1. Feast on Him
2. Depend on Him
3. Focus on Him
...Everyday!
1. Take a part of who He is with me in every minute of my day.
2. Pray, pray, pray... and trust.
3. Read each and all of His Word's that were given to me in scripture, and apply it for His glory.
He intends this for His glory and my good.
Groanings...
My flesh is in the way
I need these reminders everyday, 'til in,
Heaven, Lord, I long to be with you forever
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Monday, December 28, 2009
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Neighbors
On Sunday I watched two videos on YouTube: 1.) "Evangelism: Send Me"--Conveys a strong message about evangelism in your own neighborhood. Evangilism in one's own sphere of influence, overcoming the fear of man, and reaching out to neighbors. 2.) "Get Service"--A video about focsing on self and discontentment so much that the main charecter fails to see the needs around him, by the grace of God, he begins to see that there are people around him who need what he has, the GOSPEL and someone to love and care for them.
After I watched the videos, conviction came over my heart about my relationship, or lack of one, with my neighbors. Just a couple hours after those thoughts, I was on a roll with cleaning the house, and when I went to take out the trash, I locked myself out of the house. Stuck outside, a small sweatshirt, jeans, shoes, no keys, no phone to call with, no numbers memorized, roomates all out-of-state accept for my one roomate who doesn't come home until 10pm on Sunday nights. "What should I do? Should I sit here and dedicate the next seven hours to praying? That sounds godly and I haven't been praying as much as I would have liked to lately. Sit on steps, begin to pray. Anxious, so I get up and look to see if there is a way to scale walls or climb onto my balcony to get the windows open. Then I realize, "No I just need to sit and pray for a while." I am praying and then I begin to laugh as I think about the videos I watched earlier in the day on serving your neighbors, how fitting that I got locked out when the convictions were still fresh. I start to get cold after an hour goes by, and then I hear laughing coming from my neighbor whose balcony faces mine. I can go over to their house, we say hellos in passing, we have taken them baked goods, then this fear comes over me. Fear of man. How am I going to explain this situation to them. The Spirit reminds me, and it all becomes simple. I was reminded that in suffering it is good to invite others into it after meeting with the Lord. Isolation is not good. So, I went over to their house knocked on the door and explained myself. Before I could finish explaining mysel they welcom me in. I got to spend seven hours at my neighbors` house, it was awesome. The grandma was visiting and I dont think I ever saw her without a beer in her hand. We watched movies, talked about family traditions, and laughed at the attention their dogs gave me, because I pet them. At one point the pug, named Sonny, fell asleep snooring on my foot. My affections for that dog grew so quickly, and I understood why they loved their dog so much. The man of the house is an actor and D.J., the wife a nurse, the son a swimmer in high school who can't get off of myspace, and just released a new album (he was excited about 57 downlods), and the daughter a middle school video game lover who still believes in Santa Clause. There is so much more to this family I am sure, and I hope to get to know them more. They were ready to fill up the air matress if i needed it. I feel like I can knock on their door if I ever need anything, or want to simply hang out.
On Friday, I was blessed to have a missionary over for dinner. There was one thing that she said that I thought was very insightful, "I was always trying to do the good work and be this missionary that serves the people, but the place where God has me I have seen that the people do not want to be the only ones served, but they also want to know how they can help you. When they are able to help you (the missionary) with something, it really helps to build the relationship, and for me it is really humbling." ...I felt like my time with my neighbors was like that. They were able to help me and provide hospitality, they provided shelter, and food. They were happy to do those things for me, we got to know eachother much better through it, and it was much better than me trying to handle it on my own, outside, by myself, prideful, and fearing man. If I had done the latter, I could see me convincing myself that it is the spiritual thing to do, "time with the Lord in prayer." Prayer is a good thing, time with the Lord the most important, but I think my neighbors really needed to have the experience of helping me, a person in need.
I am going to try to walk away with these applications...
~Invite others into struggles and trials
~Live in community with others
~Allow others to serve you when they offer and you have a need
~Stop fearing man, desiring comfort, and start considering others as more important than self
After I watched the videos, conviction came over my heart about my relationship, or lack of one, with my neighbors. Just a couple hours after those thoughts, I was on a roll with cleaning the house, and when I went to take out the trash, I locked myself out of the house. Stuck outside, a small sweatshirt, jeans, shoes, no keys, no phone to call with, no numbers memorized, roomates all out-of-state accept for my one roomate who doesn't come home until 10pm on Sunday nights. "What should I do? Should I sit here and dedicate the next seven hours to praying? That sounds godly and I haven't been praying as much as I would have liked to lately. Sit on steps, begin to pray. Anxious, so I get up and look to see if there is a way to scale walls or climb onto my balcony to get the windows open. Then I realize, "No I just need to sit and pray for a while." I am praying and then I begin to laugh as I think about the videos I watched earlier in the day on serving your neighbors, how fitting that I got locked out when the convictions were still fresh. I start to get cold after an hour goes by, and then I hear laughing coming from my neighbor whose balcony faces mine. I can go over to their house, we say hellos in passing, we have taken them baked goods, then this fear comes over me. Fear of man. How am I going to explain this situation to them. The Spirit reminds me, and it all becomes simple. I was reminded that in suffering it is good to invite others into it after meeting with the Lord. Isolation is not good. So, I went over to their house knocked on the door and explained myself. Before I could finish explaining mysel they welcom me in. I got to spend seven hours at my neighbors` house, it was awesome. The grandma was visiting and I dont think I ever saw her without a beer in her hand. We watched movies, talked about family traditions, and laughed at the attention their dogs gave me, because I pet them. At one point the pug, named Sonny, fell asleep snooring on my foot. My affections for that dog grew so quickly, and I understood why they loved their dog so much. The man of the house is an actor and D.J., the wife a nurse, the son a swimmer in high school who can't get off of myspace, and just released a new album (he was excited about 57 downlods), and the daughter a middle school video game lover who still believes in Santa Clause. There is so much more to this family I am sure, and I hope to get to know them more. They were ready to fill up the air matress if i needed it. I feel like I can knock on their door if I ever need anything, or want to simply hang out.
On Friday, I was blessed to have a missionary over for dinner. There was one thing that she said that I thought was very insightful, "I was always trying to do the good work and be this missionary that serves the people, but the place where God has me I have seen that the people do not want to be the only ones served, but they also want to know how they can help you. When they are able to help you (the missionary) with something, it really helps to build the relationship, and for me it is really humbling." ...I felt like my time with my neighbors was like that. They were able to help me and provide hospitality, they provided shelter, and food. They were happy to do those things for me, we got to know eachother much better through it, and it was much better than me trying to handle it on my own, outside, by myself, prideful, and fearing man. If I had done the latter, I could see me convincing myself that it is the spiritual thing to do, "time with the Lord in prayer." Prayer is a good thing, time with the Lord the most important, but I think my neighbors really needed to have the experience of helping me, a person in need.
I am going to try to walk away with these applications...
~Invite others into struggles and trials
~Live in community with others
~Allow others to serve you when they offer and you have a need
~Stop fearing man, desiring comfort, and start considering others as more important than self
Monday, December 21, 2009
Jesus Christ
Most experienced
Most available
Most qualified
is Jesus
Run to Him
Approach Him confidently
Approach Him frequently
Approach Him appropriately
He is my wonderful Counselor
He knows pain, He knows struggles, and He has the right antidote.
"May grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord." 2 Peter 1:2
Most available
Most qualified
is Jesus
Run to Him
Approach Him confidently
Approach Him frequently
Approach Him appropriately
He is my wonderful Counselor
He knows pain, He knows struggles, and He has the right antidote.
"May grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord." 2 Peter 1:2
Bookmark: Sermon on Marriage
I like how my blog has become a book mark of qoutes, stories, links, and things I want to remember. Not sure if anyone ever reads it, but I have still enjoyed documenting things. It is so encouraging for me to read previous blogs and see God having brought the dim to light and see change in me that I know could not change on my own. God has been graceous in giving me a thirst to know Him more, yes, He is satisfying and the thirst is quenched, but it is not quenched for long... because I want to know Him more.
Bookmark this:
A sermon I want any man I would EVER consider marrying to hear:
"Destroying Pop-Christian Views of Marital Bliss" By Paul Washer
a quote...
"God wants to make you like His Son." ~ P.W.
Bookmark this:
A sermon I want any man I would EVER consider marrying to hear:
"Destroying Pop-Christian Views of Marital Bliss" By Paul Washer
a quote...
"God wants to make you like His Son." ~ P.W.
Sunday, December 20, 2009
It is Simple...
Read it
Learn it
Live it
Share it
My sin makes it seem so hard and complicated. My sin clouds my mind, that is why the "Read it" part is so important. Truth will not be filling my mind if I am not reading it.
The Holy Spirit can help you and can help me!
Be still
Hear
Listen
and act with Love out of a heart of admiration
Lord, I pray for my brothers and sisters all around the world. Make us people who Love your Word and who use it for you glory. Guard us from apathy. Sanctify us and love others through us. In Jesus name, amen.
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Open Doors of Faith
Open Doors of Faith Orphanage is a Christian organization that I had the privilege of visiting last weekend. The facility was nice and the staff was awesome. I can see that these children have been well cared for through the children of my Heavenly Father.
I was blessed to play with the kids: futbol, catch, mary-go-round, swings, arts & crafts, and side walk chalk doodling.
I was blessed to make breakfast at a church near a dump site to a community of kids that live there. The ministry seeks to share meals with these kids everyday before they go to school. Parents are welcome to come with their kids too.
I was blessed to wrap gifts and make food bags for families in a nearby poor community of green house workers. I was blessed to hear the gospel preached to them and to hold one of the mother's precious baby girls during the outreach event. I was blessed to paint the kids faces and to see the staff let the kids paint their faces as well. I was blessed to see this boy who was about eleven years old be so excited to have received his very own soccer ball. It was a blessing to be there in a warehouse barn in the middle of the fields they labor on day in and day out with all of them enjoying a meal. Being there made me desire to know Spanish fluently all the more. My communication with them through words was so little, but I wanted to know what a day of life was like for them, what are there needs, what do they believe about God...
There were other adventures on the trip: rain, double rainbows, hiking paths, ocean views from the top, The Cross, wild horses, sheep, geese, rooster cocka-doddle-doo's in the morning, finding a frog in my cabin, lack of rain boots equaling mud from knee to toe (the kids called me "cochina"), playing basketball in the pouring rain beacause it was fun, but also so all the mud would wash off, driving through thick puddles, getting stuck in puddles and trying to figure out how to get out. Driving home in a mud covered car, driving through the border with the mud covered car, and seeing the vendors at the border avoid our car, because they could not see inside brought for much laughter. This car was COVERED in mud.
I really loved being in Mexico. I loved this quaint community near the ocean away from the city. I loved being with the kids at the orphanage and the fellowship with the staff. I enjoyed the restaurants and The Panaderia. I enjoyed trying to form sentences in Spanish and learning new words. I loved going to church there and hearing the simple message from the pastor: Make sure you are building your life on a firm and strong foundation, spend time with God, and share Him with others.
I hope I get to go back there one day.
Thinking about the trip as a whole... I want to spend my life doing that kind of work, His work! There is much joy found in doing His work!
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Nanny Diaries
I like to peal the paper off of crayons and color with the crayon lying sideways; especially, if I am coloring the sky or the grass. I love being a nanny, because it is like getting paid to play and do arts and crafts with kids. Thankfully, Nanning has also provided opportunities from God to grow in patience, discipline, and denial of self. Yesterday, i got to direct a skit with the girls. I thought it would be good for them to explore acting, since they like to read so much. More than that, I figured it would be a good opportunity for them to be exposed to the best book in the world, the Bible. So yesterday, i cast them to parts in the skit entitled, "The Good Shopper," which takes after Jesus' story, "The Good Samaritan." My story isn't half as good as Jesus' story, but i wanted to expose the girls to the character of Jesus in a relate-able way. I think the "Good Samaritan," in my story the, "Good Shopper," displays Jesus' compassion very well. The characters in the skit are: Lassie, the kid that saved up all her allowance to buy her grandmother a Christmas gift, Miss-On-Time, Miss Popular, the Good Shopper who helps Lassie, and the Bullies that pick-on and rob Lassie. There is also a narrator to the skit. The girls play more than one character with quick costume changes behind their family room sofa. They take turns being the narrator when they are not on "stage" [The stage is their family room floor rug]. I am looking forward to seeing how the parents respond when we perform the skit for them on my last day of work before Christmas break. I told their mother that we have been practicing a skit to perform for them, i didn't tell her what it was about, but she insisted that her and her husband would come home early that day and have me over for dinner after we perform the skit. I see it being likely that conversation about the skit and about Jesus will come up over dinner. This time with them can be a good opportunity to share the gospel. However, i am really cowardly when it comes to sharing with parents of children that i babysit, so i will really need the Lord's power and strength. I am confident that He can share His love through me.
Other happenings: yesterday, after i shared Jesus' story about the Good Samaritan, they wanted to hear another story. Side note, whenever I share stories about Jesus with the girls, they always want to hear more, it is quite interesting. Back to yesterday's happenings: i has this book of chronological narrated stories from the Bible with me, so i started by reading the first narration about God creating the Heavens and the Earth. The had correct answers to the questions at the end of the narration, but the older of the two girls said, "But, i don't believe that God created the earth. We have different beliefs." Part of my heart shattered to hear that; a girl who is eight years old with a clear stand on her opinions, which were different than everything i has just shared. One thing that i can say though, is that they DON'T remember the teachings they learn every weekend from the Monks at the Buddhist temple, but they DO seem to remember the teachings of Jesus that they hear from me. God can move in their hearts if it is His will, and I pray that thay is the case.
When i first arrived to work, the younger girl insisted that i bow down and pray to her cat with her. I told her that i would not do that, because the only One I pray to is, Jesus. She tried to convince me by saying that her cat is the king of cats; i still declined. At the end of my shift before it was time for me to leave, she said, "Miss Heather, you still have to pray t my cat with me, you promised!" I clearly told her that i never promised that to her, and told her i had to go. Her mom told her that she would pray to her cat with her, and told her daughter to let me go home with a, "Have a nice evening, i will see you tomorrow," and out the door I went.
After work i sought out some quiet time to read and meditate on Ephesians 2:12-22, i got to read about how my relationship with Jesus has changed. I was once in the world without God, and far from Him; an alien, a stranger. This was all because i couldn't keep God's Law. In result, there was a wall of hostility between us. However, when i put my faith in Jesus that sky-high wall of hostility was broken down through His blood, and i was brought near to Him. Jesus had kept God's Law and took the punishment for my sin. The punishment was God's wrath which came upon Him through His bleeding-to-death on a cross. Jesus killed hostility and reconciled me to God through the cross; I have no one else to be more thankful to, and nothing else to be more thankful for. i am no longer a stranger, no longer an alien, but a citizen with other saints, and a member of the household of God. My God is personal and dwells in me. Jesus came to preach to those who were far off, and to those who were near. I was once far off, but now i am near, and He still preaches to me through His living Word. Thank you, Lord.
Other happenings: yesterday, after i shared Jesus' story about the Good Samaritan, they wanted to hear another story. Side note, whenever I share stories about Jesus with the girls, they always want to hear more, it is quite interesting. Back to yesterday's happenings: i has this book of chronological narrated stories from the Bible with me, so i started by reading the first narration about God creating the Heavens and the Earth. The had correct answers to the questions at the end of the narration, but the older of the two girls said, "But, i don't believe that God created the earth. We have different beliefs." Part of my heart shattered to hear that; a girl who is eight years old with a clear stand on her opinions, which were different than everything i has just shared. One thing that i can say though, is that they DON'T remember the teachings they learn every weekend from the Monks at the Buddhist temple, but they DO seem to remember the teachings of Jesus that they hear from me. God can move in their hearts if it is His will, and I pray that thay is the case.
When i first arrived to work, the younger girl insisted that i bow down and pray to her cat with her. I told her that i would not do that, because the only One I pray to is, Jesus. She tried to convince me by saying that her cat is the king of cats; i still declined. At the end of my shift before it was time for me to leave, she said, "Miss Heather, you still have to pray t my cat with me, you promised!" I clearly told her that i never promised that to her, and told her i had to go. Her mom told her that she would pray to her cat with her, and told her daughter to let me go home with a, "Have a nice evening, i will see you tomorrow," and out the door I went.
After work i sought out some quiet time to read and meditate on Ephesians 2:12-22, i got to read about how my relationship with Jesus has changed. I was once in the world without God, and far from Him; an alien, a stranger. This was all because i couldn't keep God's Law. In result, there was a wall of hostility between us. However, when i put my faith in Jesus that sky-high wall of hostility was broken down through His blood, and i was brought near to Him. Jesus had kept God's Law and took the punishment for my sin. The punishment was God's wrath which came upon Him through His bleeding-to-death on a cross. Jesus killed hostility and reconciled me to God through the cross; I have no one else to be more thankful to, and nothing else to be more thankful for. i am no longer a stranger, no longer an alien, but a citizen with other saints, and a member of the household of God. My God is personal and dwells in me. Jesus came to preach to those who were far off, and to those who were near. I was once far off, but now i am near, and He still preaches to me through His living Word. Thank you, Lord.
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