Bless the Lord

If there is one theme, one motif, one constant from this year that I've learned, it's that God is sovereign. 

Psalm 18:30 has been my verse this past year. I didn't know how much it would mean to me at the time I memorized it.

"This God, his way is perfect. The word of the Lord proves true; he is a shield for all those who take refuge in Him." 

I look back over this year and I see this--He allows me to see how His perfect plan has worked out over and over and over again. He prepared me to go to the desert, walked me through it and has been with me ever since. He has held my tears, cried with me, laughed with me and has blessed me abundantly. 
I've been blessed with the opportunities to love on african children, be loved by african women and to learn alongside some of the strongest followers of Christ I've ever met. Returning to the States, I've been blessed with opportunities to share my experience, and to live life with those who have a heart for the nations as well. 

Today is one of those days where I can only drink coffee and weep because of His goodness. I don't deserve the blessings He's given me and continues to pour out daily. I'm so thankful for His grace and mercy, and for being faithful when I am not. I am so thankful that His plan is so much better than mine, and that no matter what I do, as long as I'm obedient, it will come to pass. 

Psalm 103: 1-5
"Bless the Lord, o my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name!
Bless the Lord, o my soul, and forget not all his benefits,
who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, who redeems you from the pit,
who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy;
cho satisfies you with good so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's." 

Calvary Love, Amy Carmichael

Recently I've discovered my kindered spirit of the past. Her name is Amy Carmichael, and she was an amazing woman. She dedicated her life to beautiful orphan girls in Southern India. I've heard about her off and on, but I'm taking the time to get to know her--to read her writings, immerse myself in the things that the Lord did through her. It's exciting, encouraging and challenging at the same time.

Calvary Love

by Amy Carmichael

If I belittle those whom I am called to serve, talk of their weak points in contrast perhaps with what I think of as my strong points; if I adopt a superior attitude, forgetting "Who made thee to differ? And what hast thou that thou hast not received?" then I know nothing of Calvary love.

If I find myself taking lapses for granted, "Oh, that's what they always do," "Oh, of course she talks like that, he acts like that," then I know nothing of Calvary love.

If I can enjoy a joke at the expense of another; if I can in any way slight another in conversation, or even in thought, then I know nothing of Calvary love.

If I can write an unkind letter, speak an unkind word, think an unkind thought without grief and shame, then I know nothing of Calvary love.

If I do not feel far more for the grieved Savior than for my worried self when troublesome things occur, then I know nothing of Calvary love.

If I can rebuke without a pang, then I know nothing of Calvary love.

If my attitude be one of fear, not faith, about one who has disappointed me; if I say, "Just what I expected" if a fall occurs, then I know nothing of Calvary love.

If I am afraid to speak the truth, lest I lose affection, or lest the one concerned should say, "You do not understand," or because I fear to lose my reputation for kindness; if I put my own good name before the other's highest good, then I know nothing of Calvary love.

If I am content to heal a hurt slightly, saying "Peace, peace," where there is no peace; if I forget the poignant word "Let love be without dissimulation" and blunt the edge of truth, speaking not right things but smooth things, then I know nothing of Calvary love.

If I hold on to choices of any kind, just because they are my choice, then I know nothing of Calvary love.

If I am soft to myself and slide comfortably into self-pity and self-sympathy; If I do not by the grace of God practice fortitude, then I know nothing of Calvary love.

If I myself dominate myself, if my thoughts revolve round myself, if I am so occupied with myself I rarely have "a heart at leisure from itself," then I know nothing of Calvary love.

If, the moment I am conscious of the shadow of self crossing my threshold, I do not shut the door, and keep that door shut, then I know nothing of Calvary love.

If I cannot in honest happiness take the second place (or the twentieth); if I cannot take the first without making a fuss about my unworthiness, then I know nothing of Calvary love.

If I take offense easily, if I am content to continue in a cool unfriendliness, though friendship be possible, then I know nothing of Calvary love.

If I feel injured when another lays to my charge things that I know not, forgetting that my sinless Savior trod this path to the end, then I know nothing of Calvary love.

If I feel bitter toward those who condemn me, as it seems to me, unjustly, forgetting that if they knew me as I know myself they would condemn me much more, then I know nothing of Calvary love.

If souls can suffer alongside, and I hardly know it, because the spirit of discernment is not in me, then I know nothing of Calvary love.

If the praise of others elates me and their blame depresses me; if I cannot rest under misunderstanding without defending myself; if I love to be loved more than to love, to be served more than to serve, then I know nothing of Calvary love.

If I crave hungrily to be used to show the way of liberty to a soul in bondage, instead of caring only that it be delivered; if I nurse my disappointment when I fail, instead of asking that to another the word of release may be given, then I know nothing of Calvary love.

If I do not forget about such a trifle as personal success, so that it never crosses my mind, or if it does, is never given room there; if the cup of flattery tastes sweet to me, then I know nothing of Calvary love.

If in the fellowship of service I seek to attach a friend to myself, so that others are caused to feel unwanted; if my friendships do not draw others deeper in, but are ungenerous (to myself, for myself), then I know nothing of Calvary love.

If I refuse to allow one who is dear to me to suffer for the sake of Christ, if I do not see such suffering as the greatest honor that can be offered to any follower of the Crucified, then I know nothing of Calvary love.

If I slip into the place that can be filled by Christ alone, making myself the first necessity to a soul instead of leading it to fasten upon Him, then I know nothing of Calvary love.

If my interest in the work of others is cool; if I think in terms of my own special work; if the burdens of others are not my burdens too, and their joys mine, then I know nothing of Calvary love.

If I wonder why something trying is allowed, and press for prayer that it may be removed; if I cannot be trusted with any disappointment, and cannot go on in peace under any mystery, then I know nothing of Calvary love.

If the ultimate, the hardest, cannot be asked of me; if my fellows hesitate to ask it and turn to someone else, then I know nothing of Calvary love.

If I covet any place on earth but the dust at the foot of the Cross, then I know nothing of Calvary love.

That which I know not, teach Thou me, O Lord, my God.

 

Amy Carmichael, "Calvary Love," from If, by Dohnavur Fellowship. Fort Washington, PA: CLC Ministries, n.d. Used by permission.

 www.bruderhof.com

Holiness

"Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean;
remove the eveil of your deeds from before my eyes;
cease to do evil,
learn to do good; seek justcie,
correct oppression;
bring justice to the fatherless,
plead the widow's cause."
Is. 1:16-17

The prophet Isaiah is my favorite prophet of the Old Testament. Time and time again, the Lord has used the words spoken through Isaiah to speak into my life. The words aren't always easy to hear--the message wasn't comfortable at the time for Judah or Jerusalem, and they aren't the most comfortable words to hear now.

It's been a while since I've actually studied Isaiah, but taking another look at the book, the Lord has made a theme clear, in the first few chapters: Holiness. In the first two chapters alone, Isaiah cries out about the wickedness of Judah, and just how unfaithful she had been. Judah was making offerings, and empty sacrifices to the Lord, without doing good, seeking justice or doing any of the things that are an outpouring of a life for the Lord.

At one point, God tells Judah--"What to me is the multitude of your sacrifices? I have had enough burnt offerings of rams, and the fat of well-fed beasts; I do not delight in the blood of bulls, or of lambs, or of goats. When you come to appear before me, who has required of you this trampling of my courts? Bring no more vain offerings; incense is an abomination to me.." (v.12-13) God goes on to tell Judah that their empty offerings and mistreatment of His assembly are a weary burden that He will hold no more. 

How often do we do our offerings become a weary burden to the Lord? How often do we make empty offerings? Offerings of our lives, our will, our desires, only to snatch them back the moment things get a little uneasy? How often do we continue to mistreat His assembly by focusing more on who we are than who He is?

And just as it seems as if the Lord is going to give up, and let Judah be wicked, something beautiful happens.

"Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord:
though your sins are like scarlet,
they shall be as white as snow;
though they are red like crimson,
they shall become like wool,
If you are willing and obedient,
you shall eat of the good of the land;
but if you refuse and rebel,
you shall be eaten by the sword;
for the mouth of the Lord has spoken." (v.v. 18-20)

"Judah. You've messed up, a lot. You're dirty, and broken and going the wrong way, but if you are willing and obedient, I will make you Holy and bring you back to me."

The beauty of our God is that just when we think He's going to leave us to ourselves, He tells us to bring ourselves to Him, and He will make us Holy.

Oswald Chambers writes, "God has only one intended destiny for mankind---holiness. His only goal is to produce saints. god is not some eternal blessing-machine for people to use, and He did not come to save us out of pity---He  came to save us because He created us to be holy. Atonement through the Cross of Christ means that God can put me back into perfect oneness with Himself through the death of Jesus Christ, without a trace of anything coming between us any longer."

Oh, Lord. Make us Holy, because you are Holy.

Reflection

"All truth is God's truth." -Arthur F. Holmes, The Idea of A Christian College


When I first heard that phrase hours after stepping on foot at OBU's campus, I never realized how much they would shape my life.
Even before arriving at OBU, I read Holmes' words and felt challenged by them. Each time I have re-read the book to be a Tri-W, I always walk away with something that I didn't catch before.
I remember talking about this idea during my initial book study, and then the other two that have followed.


But sitting here, reflecting on 3 years and beginning my last at OBU, I am in awe. I am in awe of the Creator God--how He is truth, His word is true, and His how His promises ring true. The road that He has lead me on since first hearing those words has been an incredible one.
God's truth has lead me to experiences I never dreamed I would have.
Experiences that have shaped me and formed me to the person I am today.
Experiences that have allowed me to meet and build relationships with professors, peers and people from all over the world.


In my almost 4 years at OBU I have experienced loss, gain, excitement, heartache, and complete and utter joy. I've been so blessed to attend the Liberal Arts University that I have; at it I have been challenged in my beliefs, my desires and who I am.
At OBU I tried new things, tried to hold on tightly to old things and fell flat on my face. I met people who helped me get back on my feet and challenge me to this day.


Through OBU I've been able to live in the Amazon Jungle, meet sweet Indian friends (and American ones), and become part of an African family. Through OBU I've become part of a family; a family of Bison, and more importantly, a family of servant-hearted kingdom builders.
In conversing with Hindus, Muslims, Traditional Religion-followers, I've learned from all of them. I've walked away with truths that I wouldn't trade for the world.


The end is bittersweet. In two days, the first of the lasts will begin. But the best part is, my time on Bison Hill may be wrapping up, but it's only the beginning of another adventure.

Lessons from a Mango tree; journal entry from West Africa

Months later, the Father brings me back to this journal entry from West Africa. 

"Give this to me when you go to America." 

The Mango tree in the front yard has small, tiny green unripe and premature mangos on it. "Give me a mango! If I don't get one now, someone else will get it!" 

30 Children approach our truck. "Give me an egg! Just one egg!" "Give me money!" "Give me your shoes!" 

In this place, we are constantly being asked for things. Every week, our housekeeper in the city asks for my ipod. My answer never changes, but yet she always asks. It's draining. It's heart-hurting. It makes me think about the way I am with the Father. There are times when all I do is ask. The reason the people here ask for things is because they believe we have so much that we can afford to give everything away and then get more things later.

 The reason I ask is because I'm selfish, but also because I forget my place. The people here don't know their place; the little children that jump up and down grabbing my hand and arm long for attention, oblivious to the fact that they are loved and cherished more than they can imagine. 

I DO know these things, and yet why do I forget? Why do I approach my Father forgetting who He is, and who I am to Him? I know that His way is perfect, that His word proves true, and that He will provide and protect me. And yet, I always ask without stopping to think that things could be going on for my good. We tell the children no because an unripe mango is bad for them, and that waiting for them to be ripe is for their good. Right now, I'm realizing that the season I'm in is like a chlid asking for a mango. 

But instead of asking the next day, and the next, I'll wait patiently until the mango is ripe.

Father of the Oppressed

I don't consider myself one that gets angry easily.
I'm passionate about issues of injustice: sex trafficking, human trafficking, unfair trade laws...essentially any instance in which a human is treated unfairly is one in which I get a little riled up about.
Recently, the UN released a Global Commission on HIV and the Law, suggesting that internationally all laws against prostitution be repealed, along with the laws against illegal injection drug use to fight against HIV.
Words cannot describe how outraged I have been off and on since I read the article. And even now, sitting here thinking about it, I start to get angry and frustrated all over again.
But when I start to pray about the situation, Jesus quietly reminds me of the passage in John 2.

13 The Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 14 In the temple he found those who were selling oxen and sheep and pigeons, and the money-changers sitting there. 15 And making a whip of cords, he drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and oxen. And he poured out the coins of the money-changers and overturned their tables. 16 And he told those who sold the pigeons, “Take these things away; do not make my Father's house a house of trade.” 17 His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for your house will consume me.”

18 So the Jews said to him, “What sign do you show us for doing these things?” 19 Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” 20 The Jews then said, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will you raise it up in three days?” 21 But he was speaking about the temple of his body. 22 When therefore he was raised from the dead, chis disciples remembered that he had said this, and they believed the Scripture and the word that Jesus had spoken.

I've heard this passage talked about multiple times. But the part that stuck out to me this morning was that when Jesus was referencing the temple, He was referencing His own body and His sacrifice. As Christ-followers, our body is His temple and when we misuse it, when our hearts aren't right--then we're making His temple a house of trade and lies. Our actions begin in our hearts. When the heart isn't right, nothing is going to be right.

This realization brings me to my knees. 

As much as I would love to walk up to some UN people, ask if we can have coffee and then go talk this thing out...

That's not where the battle of injustice is fought.

The battle of injustice begins, continues and ends in the hearts of people--in the souls of man. The only way that justice will ever be brought is through Jesus Christ. The only way that we as Christ-followers can seek justice at its core is through prayer. 

Brothers and sisters, PRAY FOR THE OPPRESSED.

ADVOCATE FOR THEM ON YOUR KNEES.

BE A VOICE FOR THE VOICELESS TO THE MOST HIGH GOD.

Our God, the Creator of the Universe claims them in His identity. The fact that He tells us over and over again in His word that He is the Father of the oppressed means something.

It's something that we need to start taking seriously.

Like, right now.

And as hard as it is, we need to pray for the oppressors JUST AS MUCH as the oppressed, because Jesus died for us all.

Let's be the hands & feet of Jesus by abiding in Him, advocating for the oppressed, and moving where He moves. Anything outside of Him will fail, but everything with Him and in Him will be for His glory and through that the broken that He has died for--all of us--will be saved.

Psalm 140:12
12 I know that the LORD secures justice for the poor
and upholds the cause of the needy.

Psalm 146:7-9
7 He upholds the cause of the oppressed
and gives food to the hungry.
The LORD sets prisoners free,
8 the LORD gives sight to the blind,
the LORD lifts up those who are bowed down,
the LORD loves the righteous.
9 The LORD watches over the alien
and sustains the fatherless and the widow,
but he frustrates the ways of the wicked.

Real fasting & the Greatness of God

Tomorrow marks the beginning of the Islamic Holy Month of Ramadan. During this time, Muslims devote themselves to dawn-to-dusk fasting, good deeds, and prayer.
Tomorrow 2.1 billion people will continue in their works-based religion with the hope that partaking and strictly observing Ramadan will add to their salvation. 
The biggest thing I've heard about Ramadan is the dawn-to-dusk fasting. I've heard various things, but the common consensus is that for some (I will not say most, because I have never been with Muslims during Ramadan) life just becomes hard: not eating or drinking anything, going through prayers and doing good things because they have to. 


This summer I've been learning a lot about abiding in Jesus. As a Christ-follower, that's what we're called to do--abide in Him. Justice, mercy, discipleship and sacrificial living are an outpouring of this. During this always refining process, when we abide in Him more there is a desire for prayer and serving others--not because we have to, but because those things are an outpouring of our relationship with Jesus Christ.


I've also been learning about fasting--real fasting. 
Isaiah 58 :6-14says--

"Is not this the fast that I choose:

to loose the bonds of wickedness,

to undo the straps of the yoke,

to let the oppressed go free,

and to break every yoke?

Is it not to share your bread with the hungry,

and bring the homeless poor into your house;

when you see the naked, to cover him,

and not to hide yourself from your own flesh?

Then shall your light break forth like the dawn, 

and your healing shall spring up speedily;

your righteousness shall go before you;

the glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard.

Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer;

you shall cry, and he will say, 'Here I am'.

If you take away the yoke from your midst,

the pointing of the finger, and speaking wickedness,

10 if you pour yourself out for the hungry

and satisfy the desire of the afflicted,

then shall your light rise in the darkness

and your gloom be as the noonday.

11 And the Lord will guide you continually

and satisfy your desire in scorched places

and make your bones strong;

and you shall be like a watered garden,

like a spring of water,

whose waters do not fail.

12 And your ancient ruins shall be rebuilt;

you shall raise up the foundations of many generations;

you shall be called the repairer of the breach,

the restorer of streets to dwell in.

13 “If you turn back your foot from the Sabbath,

from doing your pleasure on my holy day,

and call the Sabbath a delight

and the holy day of the Lord honorable;

if you honor it, not going your own ways,

or seeking your own pleasure, or talking idly;

14 then you shall take delight in the Lord,

and I will make you ride on the heights of the earth;

I will feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father,

for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”

True fasting is not a dramatic, selfish burden. True fasting is sacrificial--making less of us to make more of Him through loving Him, abiding in Him and living for Him.

Tomorrow, my mother and I are going to observe and fast for Ramadan. Instead of legally following a set of man-made rules, we are going to be crying out on behalf of those who have never heard the Lord's name. Our prayer is that little will be made of us, and that all will be made of Him. 
I love the West Africans that I have been blessed to know. They've changed me. But it is only through the Father that they will come to know Him.

Please join us in crying out and interceding on behalf of our Muslim friends, neighbors and those that live all over the world. 

As Christ-followers, we are responsible for interceding on behalf of those who don't know Jesus. This is a seemingly large task, but when we remember how great our God is, the yoke is easy.


Isaiah 40: 9-31--The Greatness of God

Go on up to a high mountain,

O Zion, herald of good news;

lift up your voice with strength,

O Jerusalem, herald of good news;

lift it up, fear not;

say to the cities of Judah,

“Behold your God!”

10 Behold, the Lord God comes with might,

and his arm rules for him;

behold, his reward is with him,

and his recompense before him.

11 He will tend his flock like a shepherd;

he will gather the lambs in his arms;

he will carry them in his bosom,

and gently lead those that are with young.

12 Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand

and marked off the heavens with a span,

enclosed the dust of the earth in a measure

and weighed the mountains in scales

and the hills in a balance?

13 Who has measured the Spirit of the Lord,

or what man shows him his counsel?

14 Whom did he consult,

and who made him understand?

Who taught him the path of justice,

and taught him knowledge,

and showed him the way of understanding?

15 Behold, the nations are like a drop from a bucket,

and are accounted as the dust on the scales;

behold, he takes up the coastlands like fine dust.

16 Lebanon would not suffice for fuel,

nor are its beasts enough for a burnt offering.

17 All the nations are as nothing before him,

they are accounted by him as less than nothing and emptiness.

18 To whom then will you liken God,

or what likeness compare with him?

19 An idol! A craftsman casts it,

and a goldsmith overlays it with gold

and casts for it silver chains.

20 He who is too impoverished for an offering

chooses wood that will not rot;

he seeks out a skillful craftsman

to set up an idol that will not move.

21 Do you not know? Do you not hear?

Has it not been told you from the beginning?

Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth?

22 It is he who sits above the circle of the earth,

and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers;

who stretches out the heavens like a curtain,

and spreads them like a tent to dwell in;

23 who brings princes to nothing,

and makes the rulers of the earth as emptiness.

24 Scarcely are they planted, scarcely sown,

scarcely has their stem taken root in the earth,

when he blows on them, and they wither,

and the tempest carries them off like stubble.

25 To whom then will you compare me,

that I should be like him? says the Holy One.

26 Lift up your eyes on high and see:

who created these?

He who brings out their host by number,

calling them all by name,

by the greatness of his might,

and because he is strong in power

not one is missing.

27 Why do you say, O Jacob,

and speak, O Israel,

“My way is hidden from the Lord,

and my right is disregarded by my God”?

28 Have you not known? Have you not heard?

The Lord is the everlasting God,

the Creator of the ends of the earth.

He does not faint or grow weary;

his understanding is unsearchable.

29 He gives power to the faint,

and to him who has no might he increases strength.

30 Even youths shall faint and be weary,

and young men shall fall exhausted;

31 but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength;

they shall mount up with wings like eagles;

they shall run and not be weary;

they shall walk and not faint.

Father's Faithfulness

Before I left for Africa, I bought a new bible. This was a necessity, because I needed to take a Bible that had not been written in. If I were to have taken the bible that I study with, the Africans I worked with would think that I did not regard the scriptures as Holy.For them to see markings in my Bible would make them think that I do not respect God's Word.
I learned a lot from my family that I lived with in regards to Holy Scripture. They taught me what it meant to regard something as Holy. They treat their book with more reverence than anyone I have ever seen--always placing it in a position of honor, never doing anything to deface it, and defending it for what they believed it to be.

Before I went to Africa, I would set my bible on the floor, I would make notes in it, highlight passages, and well..I treated it like I treat any other book.
But since then, I've realized how we are to treat God's word. Yes, it doesn't really matter what the cover looks like, or how the pages are, but this book is HOLY, SACRED. For me to place it on the ground, or to write in it is just wrong. There is nothing that I can add to this book to make it more than it already is: the inspired Word of God.
Now here's the really cool part.

So, pre-africa, I marked up my bible. A. lot. In fact, I carried a pen inside of it (not the best for the binding, I've now learned) so I could underline, star (how ridiculous is that notion? What was I thinking? Who am I to pick out a 'favorite' part of this inspired book?!) or notate anything a pastor or teacher said. Well, recently I was looking through my beloved study bible, with its worn pages and places that it flips open to automatically (Joshua 1 & Isaiah 41). When I started flipping through the notes that I made before I left, and the scriptures that I marked...they are the same verses that God has been reminding me of since I have returned to the United States. Not only that, But there are passages that I read while I was in Africa that I have noted in this Bible.
This long, confusion story leads me to the point that I could have started with: God's plan is perfect. He equips us and trains us when we don't even know we're being trained. I remember at the time being confused when the Father showed what seemed to be random verses to me. But now I am overwhelmed with His faithfulness, and His constant hand in my life.


But you, Israel, my servant, 
Jacob whom I have chosen, 
the offspring of Abraham, my friend;
you whom I took from the ends of the earth,
and called from its farthest corners,
saying to you, "You are my servant, 
I have chosen you and not cast you off":
fear not, for I am with you;
be not dismayed, for I am your God;
I will strengthen you, I will help you
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
Isaiah 41:8-10

Psalm 42:11

"Why are you cast down, o my soul, 
and why are you in turmoil within me?
Hope in God; for I shall again praise Him,
my salvation and my God."-Psalm 42:11


I will hope in God because He is faithful when I am not.
I will hope in God because His way is perfect, and mine is not. 
I will hope in God because He keeps His promises.
I will hope in God because His word proves true.
I will hope in God because He spoke me into being.
I will hope in God because He is the Creator of the world.
I will hope in God because outside of Him I have nothing and I am nothing.
I will hope in God because He is worthy to be praised.
I will hope in God because He is my Salvation.
I will hope in God because He is my God.

Transition is tough. I've been blessed with people who are loving in patient with me. But it's still wearing. It's funny to me how a place that I was in for five months became home, and now once again I feel like I am in another foreign place. 
It's tough living in a place where there is nothing and then returning to a place where there is everything. The tension of what life was like with nothing and then suddenly to have everything again...is always in the forefront of my mind.
It's hot here; but there are places that are hotter in this world. Places without air conditioning or even the slightest hint of an escape from the heat.
Yeah, sometimes the clothing in the closet gets a little dull. But there are places in Africa where "Dead White Man's Markets" exist. All the clothing that got donated to Good Will last summer? What was left over got sent to Africa. The Africans buy it and believe that the previous owners died---that's the only reason someone would give up clothing as nice as that.
Traffic may be frustrating; but there are places where owning a vehicle is not an option, and the way to get water for the morning is to walk miles and miles.

I know I've been given an experience that few have the opportunity to have. I don't expect everyone to understand or even care. I don't write these things to make everyone who reads this feel guilty about using their air conditioner, or to have clothing options. I use my air conditioner, and I have plenty of clothes. I think on these things as a reminder to be thankful for what we have, and that each thing is a blessing from the Lord.


I'm afraid of forgetting the things I saw. I'm afraid that I'll go back to who I was before I went to Africa.
I know that these are just whispers from the one who hates the refinement of the Spirit. 


I know that even in transition, This God--His way is perfect. The word of the Lord proves true; He is a shield for all those who take refuge in Him. (Ps. 18:30)


Even in this transition, I know that God's way is perfect. I will hope in Him and praise Him again, for He is my salvation and my God.

Use your position before the King.

This morning I had an experience that so many believers in the world are unable to have--I had the ability to worship in a building, with fellow believers in my heart language, without fear. 

I also woke up this morning know that I am a daughter of the King, and I serve a God that is alive.
This too is something that so many people in the world don't know. 

So many beautiful women and children do not know that there is a God who is ALIVE, and who desperately wants to know them intimately. When I think about the beautiful West African women and children that I love so dearly, my heart aches for them to know the King.


Where does this leave us? Sometimes people return from the mission field and have bitterness towards the church. I have been one of them. When I returned from South America, I didn't understand how I could come from a place with abundance and be a part of something that didn't share that with the broken and poor.

But I'm not one of them anymore. Coming back from Africa, the Father has emphasized in my life the power and responsibility that we have to advocate and pray on behalf of those who do not know Him. And this is true--the church cannot function without prayer. We cannot serve others, love others and build relationships with others without prayer.


Believers, we have been blessed with far more than we can imagine. Pray and ask the Father to show what His plan is for that abundance. Also, serving Him is not without sacrifice--serving Him is TO sacrifice. Use your position before the King to love and serve others.


And the next time you're surrounded by fellow believers, thank God that you've been given that opportunity. Advocate and intercede on behalf of those who do not know Him, and seek opportunities to share who God is and what He is doing.


Romans 10:14-15 (ESV)-
How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!”

 

Isaiah 61:1-3

This is what we are called to-- The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has tanointed me to bring good news to the poor;1 he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and uthe opening of the prison to those who are bound; to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor, wand the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn; to grant to those who mourn in Zion— to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit; zthat they may be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, athat he may be glorified.

Beautiful Feet

West Africa is dusty. Everywhere you look, there is dust, trash, goat/cow/sheep droppings, and most of all there is dirt. Everywhere. There is little pavement to walk on, thus resulting in very dirty and dusty feet. To me, my dirty feet are intriguing. No matter what I do, they are dirt-covered. Just as I get out of the bath, dirt finds it's way to them. Don't worry. I don't have feet obsession. But I've been thinking a lot about the part in the book that says, "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!" When I look at my feet I see dirt, dust and grime. But when my Father sees my feet, they are beautiful. This is so true of all of us. We are dirty, and grimy but we have been made beautiful. And although West Africa is a dusty, dirty, a sometimes confusing and downright difficult place, these people are beautiful and in need of the Father to clean them off and show his love to them. So, in the hard times I look at my feet. I look at my feet and feel extremely blessed and loved. I look at my feet and am reminded of a time when I was dusty and dirty, but my Father washed me off and healed me. And then I am reminded of why I am here. When I am surrounded by hundreds of people who look completely different than I do, speak a language that I have never heard of until now, and see the world in a manner completely seperate from my own...I remember that the feet of those who bring good news are beautiful. That our Father was a servant, and his washing of feet is what gave this world an opportunity to be clean. And for that reason, I hope that my feet will always be dusty.