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)