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