses & Tips, Week 7

Happy weekend again!  I admit I've been struggling a bit with memorization lately but God is good and I have managed to spend at least some time with each verse every day.  This week my theme is on love--rather appropriate, don't you think?  Here are the verses:

• Sunday: 1 John 12:25--"He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life."
• Monday: Ephesians 5:28--"So husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies; he who loves his wife loves himself."
• Tuesday: 1 John 4:7--"Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God."
• Wednesday: Proverbs 19:8--"He who gets wisdom loves his own soul; he who keeps understanding will find good."
• Thursday: John 16:27--"For the Father Himself loves you, because you have loved Me, and have believed that I came forth from God."
• Friday: Psalm 146:8--"The Lord opens the eyes of the blind; the Lord raises those who are bowed down; the Lord loves the righteous."
• Saturday: Ecclesiastes 5:10--"He who loves silver will not be satisfied with silver; nor he who loves abundance, with increase.  This also is vanity."

So here we have everything from what we should love as Christians, to what God loves, to what we love naturally!  A big spectrum.  Looks like interesting verses to think about!


If you'd like to join me in memorizing, just leave a comment!  You're more than welcome and you don' have to "play catch-up" if you don't want to!

Let Me See

So at the moment I guess I'm kind of struggling, though it should be expected.  :)  Whenever God calls you somewhere--even if it's "just" to stay put--the devil's going to get busy, in my experience.

I really want this next year to be a "missional year" no matter where I'm at or what I'm doing.  I'm hoping God will open the way for me to go on a mission trip over this coming spring break, but I don't know . . . all the slots may be full by now, for all I know.  But one way or another, I want to be living for Him this rest-of-the-school-year and this summer and next school year too.

So I am praying right now, Lord, let me see. 

Let me see like You see.  Let me love people like You do.  Give me Your heart.  Draw me closer and closer to You and show me how to bring others with me.

Let me see.

Another Direction

So after a lot of thinking and a lot of praying and after talking with friends and family, I have decided to unofficially put student missions next year "on hold."  Things simply aren't working out--and usually because of factors I can't control: I'm not male, I'm not old enough yet, I haven't finished my degree, I'm not highly musical.  These things I can't change, and I don't want to push through them if God's asking me to stay here.  So I have prayed and told Him that if He wants me going somewhere next year, He will have to make it very clear; otherwise, I will stay here and begin looking for where I can live missionally here.

It's not so much a "why not?" as an "okay, so what next?" sort of thought.  I would have loved to go back to Peru, but when that fell through, some of my enthusiasm waned a bit.  So I'm not heartbroken.  Plus I am certain that God has plans for me here: maybe He wants me working at this summer day camp I just found, cashiering at the Village Market (our little local grocery store), riding and showing horses over at Bayview (my beloved new stable), training the new dog we hope to get next weekend, helping Mom take care of our garden and put up all the fruit and veggies we hope to get this year, expanding our weekly Bible study . . . who knows?  But honestly, I'm looking forward to where He leads this coming year!

Verses & Tips, Week 6

I must say that this memory project isn't the easiest thing I've ever done!  But the rewards when I actually am thinking on a verse most of the day are really great.  I wish I'd had more time to write about my favorite verses for the last couple weeks, but alas, no time 'twas granted.

The verses I'm memorizing this week have the theme of things that please God.  Of course, there are lots of things that please God, so this is just a smattering of verses!  But I think it'll be interesting memorizing.  Here goes!

• Sunday: Proverbs 16:7--"When a man’s ways please the Lord, He makes even his enemies to be at peace with him."
• Monday: Mark 1:11--"Then a voice came from heaven, 'You are My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.'"
• Tuesday: Isaiah 55:11--"So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; it shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it."
• Wednesday: Psalm 40:13--"Be pleased, O Lord, to deliver me; O Lord, make haste to help me!"
• Thursday: 1 Samuel 12:22--"For the LORD will not forsake His people, for His great name’s sake, because it has pleased the LORD to make you His people."
• Friday: John 8:29--"And He who sent Me is with Me. The Father has not left Me alone, for I always do those things that please Him."
• Saturday: 1 Corinthians 12:18--"But now God has set the members, each one of them, in the body just as He pleased." 

Looks like some great memorizing this next week! :)  I'll be posting another tip ASAP when I get time! 

If you'd like to join me in memorizing, just leave me a comment--you'll be very welcome to join in!  You can join at any time and don't have to "play catch-up" if you don't want to!  

Ministry

Ministry is hard.  Know that?  Some people, well, they just have a gift.  Or maybe they're just irrepressibly evangelistic or "ministry-al-istic."  I think most of us Christians know or at least have met somebody like that.  Sometimes you love them and sometimes you hate them, but you know who I'm talking about.  I think it's hard for the rest of us to see where we fit.

Since obviously I'm not a pastor.

Or a street evangelist.

Or even a good door-knocker. 

And I don't know about you but I live here in the Belt Buckle of the Bible Belt and everyone seems to be Christian of one sort or another.  Maybe they're saved or maybe they're not, but they are Christians and you'd better not deny it! 

And I'm so so so busy.  Well I could be busier, I admit that, but I'm not sure I want to be.  I wonder if there's any good books like Ministry for Busy People.  Cause I could stand to read it if it exists.  I haven't found yet where my "niche" for ministry is yet.  I can't just talk to anyone about anything; and the old "if you're excited enough about it, you will talk about it" adage for witnessing simply doesn't work for me.  More likely for me is, "if you're excited about it, you won't talk about it"! 

I like kids.  And I wonder if kids and families might be where my niche is.  Not that I've found a way to really utilize that ability, but still . . .

Where do you find your "niche" for ministry?

Testing...Testing...

Well as I already explained I'm not really sure what's going to go on with student missions for next year or the year after or really whenever.  I've laid out some "fleeces" and asked God to make it clear whether I should go next semester or not.

In the meantime, today I talked with some Spanish-speaking friends of mine and got the "official" okay to go to a place that asks for "fluent" Spanish as a requirement.  So it appears that I could go to the Dominican Republic if I wanted to. 

Here are some blog posts from the organization in case you're interested in looking at them.

I will move ahead, trying to get my passport renewed, seeing if Southern will okay me to go to Dominican Republic or El Salvador (my second choice), applying to the particular organization--and keep asking God to "work out the details" and shut doors if He doesn't want me going there!

Verses & Tips, Week 5

Five weeks!  This memorizing thing also provides a wonderful way to count down how many weeks it's been since January started. :)

My theme for this week is prayer; here are the texts I'm memorizing:

• Sunday:  2 Chronicles 7:15--"'Now My eyes will be open and My ears attentive to prayer made in this place.'"
• Monday: Jonah 2:7--"'“When my soul fainted within me, I remembered the Lord; and my prayer went up to You, into Your holy temple.'"
• Tuesday: James 5:16--"Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.'"
• Wednesday: Acts 6:4--"But we will give ourselves continually to prayer and to the ministry of the word.”
• Thursday: Psalm 88:2--"Let my prayer come before You; incline Your ear to my cry."
• Friday: Proverbs 15:29--"The Lord is far from the wicked, but He hears the prayer of the righteous."
• Saturday: Philippians 4:6--"Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God."

Today's tip is sticky notes!  Not all of us use books a lot, but some of us spend lots of time at one area of the house or office or wherever you spend your days . . . maybe in front of the mirror or in front of a certain window, by the kitchen stove, at a desk, or on the computer.  Any of those places is a great place to put a sticky note with today's verse on it.  And then you can add another one when tomorrow comes! Plus, by writing the verse out on the sticky, you're helping to solidify it in your memory.  One warning: sticky notes do not stick on wallpaper.  I discovered that the hard way.  So stay with mirrors and windows and computer screens and things like that.  


If you'd like to join me in memorizing, just leave a comment!  You'll be very welcome and you don't have to "play catch-up" if you don't want to.

On Adaptability

Last Thursday I found out I can't go to Guatemala.  They want a male SM.  Probably because of political/drug trafficking issues.  Well I am not a male and don't plan to be one any time in the foreseeable future.  So scratch that.

Dominican Republic wants fluent Spanish.  What is "fluent"?  Does it mean I talk like a native or does it mean I can mostly understand when people speak to me? 

El Salvador is still open but other reports say they don't know what the project (still comparatively new) is going to end up doing; more political issues. 

My SM coordinator says she will contact other organizations but . . . honestly, I have seen and heard and watched enough, I don't want to go with just anybody.  I want to at least have half an idea of what I'm getting into. 

They say the qualifications for a missionary are adaptability, adaptability, and adaptability.  But (as everyone, I think, wonders at one time or another), adaptable to WHAT?  I refuse to be "adaptable" to people's whims.  But I want to always be adaptable to God's ideas.  How am I supposed to tell the difference? 

I know God has called me . . . but to what exactly?  I'm beginning to believe He's called me to be a teacher . . . but who? where? when? even what? Elementary or high school or college?  Stateside (which state?) or overseas?  Rural or urban or suburban?  Private or public? Teacher's aide or SM now or professional teacher later? English or foreign languages or all of everything?

So confused.

But I know He has a plan.

He has a plan.

He. has. a. plan.

And I will know when the time is right.

Verses & Tips, Week 4

I can't believe I've already been doing this for four weeks!  What's more, I really can't believe I've managed to stick with it during college.  God has blessed, though, and I really enjoy being able to think about His Word all day long!

The theme this week is God's gift of courage, of not being afraid.  What a wonderful thing to memorize!  I'm definitely looking forward to these texts.

• Sunday--Joshua 1:9: "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go."
• Monday--Acts 18:9-10: "Now the Lord spoke to Paul in the night by a vision, 'Do not be afraid, but speak, and do not keep silent; ¹⁰ for I am with you, and no one will attack you to hurt you; for I have many people in this city.'"
• Tuesday--Matthew 14:27: "But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, 'Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid.'"
• Wednesday--Luke 2:10: "Then the angel said to them, 'Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people.'"
• Thursday--Psalm 56:11: "In God I have put my trust; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?"
• Friday--Revelation 1:17: "And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead. But He laid His right hand on me, saying to me, 'Do not be afraid; I am the First and the Last.'"
• Saturday--Exodus 14:13: "And Moses said to the people, 'Do not be afraid. Stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which He will accomplish for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall see again no more forever.'"

Looks pretty great to me! :)  I'll be back with some more tips if I get the time! 

 If you would like to join me in memorizing this year, just leave a comment!  You don't have to "play catch-up" if you don't want to, and I would love to have your company!

Upon a Tuesday Morning

Or, College Does Strange Things to a Person's Brain:

This is what I was thinking this morning, after my 3-hour-long class.

1.  What would happen if a car hit my umbrella?  Not me, of course, just the umbrella. . . you know how you angle umbrellas off to the side sometimes when the wind's blowing. . .

2.  Why does my dark blue umbrella have about three random magenta strings hanging off the supports on its underside?

And last but definitely not least, 3.  What would happen if I was in a crosswalk and an emergency vehicle came down the road?

Which may take some explanation: I can hear emergency sirens, but usually can't tell if they're coming closer or not until they're almost on top of me.  Combine that with an acute tendency to "freeze" when something strange happens, and you could have an interesting headline in tomorrow's newspaper:

POLICE CAR RESPONDING TO FIRE KNOCKS DOWN PEDESTRIAN ON COLLEGE CAMPUS

None Hurt.

I believe I had better go study mathematics and try to resuscitate my mental capacities. :)

Verses & Tips, Week 3

"Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee."  (Psalm 119:11)

Want to be sinless?  To have a built-in guard against bad thoughts and actions?  Then hide God's Word in your heart!  I don't believe that memorizing is the only way to do this; in fact, if you just memorize the Bible like you'd memorize science definitions in grade school, it won't do you very much good.  But if you actually hide it in your heart--think of moving all the junk out of a corner of your closet, tucking in a Christmas present, and carefully covering it back up--then the Word of God is the most powerful weapon against sin and Satan.

This week my theme for memorization is God's all-knowing nature.  Again, I'm looking forward to great verses to hide in my heart!  Here's what I'm memorizing:

• Sunday--Psalm 44:21: "Would not God search this out?  For He knows the secrets of the heart."
• Monday--Nahum 1:7: "The LORD is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; and He knows those who trust in Him."
• Tuesday--Daniel 2:22: "He reveals deep and secret things; He knows what is in the darkness, and light dwells with Him."
• Wednesday--2 Timothy 2:19: "Nevertheless the solid foundation of God stands, having this seal: 'The Lord knows those who are His,' and, 'Let everyone who names the name of Christ depart from iniquity.'
• Thursday--Psalm 37:18: "The LORD knows the days of the upright, and their inheritance shall be forever."
• Friday--Job 23:10: "But He knows the way that I take; when He has tested me, I shall come forth as gold."
• Saturday--1 John 3:20: "For if our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and knows all things."

Want another tip for what to do with that blank space?  Draw pictures!  I don't have a picture of said idea, but I will try to post one soon.  Draw stick figures, simple sketches, whatever works to trigger your memory regarding the verse.  You could even combine letters and drawings to create a little "puzzle" that helps you remember the verse.  Happy memorizing!

Grateful For...

 

(big barn somewhere in Wyoming I think, photo courtesy of my brother)

• Education classes
• Professors who really encourage my relationship with God!
• "You're an elementary ed. major, right?  Where do you want to teach?  Overseas?" randomly by an old/new friend at breakfast this morning
• Almost Friday
• Horseback riding lessons will probably work out!
• GOD who is always there for me
• My parents 
• Spanish church this weekend :)

God is good.  All the time!

Back to College

Tired.  First week of classes is always the most difficult!  Work has gone haywire with supervisors that had to quit unexpectedly because of severe back problems, other supervisors that may have to quit for the same reason, too few student workers, and new supervisors and student workers that don't yet have the routine down. . . all of which mean that I get to train in all the new kids, plus try to explain to my stressed-out supervisor why we simply can't have the same output as before.  In addition, of course, I have new classes and an unknown amount of work and projects.  :) 

Still memorizing though.  It is great to be able to think on God's Word--the ultimate good thing--in the middle of craziness.  It helps focus and calm my scattered brain amazingly well.  So far, I would recommend some sort of memory project to anyone! :) 

I am also taking a Facebook break.  It was taking too much time.  Don't ask me how Facebook takes so much time when you don't play games or do other such things, but somehow it did anyway because I definitely notice the difference now.  I'm not sure when I'm going back on--I'm thinking spring break--but just in case anyone is wondering, that's what happened. 

So there is your dose of random meanderings from a befuddled college student.  Enjoy! :D

Boring Christians

(simple "still life" in my room)

Ever felt like a boring Christian?  I don't necessarily mean feeling like your devotions are boring or as if worship is boring or things like that; I mean feeling like you are boring.  You haven't gone on six mission trips this year; you don't head up a dozen ministry opportunities in your community.  Perhaps you don't have any impressive spiritual New Year's resolutions, or maybe you did have them but they've already collapsed.  Fill in the blank for yourself.

I feel that way sometimes.  College doesn't help; at least it didn't last semester.  There's simply too much to do, and too little time to do it in, and I look at other people and think, why can't I do what you're doing?  Why can't I leave in the middle of the semester to spend a year helping a doctor in Africa?  Why can't I go on an evangelistic trip to Colombia?  That's exciting and people will respect it; at least, some of them will.

Then today I read this article .  And so much what I needed to hear as I'm dreading going into school and wishing I could just quit college right now. 

". . .[A]n untested 20-something without the work ethic required for completing the annoying accounting project or the boring research paper will likely be of little help in dire situations overseas. Those assignments can actually be effective training for the arduous labors of missional service."

Because once you get there, anywhere will become boring, whether it's down the road or across the ocean.  Perhaps it isn't so much that we should be boring as that God gives us the power to be extraordinary in boring circumstances.  So that even if others think we/our lives are "boring," we know better, and He knows better.

Don't know about you, but that's encouraging to me.

Verses & Tips, Week 2

It's the weekend again!  I am so grateful God has given us one special day a week to spend with Him.

Yesterday I looked at the list for this week; I am on the theme of believing for the next seven days.  I'm looking forward to some challenging, inspiring texts!  Here are the verses I'm memorizing:

• Sunday--Mark 9:23: "Jesus said to him, 'If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.'"
• Monday--Habakkuk 1:5: "Look among the nations and watch--be utterly astounded!  For I will work a work in your days which you would not believe, though it were told you."
• Tuesday--Romans 10:14:  "How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed?  And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard?"
• Wednesday--Mark 9:24:  "Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, 'Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!'"
• Thursday--1 John 3:23:  "And this is His commandment: that we should believe on the name of His Son Jesus Christ and love one another, as He gave us commandment."
• Friday--Hebrews 11:6:  "But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him."
• Saturday--Psalm 119:66:  "Teach me good judgment and knowledge, for I believe Your commandments."

Now for a tip or two!  What do you do with that empty space I leave on the bookmarks?  Well, one thing is to fill it with the first letters of each word in the verse; you can also include punctuation.  This is my personal favorite way to learn and review long passages.  Here's a picture of a section from John "translated" into the first-letter-reviewing method:

You can do a similar thing (on a smaller scale) with each of these verses!  For example, here's one of last week's bookmarks with this method in use:

(Sorry my computer refused to rotate it; and yes, if you are wondering, that is Spanish, not English.)

That isn't the only thing you can do with that empty space, though.  Next week we'll discuss more things to do with it! :)

(If you want to join 366 Verses, 366 Days and join me in the delights and benefits of memorizing God's Word, just drop me a comment!  You can join at any time and don't even need to "play catch-up" if you don't want to.)

My Favorite Verse This Week

(waterfall in Wyoming)

Thought I would share my favorite memory verse from this week! :)  It's the very first one; I learned it on Sunday.

"To everything there is a season,
A time for every purpose under heaven:...
A time to weep, and a time to laugh;
A time to mourn, and a time to dance."  (Ecclesiastes 3:1,4)

These things are just good to remember sometimes.  Even as Christians, we don't have to be laughing and dancing all the time.  There is "a time for every purpose under heaven," even being sad.  I shouldn't feel somehow "less Christian" just because I'm not gleefully happy.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not advocating pessimism or being gloomy all the time.  As Christians, we have plenty of reasons to be happy!  And we can rejoice in God and His Gift to us, Jesus Christ, even when the worst things happen.

^"11 “Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. ¹² Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you."  (Matthew 5:11, 12)

On the other hand, just a few verses up in that same chapter, Jesus reminds us:

  " ⁴ Blessed are those who mourn,
For they shall be comforted." (Matthew 5:4)

As Ecclesiastes reminds us, God calls us to a balanced life.  Cry when it's time to cry; rejoice when it's time to rejoice.  But whether I'm happy or sad, I can always remember that He is there for me and I can trust Him no matter what is happening or has happened or is going to happen.  That's good news!

Verses & Tips :)

It looks like the list I'm using has "themes" for each week; that will be a fun addition! :)  This week's theme is cheerfulness and rejoicing.  Okay, so here are the verses:

• Sunday--Ecclesiastes 3:1,4:  "To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven:...A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance."
• Monday--Job 8:21:  "He will yet fill your mouth with laughing, and your lips with rejoicing."
• Tuesday--Ecclesiastes 7:3: "Sorrow is better than laughter, for by a sad countenance the heart is made better."
• Wednesday--Luke 6:21: "Blessed are you who hunger now, for you shall be filled.  Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh."
• Thursday--Genesis 21:6: "And Sarah said, 'God has made me laugh, and all who hear will laugh with me.'"
• Friday--Job 5:22: "You shall laugh at destruction and famine, and you shall not be afraid of the beasts of the earth."
• Saturday--Proverbs 31:25: "Strength and honor are her clothing; she shall rejoice in time to come."

So as you can see these verses are not that long; I'm not finding it too difficult to memorize one per day.  Now, for a few tips!

I'm using a slightly different method this time around; to accommodate my college schedule that's very busy and requires a lot of books, I'm writing each verse on a bookmark!

Just take a piece of cardstock and cut it width-wise every inch or so.  I actually used leftover paper from a small album, which makes my bookmarks a little shorter.  You could fit four verses on one bookmark if you aren't doing it in more than one language.  This lets me carry them around and review often.  Make sure to leave the extra space; next week we'll discuss ways to fill it. :)

His Word in My Heart

 

"Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee."  (Psalm 119:11)

So I realize there are hundreds of "challenges" going on in the blogosphere right now, and I don't plan to add another unless you want it.  :)  I'm just sharing what I want to do this year.  I would like to do more Bible memorization.  God's Word is such a blessing--how often do I really take the time to think about it?  For me, memorizing a text allows me to pull it back into my memory so much faster.  I also understand it better when I have to stick it in my mind.  So Bible memorization is an important part of my spiritual life.  I'm fairly familiar with the idea of memorization; I've done quite a bit of it before.  But I want to do a real challenge this year--one verse for every day.  If I've done my math right, since this is a leap year, that will be about 366 verses by this time next year.  To aid my quest toward being truly bilingual, I'm memorizing each verse in both English and Spanish translations.  

To help keep me accountable, I'm planning on posting the verses I'll be memorizing each week.  You're welcome to join me if you want; you can copy the picture (sorry I'm not technologically advanced enough to make it a "button") and link back to this blog if you want.  And please comment and tell me!  I'll be especially excited to have any bilingual memorizers join me!  But please don't feel pressured! :)  Only join if you feel that's where God's leading you as well.  I'll be glad to have you; it's definitely not too late to start!

If you want something a little less "strenuous," check out this blog for a one-verse-a-week challenge!  Coming tomorrow: the verses for this week and ideas I use for memorization.

(This post is part of the Raising Homemakers linkup this week)