I just wanted to use this blog as a shout out for our Easter Sunrise service that we had early this morning. It was amazing and God was sooo present. After we prayed, worshiped, and shared the gospel, we began to worship again. I closed my eyes and when I opened them again to look at the ocean there was a man with his dog standing right next to us. I thought HOW COOL IS THIS?!?!?! One of Ashley's friends talked to the man and invited him to the service. I can't wait to hear that story!
Not only that, there was a couple that saw us and climbed up to sit on the lifeguard tower overlooking us. The wife had her hand extended toward us during the whole time of worship. They were talking together and singing with us. Then it was Dannah's turn to get baptized. The couple on the lifeguard were amazed that we were going to baptize Dannah. By then we had a couple other people watching from the parking lot.
And then I thought, if God can show up and affect several people at 6:30 in the morning on the sand in Newport Beach, he can do so much more than that. in a small setting. in a huge setting. I think today was a time to help me remember that. Sometime it is hard to see the little things of the Kingdom and how we have a part in the plan.
Sunday, April 24, 2011
Thursday, April 14, 2011
Trust in the Lord
This weekend I was spiritually attacked. In conversation, someone asked me what I would do if when in Haiti, everything went wrong...I get sick and I'm not safe. And when I come back I don't get a job and I can't find a car, ect. At the time I was shocked and didn't know what to say and started talking nonsense. I had always considered that I will get sick and things aren't going to all be fine and dandy when I am in Haiti and when I come back home so when I was forced to really think about it, it bothered me and Satan took hold of it.
I kept thinking that it's not that hard...I trust that God will take care of me. He has prepared the way for me on this trip and if it is in His will, he will take care of me. It's to the point that I don't even want to think about what may happen because it doesn't really matter. Matt 6:34, "Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." I need to live in the present and not worry about the future. I trust God to take care of me.
For a few seconds, I doubted that I trusted too much because I hasn't really given any of those thoughts a lot of time. That was quickly snuffed out by my confidence in trusting the Lord. I believe that if it is God's will for me to go to Haiti, he will protect me, take care of me, and provide for me when I am there and when I return. This was solidified this week when I read Luke 11: 9-10, "So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened."
I pray that God will show me what I seek in this adventure, keep me safe, free from sickness, provide for me when I am in need, and open doors when I return home.
I know that Mark 12:30 says, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength." I want to change that a little bit...all week something else keeps popping up in my head. In my mind I keep saying, Trust in the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.
I kept thinking that it's not that hard...I trust that God will take care of me. He has prepared the way for me on this trip and if it is in His will, he will take care of me. It's to the point that I don't even want to think about what may happen because it doesn't really matter. Matt 6:34, "Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." I need to live in the present and not worry about the future. I trust God to take care of me.
For a few seconds, I doubted that I trusted too much because I hasn't really given any of those thoughts a lot of time. That was quickly snuffed out by my confidence in trusting the Lord. I believe that if it is God's will for me to go to Haiti, he will protect me, take care of me, and provide for me when I am there and when I return. This was solidified this week when I read Luke 11: 9-10, "So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened."
I pray that God will show me what I seek in this adventure, keep me safe, free from sickness, provide for me when I am in need, and open doors when I return home.
I know that Mark 12:30 says, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength." I want to change that a little bit...all week something else keeps popping up in my head. In my mind I keep saying, Trust in the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.
Sunday, April 3, 2011
Worldly Things
On Sunday at church, I asked for prayer. This very nice young woman came over to me and prayed over me. I've been deciding whether to live in Haiti during the school year and initially a lot of worldly things seemed to be holding me back. After she was done praying for me, she told me that she felt that worldly things were holding me back...exactly what I had been thinking since I found out 3 days earlier.
I feel like worldly things are getting in the way of everything and everyone and what I would be doing by giving it all up. Yes, I could be making a lot of money and be able to finally buy a nice new car but will that solve the struggles that I still have now? Will my life be ultimately changed in the eyes of God if I stay here? Maybe. But I think that he has greater plans for me. I want to know what it is like to give everything up and follow Jesus in what He is asking me to do.
"Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me."
Matthew 16:24
I feel like worldly things are getting in the way of everything and everyone and what I would be doing by giving it all up. Yes, I could be making a lot of money and be able to finally buy a nice new car but will that solve the struggles that I still have now? Will my life be ultimately changed in the eyes of God if I stay here? Maybe. But I think that he has greater plans for me. I want to know what it is like to give everything up and follow Jesus in what He is asking me to do.
"Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me."
Matthew 16:24
Sunday, March 27, 2011
So I wrote on facebook that I had some exciting news and I definitely do.
On Thursday, I got a facebook message from Bree Bauman (some of you may know her from college ministries before she left). She works for a non-profit who will be providing two teachers to an American family who lives in Haiti to home-school their 4 school age children. Yes, Haiti for the next school year...9 months. I would get paid through the non-profit and get to come home every 3 months to renew my work visa.
I love Haiti. I went last May with my school and knew I wanted to come back again. And if you ask my family or very close friends, I have always said I wanted to teach in another county for a year. I just didn't know how I was going to do it or when. In my current search for a job, I put it on the back burner thinking well if I don't get a job next year then I will consider it. I don't need to worry about it right now because I'm going to get a job.
And then God throws it at me. I end up not even having to search for it.
So now I am considering leaving everything behind and moving to Haiti for the school year to teach, feed, and love the people of Haiti. I don't know what God's plan is for me and I want so desperately to be obedient to Him.
A lot of worldly problems and fears arise every time I think about it. My parents won't even talk with me about it right now.
Psalm 25 from the RH blog really stuck out to me this week. 1 In you, Lord my God,
I put my trust.
This came from the Reeve's family blog that I have been reading ever since I found out about them. This is the family I would be home-schooling. This was just in a random blog sometime at the beginning of moving to Haiti that I stumbled across and really spoke to me. It actually made me cry.
But with everything to think about, what does God want me to do? What is His will? How can I further His kingdom right now, here or Haiti?
Slices, I need your prayer. This is a HUGE decision for me and I want to earnestly seek God for his direction, clarity, and wisdom.
On Thursday, I got a facebook message from Bree Bauman (some of you may know her from college ministries before she left). She works for a non-profit who will be providing two teachers to an American family who lives in Haiti to home-school their 4 school age children. Yes, Haiti for the next school year...9 months. I would get paid through the non-profit and get to come home every 3 months to renew my work visa.
I love Haiti. I went last May with my school and knew I wanted to come back again. And if you ask my family or very close friends, I have always said I wanted to teach in another county for a year. I just didn't know how I was going to do it or when. In my current search for a job, I put it on the back burner thinking well if I don't get a job next year then I will consider it. I don't need to worry about it right now because I'm going to get a job.
And then God throws it at me. I end up not even having to search for it.
So now I am considering leaving everything behind and moving to Haiti for the school year to teach, feed, and love the people of Haiti. I don't know what God's plan is for me and I want so desperately to be obedient to Him.
A lot of worldly problems and fears arise every time I think about it. My parents won't even talk with me about it right now.
Psalm 25 from the RH blog really stuck out to me this week. 1 In you, Lord my God,
I put my trust.
This came from the Reeve's family blog that I have been reading ever since I found out about them. This is the family I would be home-schooling. This was just in a random blog sometime at the beginning of moving to Haiti that I stumbled across and really spoke to me. It actually made me cry.
You don't have to worry. Full surrender to God means he will make it possible to do exactly what it is you want to do! As you surrender, God changes your heart to where what He made you for is exactly what you want! It does not mean He is going to drag you into the jungle where you dread going. He is going to allow you to experience the life you were made for. The life He created you for from the beginning of time. Don't let it slip away. Don't let fear and misconceptions of God rob you of what you could experience and also steal away the opportunity for you to bring God ultimate glory with your life. The fully surrendered life is best you can have now, and for all of eternity.
But with everything to think about, what does God want me to do? What is His will? How can I further His kingdom right now, here or Haiti?
Slices, I need your prayer. This is a HUGE decision for me and I want to earnestly seek God for his direction, clarity, and wisdom.
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Connections
Last Monday at our Circles bible study, we read James 1:19-26. We had a great discussion and it got me really thinking about it.
"Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it--he will be blessed in what he does."
James 1:22-25
I am going through the Gospels right now. I was reading Matthew 15 that night when something really connected with the message in James we discussed that night.
"'These people honor me with their lips,
but their hearts are far from me.
Matthew 15:8
We can't just listen to the word. We have to DO what it says. That means we can't just honor God with our lips. We have to DO what it says. Our hearts can be so far from God that once we look in the mirror and walk away, we forget who we are in Christ. We become someone that other people want us to be. We need to listen to the word and DO what it says because if we do, we will be blessed in what we do.
"Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it--he will be blessed in what he does."
James 1:22-25
I am going through the Gospels right now. I was reading Matthew 15 that night when something really connected with the message in James we discussed that night.
"'These people honor me with their lips,
but their hearts are far from me.
Matthew 15:8
We can't just listen to the word. We have to DO what it says. That means we can't just honor God with our lips. We have to DO what it says. Our hearts can be so far from God that once we look in the mirror and walk away, we forget who we are in Christ. We become someone that other people want us to be. We need to listen to the word and DO what it says because if we do, we will be blessed in what we do.
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Judgement
When reading the book, I wrote some notes about what I thought when reading this little part of the book.
'"Do not judge, and you will not be judged; because the judgments you give are the judgments you will get" (Matthew 7:1). From this and all the other texts of the Gospel, it becomes clear that God's judgment is not the result of some divine calculation of which we have no part, but the direct reflection of our lack of trust in God's love."
--Henri Nouwen
What if we didn't judge? Could I do that? It would be so freeing. I am who God made me to be so I should not worry about judging other people and other people judging me. I am perfect in His eyes. Trust in Him that He will provide for me in every aspect. I've been thinking about this a lot because it is hard to let go. It's hard not to judge other people. I think that if I could cease to judge others, it would be so freeing to me because it would be more time to spend with God and less time worrying about what other people think. How did this affect you?
'"Do not judge, and you will not be judged; because the judgments you give are the judgments you will get" (Matthew 7:1). From this and all the other texts of the Gospel, it becomes clear that God's judgment is not the result of some divine calculation of which we have no part, but the direct reflection of our lack of trust in God's love."
--Henri Nouwen
What if we didn't judge? Could I do that? It would be so freeing. I am who God made me to be so I should not worry about judging other people and other people judging me. I am perfect in His eyes. Trust in Him that He will provide for me in every aspect. I've been thinking about this a lot because it is hard to let go. It's hard not to judge other people. I think that if I could cease to judge others, it would be so freeing to me because it would be more time to spend with God and less time worrying about what other people think. How did this affect you?
Saturday, March 5, 2011
I've become a regular Saturday blogger. I never seem to have the time for it during the busy week!
The ROCKHARBOR blog really got me this week so I wanted to answer the questions posted on it.
What is something that is taking your attention today? What are you seeking? What are you chasing after? Food, I am having breakthroughs but it is still what I am most concerned with.
What does it mean to have your whole being long for God? To be fully satisfied in God? To think of God in everything that I do. I want to be tempted by food, then call on God for help, and then overcome my food craving and succeed. I want to not rely on food and fully rely on God. I want to find that God is all I need.
Write a description of God based on the words you find in this Psalm. God is ALL. He is all powerful, all powerful, all loving, all satisfying, all everything. I can be satisfied in God and nothing else.
Where are you? Do you find yourself with David? Or are you someplace else? I am in between. I now am aware of my food tempting and bring God into it but I have not been able to overcome the craving. I am reading a book that is really helping my thought process on God, cravings, and food. I am excited of my learning process and how far I have come and where I go :-)
The ROCKHARBOR blog really got me this week so I wanted to answer the questions posted on it.
What is something that is taking your attention today? What are you seeking? What are you chasing after? Food, I am having breakthroughs but it is still what I am most concerned with.
What does it mean to have your whole being long for God? To be fully satisfied in God? To think of God in everything that I do. I want to be tempted by food, then call on God for help, and then overcome my food craving and succeed. I want to not rely on food and fully rely on God. I want to find that God is all I need.
Write a description of God based on the words you find in this Psalm. God is ALL. He is all powerful, all powerful, all loving, all satisfying, all everything. I can be satisfied in God and nothing else.
Where are you? Do you find yourself with David? Or are you someplace else? I am in between. I now am aware of my food tempting and bring God into it but I have not been able to overcome the craving. I am reading a book that is really helping my thought process on God, cravings, and food. I am excited of my learning process and how far I have come and where I go :-)
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