Hoping in God

Where do you turn when life seems a little unstable or confusing? I found this passage of scripture to fit pretty well with my life right now. 
 
"O send out Thy light and thy truth: let them lead me; 
let them bring me unto thy holy hill, and to thy tabernacles.
Then will I go unto the altar of God, unto God my exceeding joy: 
yea, upon the harp will I praise thee, O God, my God.
Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me? 
hope in God; for I shall yet praise Him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God." 
Psalm 43:3-5


As I look ahead into the next year, I am tempted to be scared of what could happen.
I have written a couple posts this past year about Stepping Out In Faith, as I look into the future, I see a whole lot of stepping out in faith involved.

Psalm 43:5 (above) really sums up how I feel right now.
Life is quite confusing and bewildering right now. It is a daily battle between my spirit, that believes the Lord has everything worked out, and my fleshly soul, that wants to micro-manage and control every aspect of my life.


I have to ask myself quite often- am I leaning on the everlasting arms of the Lord Jesus Christ? I can usually tell when I'm not leaning on Him, I start to get anxious and worry about the future.

There is an illustration that I heard as a child- Jesus gives us a light for our path. But He doesn't give us a spotlight to see into the distance, and He doesn't give us a floodlight to see everything around us, He gives us a candle, with just enough light to see one step ahead. 

So, while I'm taking the step He has me in right now, I will trust Him for what is to come in the next.

I wonder what adventure awaits around the corner?

Involved or Committed?

It’s an interesting question. Some folks would argue that they are one in the same.

But not necessarily.

My family and I attended a local pastor’s Jubilee this past week, and one of the pastor’s shared an illustration on this very fact.

Think about your breakfast table.

A lot of times breakfast will include eggs, bacon/sausage, biscuits, ect.

The chicken who laid the egg was involved in the breakfast meal, but the pig who gave his life to contribute bacon and/or sausage was committed to the meal.

I know it’s a little crude, but it really is the perfect analogy.

As you go about your life, and serving the Lord, do you get involved occasionally or are you completely committed?

• Do you say you’ll pray for someone just so you can get them off of your back? Or do you sincerely devote part of your day to praying for that person and their situation until that situation is resolved?

• Do you donate food to the food pantry/soup kitchen? Or do you get in there help bag the groceries or hand out a plate of food?

• Do you get on the kids level, and possibly even get dirty, as you play with them and teach them at VBS? Or do you show up and stand on the side lines just to say you were there?

• Do you volunteer to help out around your church? Or do you just sit in the pew on Sunday morning?

The examples could be continue, but I’m going to stop there. I think you’ve got the general idea.

The point is, whether it’s working with children, homeless, senior citizens, young married couples, families, or just your own siblings, the Lord has called each of us to a specific task and ministry. Are you willing to fully commit yourself to whatever it is the Lord has called you to? Or are you just willing to be involved?

I am reminded of the story of Jim Elliot and his four friends who went to reach the Auca Indians for Christ.

These men had decided early on that the souls of these men and women were worth the risk of dying. They truly committed everything they had to reaching these people for the Lord. They were killed in a very inhumane way by this head-hunting tribe of people.

At first it seemed nothing good would come of it. Five women lost their husbands, several children were without fathers, parents lost sons, siblings lost their brothers. Lives were devastated.

But Elisabeth Elliot and Rachel Saint went back to the very tribe that had taken from one a husband, and from the other a brother, and lived among them.  They showed them forgiveness in a living, breathing example. The Lord later blessed the fruits of not only Elisabeth and Rachel, but also of the five men, by the whole tribe coming to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.

These people were not just involved, they were completely committed. The men lost their lives, and the women risked losing theirs when they went back to the tribe. But Christ was faithful!

Not everyone is called to literally give their lives for Christ, but is He calling you to give up the comforts of home to go serve in another country?

The closeness of family to work in a ministry elsewhere?

Your leisure time during the week to disciple children?

Your Sunday afternoon nap to meet with a new Believer and help them grow?

“And king David said to Ornan, Nay; but I will verily buy it for the full price: for I will not take that which is thine for the LORD, nor offer burnt offerings without cost.” (1 Chronicles 21:24)

Ornan was going to give King David the things he needed for the offering to the Lord. King David answered wisely when he said he would not offer to the Lord that which cost him nothing.

You can live life as a Christian and not make sacrifices. But you will not live a fulfilled life that way.

The Lord convicted me this past week of doing ‘just enough’. Just enough to keep people from thinking bad about me. Just enough to feel like I’m doing what I should be. Just enough…But the truth is ‘just enough’ is never ENOUGH.

So, I ask you- Will you be the involved chicken or the committed pig?

Another CI has Come...and Gone.

To say that I enjoy CI would probably be an understatement :).

The Lord has blessed me with a tremendous desire to reach young hearts for HIM, and therefore I cherish any opportunity to serve the Lord while working with children!

I believe D.L. Moody said it best when he was asked about the conversions at a recent meeting. The conversation went something like this-

Man: How many accepted Christ, Mr. Moody?
D.L. Moody: Two and a half.
Man: Oh, two adults and one child?
D.L. Moody: No, on the contrary, two children and one adult. You see, when a child accepts Christ you are gaining a whole life in service to the Lord, whereas an adult has already spent half of his life.
 *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

I could not agree more. As my pastor said at VBS this year- "we are fighting not just for a life but for a lifetime." 
  
Few people truly understand that we are in a spiritual battle, and I believe that no battle is stronger than the one that is waged over a young heart. Christ Himself said "But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea." (Matthew 18:6)
What a battle we are in my friends! 
I am grateful for the opportunity to help train up the next generation of Believers!

Here are some highlights from the 2012 CI---

 This is a Group shot of our kids and some of the Team Leaders/Assistants

 The entire Team

Back Row (L-R)- Briana, Amanda, Martha, Kayla, Hannah, Kristin

Kneeling (L-R)- Avonlea, Chris, Ben, Stacey

Seated- Rebecca and Olivia

 The kids enjoying the parent presentation on Saturday.

(This is when they get to 'show-off', so to speak, for their parents.

We sing the songs and recite the scripture verses that they learn during the week.)

This year our theme was "Let Your Light So Shine", based out of Matthew 5:14- "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and praise your Father in Heaven."

We learned about different missionaries each night, and we also learned different ways to brighten or dim our light for Christ. As Christians, our goal should always be to shine brightly!

We learned Philippians 2:3-11, and how being a missionary means you must be a servant to not only the Lord Jesus Christ, but you must also be a servant to those whom you are witnessing to. 

We had some wonderful stories as well. Here are some of the highlights-

Monday Night- We learned about George Muller and his faith to trust the Lord for everything, and never ask man for anything.

Tuesday Night- We learned about George the determined/obedient elephant, who listened to the voice of his master.

Wednesday Night- We learned that we have to memorize Scripture to fight off satan when he attacks us with bad thoughts; we also learned, through a different twist of Musical Chairs that you must yield your rights in order to win in the game of life.

Thursday Night- We learned that we have to give things away, not claim them as our own, if we want to be able to love. ("For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." Matthew 6:21)

Saturday Morning- We shared the greatest story of Forgiveness every told- the story of Christ giving His life for you and me on the Cross of Calvary.

Saturday Afternoon- We learned a couple different things- we learned how sometimes, things must be broken in order for the Lord to use them (Jim Elliot and his four friends who went to witness to the Auca Indians in Ecuador were killed. Because of their murder, the Lord later opened the door for Elisabeth Elliot (Jim's wife) and Rachel Saint (sister to one of the other men) to go in and witness to the tribe, and eventually the entire tribe came to a saving knowledge of Christ Jesus), we also learned how we have to learn when to let something go, otherwise we might reap serious repercussions if we don't. 

It was truly a blessing to be able to serve the Lord through CI again this year!