Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Thought Provoking Thursday

So a week ago I posted a picture of two beautiful children from Africa. I loved the picture and it has recently had a very special place in my heart. I believe that the Lord is calling me to Africa to do some Kingdom work for Him. However, I don't believe He is just saying someday or one day but I feel like He is calling me to Africa in the Summer of 2011. One year from now I feel like I will have been in Africa serving the Lord!

Is this crazy? Am I hearing right? I mean Africa? Why Africa? Why am I so completely certain this is where I am being called? Why do I have this overwhelming urge to simply book a flight now and get there? I feel that I have gotten so in sync with the Lord and His desires that I can comprehend and understand His will for my life that much clearer and easier. I mean there is a chance I am misreading the signals I feel like I am getting--but I am so in love with my Beloved at this moment in my life that I believe He is calling me to this exact continent!

So what happens now? According to Buckner... I wait. They have not even posted their trips for next summer yet. This caused me to question, "Am I jumping ahead of the game? Is this where I am suppose to be? Lord am I hearing you correctly?" And I hear a small whisper in the still of my confusion...."be patient." But Lord--I have to start planning. Raising money. What if I can't afford it? How will I know if this is you're will for my life? Again... "be patient." If I am called to go then the Lord will open the doors. If I heard wrong then the Lord will close these doors and reveal something else for me.

My God is good. My God is big. My God is borderless. He can't be constrained and He can't be kicked out. MY GOD IS THE CREATOR OF THIS UNIVERSE!! So what am I going to do... I will attempt, with everything in me, to do as my Savior has commanded me to do and simply... "be patient."

Wednesday, July 21, 2010

Monday, July 19, 2010

Music Monday

Love of my life
Look deep in my eyes
There you will find what you need

Give me your life
The lust and the lies
And the past you're afraid I might see
You've been running away from me

You're my beloved
Lover, I'm yours
Death shall not part us
It's you I died for
For better or worse
Forever we'll be
My love it unites us and it binds you to me
It's a mystery

Love of my life
Look deep in my eyes
There you will find what you need

I'm the giver of life
I'll clothe you in white
My immaculate bride you will be
Come running home to me

You're my beloved
Lover, I'm yours
Death shall not part us
It's you I died for
For better or worse
Forever we'll be
My love it unites us and it binds you to me

You've been a mistress, my wife
Chasing lovers that won't satisfy
Won't you let me make you my bride
You will drink of my lips and you'll taste new life

You're my beloved
Lover, I'm yours
Death shall not part us
It's you I died for
For better or worse
Forever we'll be
My love it unites us and it binds you to me
It's a mystery

Wednesday, July 7, 2010

"Go and makes disciples of all men...."

I haven't been able to write in a while since summer has begun. Usually you think of summer as a time to relax, be lazy without guilt and enjoy your downtime. However, this girl has not had any downtime. I started off my summer going to Hawaii with the seniors at FBC Midlothian. They take their senior trip to the island of Lana'i and work with a church on the island. This was such an impactful time that I would like to share my experiences and what my Beloved not only taught me, but also revealed to me through His quiet whispers as He captivated my heart!

The churches' focus in Lana'i is to reach their community through the children. We, along with a group of adults from North Carolina, put on a week long VBS for the the local children. Now, I am a teacher and I am use to working with 6 and 7 year olds, but oh my goodness were these children different. They are coming from households that they ran. Mom and/or Dad have left them and the children are taught at young ages to fend for themselves; and rules are not a learned thing! So when I tried to teach and round the kids up many of them didn't like being told what to do-- and there were even some that refused to be "ordered" around and would run away and go home. It was a crazy experience. However, the Lord taught me over that week that these kiddos were still wanting and yearning to be loved even if they denied or pushed it away! So, I loved on my very large group--I had 16 kids while all the other groups maxed out at 5 or 6-- the best I could. I prayed for them multiple times a day, I wept for their situations, I encouraged their strengths and I slowly saw the walls begin to crumble and fall out of the way. I reminded myself daily that I was there to a) be obedient and present the gospel to those unaware of it and b) love like Jesus did and if even one of them made the realization that a Daddy isn't a drug dealer, someone who hurts you or a family member or someone who leaves and/or abandons you in the middle of the night and flees the island to get away from the law or other mean people...aka other dealers...but instead that a Daddy is someone who cares for, forgives, loves unconditionally and never leaves or forsakes them--then I had done my job. I am excited to say that 5 of my precious babies said that they either came to know the Lord that week or wanted to learn more about him and begin coming to church!! My God is so good and I see the fruit of His labor. I was shown the success of obedience and the truth in the saying "Faith isn't believing that God can, it is knowing that God will!" Thank you Jesus for using me as a vessel, as a light and as a tool in this amazing orchestrated plan you have for us called life!! You are so good...all the time!!