Ephesians 6:16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.
I never really thought of the testing that comes from the devil being in the form of flaming arrows. But the analogy is so true. Satan aims right for our hearts. He wants to break our faith in God. He wants to make us think that we cannot trust in our Lord because bad things are happening.
I used to think there might be one thing that would test my faith in the Lord, that would weaken or even break my "shield of faith." But I guess my shield has grown larger and is made of good material because I find myself feeling strong in Him. I have questions, sometimes a lot of them. And sometimes I just plain admit that I don't know what the Lord's plan is. Why does He let us go through hard things, things that even make us feel mad at Him? But my faith in Him is strong. I still believe He is the God He said He is in the Bible. I believe He loved me so much He gave His own Son for me, and who would do that, but someone of great character and love?
I believe that I have indeed, put out arrows sent from the evil one. And I also know that just because I am a Christian and I love God does not mean that my life will be peaches and cream. In fact, I think the opposite; I think the Lord gives/allows opportunities to grow our faith to those who can take being stretched. And so I wait for Him to show me my next move. And I keep preparing my shield for battle. I want to be ready when either the good or the bad happens. I want to show that my Lord has prepared me for battle; that His might power and His strength is alive in me.
Saturday, November 10, 2012
Friday, November 9, 2012
Given to be a Teacher
Ephesians 4:11 It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers 12 to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up...
I decided to be a nurse and not a teacher. Those were the two things I was thinking of way back when. Fast forward 10 years. And then we moved to the Azores. And I got involved in the Awana program on this base, we decided to homeschool the boys, and I taught preschool vacation Bible school (VBS). I am certainly not a teacher in the public school, large classroom kind of way. But I can see, in a whole new way how hard teachers have to work to actually get the kids to learn. I think the reason they are able to put forth the effort has got to be because they fall in love with the children.
I love my boys more than anything. We decided to homeschool for many different reasons, but I must admit that I am thankful that next year I know I will not have to send Jackson off to kindergarten without me. We have so much fun together, learning and playing and crafting. I simply cannot imagine my day without him in it. And seeing Max's interest sparked by reading and doing puzzles and playing games with us is so much fun. And it is also fun to see how they are similar and different.
I have also fallen in love with the kids in Awana, many of which then become the kids in VBS. This year with them so far has been so exciting. They have a great group of leaders who want to teach them God's love for them by teaching them what the Bible says about it. These kids light up a room. They can also create a storm in a room pretty quickly, lol. But it is rewarding and joy-filled to see them growing up and learning, becoming more self-controlled and more kind. I have the fun job of giving them their awards in front of the group at the end of the night, and giving them the opportunity to say their Bible verses to show off their knowledge.
And I am learning from them. That takes the fun to another level. I get to see and learn more about my heavenly Father through these kids and the leaders that come to teach. The Lord may have given me to be a teacher in these areas, but He has also given me the great gift of learning to be more childlike and knowing Him more intimately through this experience. There is so much more I need to know and learn, but I pray the Lord is getting what He wanted from me. I know He is sending me people who are teaching me and building me up as a leader, who are directing my steps in so many ways so that our act of serving these kids will ultimately bring God the glory. I am so thankful that He provides what we need in every way, even when we do not know we need it.
I decided to be a nurse and not a teacher. Those were the two things I was thinking of way back when. Fast forward 10 years. And then we moved to the Azores. And I got involved in the Awana program on this base, we decided to homeschool the boys, and I taught preschool vacation Bible school (VBS). I am certainly not a teacher in the public school, large classroom kind of way. But I can see, in a whole new way how hard teachers have to work to actually get the kids to learn. I think the reason they are able to put forth the effort has got to be because they fall in love with the children.
I love my boys more than anything. We decided to homeschool for many different reasons, but I must admit that I am thankful that next year I know I will not have to send Jackson off to kindergarten without me. We have so much fun together, learning and playing and crafting. I simply cannot imagine my day without him in it. And seeing Max's interest sparked by reading and doing puzzles and playing games with us is so much fun. And it is also fun to see how they are similar and different.
I have also fallen in love with the kids in Awana, many of which then become the kids in VBS. This year with them so far has been so exciting. They have a great group of leaders who want to teach them God's love for them by teaching them what the Bible says about it. These kids light up a room. They can also create a storm in a room pretty quickly, lol. But it is rewarding and joy-filled to see them growing up and learning, becoming more self-controlled and more kind. I have the fun job of giving them their awards in front of the group at the end of the night, and giving them the opportunity to say their Bible verses to show off their knowledge.
And I am learning from them. That takes the fun to another level. I get to see and learn more about my heavenly Father through these kids and the leaders that come to teach. The Lord may have given me to be a teacher in these areas, but He has also given me the great gift of learning to be more childlike and knowing Him more intimately through this experience. There is so much more I need to know and learn, but I pray the Lord is getting what He wanted from me. I know He is sending me people who are teaching me and building me up as a leader, who are directing my steps in so many ways so that our act of serving these kids will ultimately bring God the glory. I am so thankful that He provides what we need in every way, even when we do not know we need it.
Wednesday, November 7, 2012
A Christmas Wish
Ephesians 2:10 For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
I like being reminded that the Lord had me in mind. He created me just the way I am and He knew that one day I would love Him with my whole heart. He knew that love would blossom into a desire to see this world be a better place.
My heart is broken about so many things in this world. We can look around us and see poverty and need in so many places. Sometimes we don't want to see. Sometimes we don't want to know about it. I cannot remember what Mike and I were talking about, but it was on our trip to the states this past summer when he said something about it being hard to know/grasp that the water in our toilets is much cleaner than the water many people around the world drink and bathe in. Our toilets.
But it is true. And sad.
I have gotten a late start on this Christmas wish, but it could work nonetheless. What I would love for Christmas is if our family and friends would come together with enough money to dig a well somewhere around the world. It costs $2600 to do this.
http://donate.worldvision.org/OA_HTML/xxwv2ibeCCtpItmDspRte.jsp?section=10373&item=170
But if everyone I knew gave just a little it could happen. I know that I know enough people. And I know everyone has a lot going on in their lives... But it is about sacrifice sometimes to help someone who needs. This is the type of thing that saves lives. 4,000 kids die every day because they do not have clean water.
If you are interested in contributing to this Christmas wish, please send me a personal email... And we can actually do it, together. Would it not be a great feeling to wake up Christmas morning knowing that somewhere around the world a child probably has LIFE and HEALTH because of your giving? Not that it necessarily matters to you, but it would make my year!!
If God is for us who can be against us?
I like being reminded that the Lord had me in mind. He created me just the way I am and He knew that one day I would love Him with my whole heart. He knew that love would blossom into a desire to see this world be a better place.
My heart is broken about so many things in this world. We can look around us and see poverty and need in so many places. Sometimes we don't want to see. Sometimes we don't want to know about it. I cannot remember what Mike and I were talking about, but it was on our trip to the states this past summer when he said something about it being hard to know/grasp that the water in our toilets is much cleaner than the water many people around the world drink and bathe in. Our toilets.
But it is true. And sad.
I have gotten a late start on this Christmas wish, but it could work nonetheless. What I would love for Christmas is if our family and friends would come together with enough money to dig a well somewhere around the world. It costs $2600 to do this.
http://donate.worldvision.org/OA_HTML/xxwv2ibeCCtpItmDspRte.jsp?section=10373&item=170
But if everyone I knew gave just a little it could happen. I know that I know enough people. And I know everyone has a lot going on in their lives... But it is about sacrifice sometimes to help someone who needs. This is the type of thing that saves lives. 4,000 kids die every day because they do not have clean water.
If you are interested in contributing to this Christmas wish, please send me a personal email... And we can actually do it, together. Would it not be a great feeling to wake up Christmas morning knowing that somewhere around the world a child probably has LIFE and HEALTH because of your giving? Not that it necessarily matters to you, but it would make my year!!
If God is for us who can be against us?
Twelve years
So here I am trying to get back into the Word and back into journaling... I often go through times when I feel like this is something I should be doing, but I think I push that feeling/knowledge aside because there are so many other things to do in a day. But I will take it one day at a time and see if I can allow myself the time to be with the Lord and hash out what is in my head.
There is so much going on every day in my life, mostly little daily life things. I love that. But it is crazy how busy the little things can make you feel. My in-laws came to visit a couple weeks ago. It was wonderful and fun having them here. And while they were here, I slept. I let some of the things I want to do go undone in leiu of sleep. I got at least 8 hours of sleep just about every night. And then I continued with that. The problem is that I really need to get up before the boys, just to be able to have some time of concentrated reading/prayer/writing without them needing me for things. And I really know that I need this time with my Lord and Savior. Period.
This morning, I was reading from Luke 8:43 "And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years, but no one could heal her. 44 She came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak, and immediately her bleeding stopped."
And I am sitting here thinking, Twelve years??? How does someone go through 12 years of something like that? The reality is that people do it all the time. There are many people out there who have chronic illnesses or conditions that they deal with on a daily basis, with no ones cloak to reach for.
Lately I have some of my own stuff going on that made me say, "Lord, I wish you were here right now, so I could just touch the edge of your cloak." Don't you ever just wish that after so long of dealing with something that the solution would come, just like that, just like touching the edge of a King's cloak? My "stuff" is small potatoes compared to what some others go or have gone through. But I want healing just the same.
That desire for healing makes me long for the day when all our tears will be wiped away and there will be no more pain. I joke that I hope Jesus returns before my kids are teens (because the teenage years have me scared in advance, lol). But really, how awesome would it be to know that they would experience only heaven, with our Heavenly Father and the Son and none of the bad, hard stuff that comes with this life? I know the Lord has great plans for them... and they will handle whatever He brings to their lives, just like I have so far done. But no more tears? No more pain? In heaven with Christ forever? That would be a reality worth giving this life for or at least reaching for the edge of a King's cloak.
There is so much going on every day in my life, mostly little daily life things. I love that. But it is crazy how busy the little things can make you feel. My in-laws came to visit a couple weeks ago. It was wonderful and fun having them here. And while they were here, I slept. I let some of the things I want to do go undone in leiu of sleep. I got at least 8 hours of sleep just about every night. And then I continued with that. The problem is that I really need to get up before the boys, just to be able to have some time of concentrated reading/prayer/writing without them needing me for things. And I really know that I need this time with my Lord and Savior. Period.
This morning, I was reading from Luke 8:43 "And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years, but no one could heal her. 44 She came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak, and immediately her bleeding stopped."
And I am sitting here thinking, Twelve years??? How does someone go through 12 years of something like that? The reality is that people do it all the time. There are many people out there who have chronic illnesses or conditions that they deal with on a daily basis, with no ones cloak to reach for.
Lately I have some of my own stuff going on that made me say, "Lord, I wish you were here right now, so I could just touch the edge of your cloak." Don't you ever just wish that after so long of dealing with something that the solution would come, just like that, just like touching the edge of a King's cloak? My "stuff" is small potatoes compared to what some others go or have gone through. But I want healing just the same.
That desire for healing makes me long for the day when all our tears will be wiped away and there will be no more pain. I joke that I hope Jesus returns before my kids are teens (because the teenage years have me scared in advance, lol). But really, how awesome would it be to know that they would experience only heaven, with our Heavenly Father and the Son and none of the bad, hard stuff that comes with this life? I know the Lord has great plans for them... and they will handle whatever He brings to their lives, just like I have so far done. But no more tears? No more pain? In heaven with Christ forever? That would be a reality worth giving this life for or at least reaching for the edge of a King's cloak.
Monday, June 11, 2012
1 John 5:12 He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.
I think back on my life before Jesus really made sense to me. I always had the faith to believe that He was God, that He came in human form and died on the cross for my sins. I did not understand though, that He died so I could have relationship with God the Father and live this life with the Holy Spirit in me. I did not understand the depth of His love for me; I felt so unworthy of that. And I am. But He gives grace, undeserved favor, to those who believe in His name, who believe and desire His salvation.
There was a time I went to church (when I was looking for Jesus), and I felt His presence so deeply, like He was actually wrapping His arms around me and showing me that if I wanted, we could do this life together. I had to let Him break me down to build me up. And omgoodness! I am sure He thought that was quite a process, stubborn as I am, going back and making the same mistakes and bad decisions over and over again.
But through that sometimes painful, sometimes joyful process God showed me Himself. He showed me His unconditional love through His Son, His Word, and His actual presence in every detail of my life. He showed me that I really can be content in all things, as His Word says. He continually shows me the person I want to be and gives me opportunities to grow into and be that person. I don't always do well with what He gives me to do. In fact, I am sure He sometimes must think, "You really messed that up." Sometimes I have no idea what He is trying to teach me/tell me. But I am sure of His love and His salvation. Because He gave me so much, my desire is to obey what His Word says and live the way Jesus lived. I believe my salvation, my place in heaven, is sure. But I am so grateful for this other knowledge: that I want God my Father to know and see that I am doing my best to live His way because of His love for me. I want Him to know that I have finally come to the place where I believe His way is best. He did not have to, but He chose to prove that to me. I am so thankful for His love. I want to live in that love and give that love.
I think back on my life before Jesus really made sense to me. I always had the faith to believe that He was God, that He came in human form and died on the cross for my sins. I did not understand though, that He died so I could have relationship with God the Father and live this life with the Holy Spirit in me. I did not understand the depth of His love for me; I felt so unworthy of that. And I am. But He gives grace, undeserved favor, to those who believe in His name, who believe and desire His salvation.
There was a time I went to church (when I was looking for Jesus), and I felt His presence so deeply, like He was actually wrapping His arms around me and showing me that if I wanted, we could do this life together. I had to let Him break me down to build me up. And omgoodness! I am sure He thought that was quite a process, stubborn as I am, going back and making the same mistakes and bad decisions over and over again.
But through that sometimes painful, sometimes joyful process God showed me Himself. He showed me His unconditional love through His Son, His Word, and His actual presence in every detail of my life. He showed me that I really can be content in all things, as His Word says. He continually shows me the person I want to be and gives me opportunities to grow into and be that person. I don't always do well with what He gives me to do. In fact, I am sure He sometimes must think, "You really messed that up." Sometimes I have no idea what He is trying to teach me/tell me. But I am sure of His love and His salvation. Because He gave me so much, my desire is to obey what His Word says and live the way Jesus lived. I believe my salvation, my place in heaven, is sure. But I am so grateful for this other knowledge: that I want God my Father to know and see that I am doing my best to live His way because of His love for me. I want Him to know that I have finally come to the place where I believe His way is best. He did not have to, but He chose to prove that to me. I am so thankful for His love. I want to live in that love and give that love.
Saturday, June 9, 2012
John 15: 15 I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. 16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit--fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. 17 This is my command: Love each other.
Friends. Best friends. Jesus chose me to be His friend. He has made the Father's love known to me through His death on the cross and His residence in my life. And He is teaching me more of what that love looks like every day. In this love, I have found peace, joy, contentment, and freedom. I have moments of comparing what I have to what others have. I have moments where I want more. I have moments where I wonder what God is doing with my life, what are His purposes for me? But at the end of the day, I come back to His love and His Word and I remember that He has already given me abundant life in Him (and He has also blessed me in my natural life). And while those moments may come back to me on and off, it gets easier every day I live my life with Jesus, to be thankful for what I have rather than wanting what I do not.
In those times of thanks, which come more and more frequently with practice (thank you Ann Voskamp and "One Thousand Gifts"), I feel and know that I am connected to the greatest gift ever given. Life. This makes me determined to live the life I have to the fullest. To give grace lavishly. To serve humbly and to serve many. To be the detail that the Lord uses to show Himself in someone else's life.
Life is hard. And we have a lot of questions. But we have (or can have) a friend in Jesus. I don't even know what the rest of today will hold. But I know I have Jesus through it and His love will sustain me. I have never been more thankful for anything that His calling of me and being lead to Him. I find joy in that at this moment.
Friends. Best friends. Jesus chose me to be His friend. He has made the Father's love known to me through His death on the cross and His residence in my life. And He is teaching me more of what that love looks like every day. In this love, I have found peace, joy, contentment, and freedom. I have moments of comparing what I have to what others have. I have moments where I want more. I have moments where I wonder what God is doing with my life, what are His purposes for me? But at the end of the day, I come back to His love and His Word and I remember that He has already given me abundant life in Him (and He has also blessed me in my natural life). And while those moments may come back to me on and off, it gets easier every day I live my life with Jesus, to be thankful for what I have rather than wanting what I do not.
In those times of thanks, which come more and more frequently with practice (thank you Ann Voskamp and "One Thousand Gifts"), I feel and know that I am connected to the greatest gift ever given. Life. This makes me determined to live the life I have to the fullest. To give grace lavishly. To serve humbly and to serve many. To be the detail that the Lord uses to show Himself in someone else's life.
Life is hard. And we have a lot of questions. But we have (or can have) a friend in Jesus. I don't even know what the rest of today will hold. But I know I have Jesus through it and His love will sustain me. I have never been more thankful for anything that His calling of me and being lead to Him. I find joy in that at this moment.
Thursday, June 7, 2012
Galatians 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
Galatians 6:9 Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. 10 Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us to good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.
Sometimes I forget to pray that the Holy Spirit will keep taking up more of my heart, but that is surely what I want. I want to be person that lives out and has in her the fruits of the Spirit. I want to be that mom, wife, daughter and friend. But when I look at this list, I realize again how much I lack. But I am okay with that. I love this list. Just reading it to myself makes me feel peaceful and calm, with a knowledge that the Lord has it under control and He is growing me and changing me into a person with these qualities. The more I fall in love with Him, the more I know I am coming to a big harvest one day because He is the one working in me.
I especially want this list to come to mind in the hard moments. When I feel any kind of lack in my life or heart I want to remember that the Lord is filling me up with these things, growing me in the challenges and teaching me to be more like Him. I want to be able to let go of my own desires and allow Him to place in me what He has for me. I want to remember that while I might not understand the "whys" of this life, I can still allow the Lord to give me the Fruits of the Spirit in those hard times.
I want Him to feed my soul and spirit and right now, in this moment, I am so glad that is exactly what His Word does.
Galatians 6:9 Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. 10 Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us to good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.
Sometimes I forget to pray that the Holy Spirit will keep taking up more of my heart, but that is surely what I want. I want to be person that lives out and has in her the fruits of the Spirit. I want to be that mom, wife, daughter and friend. But when I look at this list, I realize again how much I lack. But I am okay with that. I love this list. Just reading it to myself makes me feel peaceful and calm, with a knowledge that the Lord has it under control and He is growing me and changing me into a person with these qualities. The more I fall in love with Him, the more I know I am coming to a big harvest one day because He is the one working in me.
I especially want this list to come to mind in the hard moments. When I feel any kind of lack in my life or heart I want to remember that the Lord is filling me up with these things, growing me in the challenges and teaching me to be more like Him. I want to be able to let go of my own desires and allow Him to place in me what He has for me. I want to remember that while I might not understand the "whys" of this life, I can still allow the Lord to give me the Fruits of the Spirit in those hard times.
I want Him to feed my soul and spirit and right now, in this moment, I am so glad that is exactly what His Word does.
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