Saturday, October 21, 2006
God's discipline
as a child my mother would beat us with a straight razor strap or have us cut down willow branches and whip us with them. now as i am praying & reading a devotional talking about God's correction i think of the difference between God's discipline and my mother's. with enough force a willow whip cuts into the skin and can be pretty painful. however it is nothing compared to the pain i feel when i have sinned and feel separated from God. i thank God for His correction. there are times when i feel the separation. i don't know why, i can't think of what i've done or how i've sinned but i know that i have that i would feel that pain of separation. i am thankful for the Holy Spirit who convicts my heart and tells me what i've done that was against God, as it is only through repentance that i am restored to a right relationship with Him. without Him you may as well rip out my heart.
Friday, October 20, 2006
pumpkins
Being a Christian is like being a pumpkin. God lifts you up, takes you in, and washes all the dirt off of you. He opens you up, touches you deep inside and scoops out all the yucky stuff-- including the seeds of doubt, hate, greed, etc. Then He carves you a new smiling face and puts His light inside you to shine for the entire world to see.
This was passed on to me from another pumpkin. Now, it is your turn to pass it to a pumpkin. I liked this enough to send it to all the pumpkins in my patch.
Happy Fall!
Tuesday, October 17, 2006
prayer
it took a very long time before i was ever able to pray in our small group bible study. these are women i have met with weekly for years and i am comfortable in their presence. it is quite another matter to pray in other small groups that i am now involved in. i am very self-conscience of sounding stupid or tripping over my words.
a couple of months ago God put it on my heart to pray for Unreached People Groups of the world - http://www.joshuaproject.net/ethne.php?es=1
i never knew how to pray or what to pray for but as they have specific prayer requests each day i could just read the prayers. since i started doing this it has grown in me and become alive, not just something i read off the page anymore.
2 weeks ago at the perspectives class the speaker said that he is in bed every nght at 10:00. he is african and is in the habit of praying every morning for a couple of hours.
i used to pray at night. watch a movie til 11:00 then pray for awhile. i slept crappy and woke up tired. the past couple of nights i have gone to bed at 10 and woken up just after 5. i have better sleep so i don't wake up tired and i start the day with an hour & 1/2 of prayer. what a way to start the day. i had been reading my bible first thing in the am and only saying a few short prayers.
years ago in costa rica susan gave me a note saying that God had called me to costa rica to be a prayer warrior. knowing my inability (fear of) to speak a prayer out loud i thought she must be kidding.
reading the prayer requests every day for the nations of the world it is becoming easier, more natural. speaking prayers from the heart rather than just reading them off the page.
if you feel inadequate as a pray-er check out that website. start reading the specific prayer requests for the upg's of the world. not only will it will increase the number of people praying for the nations, prayer will become easier and more natural.
a couple of months ago God put it on my heart to pray for Unreached People Groups of the world - http://www.joshuaproject.net/ethne.php?es=1
i never knew how to pray or what to pray for but as they have specific prayer requests each day i could just read the prayers. since i started doing this it has grown in me and become alive, not just something i read off the page anymore.
2 weeks ago at the perspectives class the speaker said that he is in bed every nght at 10:00. he is african and is in the habit of praying every morning for a couple of hours.
i used to pray at night. watch a movie til 11:00 then pray for awhile. i slept crappy and woke up tired. the past couple of nights i have gone to bed at 10 and woken up just after 5. i have better sleep so i don't wake up tired and i start the day with an hour & 1/2 of prayer. what a way to start the day. i had been reading my bible first thing in the am and only saying a few short prayers.
years ago in costa rica susan gave me a note saying that God had called me to costa rica to be a prayer warrior. knowing my inability (fear of) to speak a prayer out loud i thought she must be kidding.
reading the prayer requests every day for the nations of the world it is becoming easier, more natural. speaking prayers from the heart rather than just reading them off the page.
if you feel inadequate as a pray-er check out that website. start reading the specific prayer requests for the upg's of the world. not only will it will increase the number of people praying for the nations, prayer will become easier and more natural.
Monday, October 16, 2006
witness
a witness is what you ARE far more than it is something that you DO. God arranges for His servants to display what they declare. by public testimony in the face of hostility, ordinary people accomplish far more than merely affirming the truth of Christ. witnesses establish the value of following Christ. their persuasive power is not only because their words match their life - their words and their life match those of Christ Himself. it is as if Christ Himself stands to testify before the world.
mandate
to live under mandate is to be entrusted with a task of lasting significance. mandates are not commands. by direct commands we assign small errands or daily chores. a mandate, on the other hand, releases authority and responsibility to pursue endeavors of historic importance. God has entrusted to Christ, and with Him to the church, a mandate to fulfill His purpose for all of history.
Monday, October 09, 2006
missions
i really like the course i'm taking on wednesday nights. it's about God's purpose. i didn't realize until i started this course how important missions are. people wonder when Jesus will return. God tells us in so many places in the bible that Jesus won't come again until there are people from every nation, tongue, tribe, and language in His family. God wants ALL people to come to Him and until there are people from every culture in His family Jesus won't return.
Mark 16:15 Jesus said "go into all the world and preach the goods news to ALL CREATION"
Acts 1:8 but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you and you will be my witnesses in jerusalem, and in all judea and samaria and to the ENDS OF THE EARTH.
Matt 28:19 there go and make disciples of ALL NATIONS, baptizing them them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
Rev 5:9 You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals because you were slain and with Your blood You purchased men for God from EVERY TRIBE AND LANGUAGE AND PEOPLE AND NATION.
Daniel 7:14 He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; ALL PEOPLES, NATIONS AND MEN OF EVERY LANGUAGE worshiped Him.
it is written throughout the bible, from genesis to revelation, that God's wants a multicultural family.
this month is the month of ramadan which is a month of prayer for muslims. christians needs to be praying for muslims, buddhists, atheists, sikhs, hindus, etc. all people of every nation that they would be coming to know Jesus as Lord and Saviour.
Jesus loves everyone and if we christians are to win people to Christ we have to be like Christ and love everyone too.
God's put it on my heart to pray for all the unreached people of the world. this is the great commission, to reach the lost for Christ. what are you doing about it? we can't all go but we can all pray.
missions are great, whether they are local or international, if we are doing good works for the less fortunate people of the world, but they mean nothing if we are not telling them about Jesus.
Mark 16:15 Jesus said "go into all the world and preach the goods news to ALL CREATION"
Acts 1:8 but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you and you will be my witnesses in jerusalem, and in all judea and samaria and to the ENDS OF THE EARTH.
Matt 28:19 there go and make disciples of ALL NATIONS, baptizing them them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
Rev 5:9 You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals because you were slain and with Your blood You purchased men for God from EVERY TRIBE AND LANGUAGE AND PEOPLE AND NATION.
Daniel 7:14 He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; ALL PEOPLES, NATIONS AND MEN OF EVERY LANGUAGE worshiped Him.
it is written throughout the bible, from genesis to revelation, that God's wants a multicultural family.
this month is the month of ramadan which is a month of prayer for muslims. christians needs to be praying for muslims, buddhists, atheists, sikhs, hindus, etc. all people of every nation that they would be coming to know Jesus as Lord and Saviour.
Jesus loves everyone and if we christians are to win people to Christ we have to be like Christ and love everyone too.
God's put it on my heart to pray for all the unreached people of the world. this is the great commission, to reach the lost for Christ. what are you doing about it? we can't all go but we can all pray.
missions are great, whether they are local or international, if we are doing good works for the less fortunate people of the world, but they mean nothing if we are not telling them about Jesus.
Friday, October 06, 2006
visiting my past
today i returned to the orphanage i lived in when i was a kid. it was turned into a church 25 years ago and is now in the process of being restored as a heritage building.
it was an emotional time as memories flooded back. they were not happy memories and the tears flowed freely. when my brother and sister and i arrived we were all taken to different rooms. i went to the nursery and they went to the girls and boys dorms. it was maybe a year or more before i graduated to the dorm and was in the same room as my sister.
today the nursery is a bright, sunny room. i only remember it as a very dark, fearful and lonely place.
the dorms are now the sanctuary. what was once a place of torment for me is now a place of worship.
it was here that my nightly terrors began. every night for years i was chased by a spider that was as big as a house and i was the size of the head of a pin. the nightmares continued years later even when i had left the orphanage. i was ridiculed, shamed and humiliated on a daily basis.
i'm not sure why i decided to go today. my sister has returned a couple times over the years. until today i had never returned nor wanted to.
in the past year i have become more aware of my timidity. today as two of the church ladies prayed for me one said she could feel my gentle spirit. as a witness for Christ i want to be bold but i haven't been.
if i have a prayer request i will not speak it as it usually means i will have to pray for someone else. i will take a prayer request home with me and pray there but not in a group. i can talk to God for hours but to pray in public - forget it. it took me a very long time to feel comfortable in praying in my bible study group. now i am involved in other groups and i am silent there.
when i finally went home to live with my mother she told me many times that i wasn't good enough. and they definitely told me that in the orphanage.
i toured the whole building, upstairs and the basement. i didn't even remember there was an upstairs or a basement. although i may have blocked out some of the memories as the worst of them were at the forefront.
today my memory is of a beautiful, warm, homey room. it's where the pastor counsels people. it's what i want to remember.
it was an emotional time as memories flooded back. they were not happy memories and the tears flowed freely. when my brother and sister and i arrived we were all taken to different rooms. i went to the nursery and they went to the girls and boys dorms. it was maybe a year or more before i graduated to the dorm and was in the same room as my sister.
today the nursery is a bright, sunny room. i only remember it as a very dark, fearful and lonely place.
the dorms are now the sanctuary. what was once a place of torment for me is now a place of worship.
it was here that my nightly terrors began. every night for years i was chased by a spider that was as big as a house and i was the size of the head of a pin. the nightmares continued years later even when i had left the orphanage. i was ridiculed, shamed and humiliated on a daily basis.
i'm not sure why i decided to go today. my sister has returned a couple times over the years. until today i had never returned nor wanted to.
in the past year i have become more aware of my timidity. today as two of the church ladies prayed for me one said she could feel my gentle spirit. as a witness for Christ i want to be bold but i haven't been.
if i have a prayer request i will not speak it as it usually means i will have to pray for someone else. i will take a prayer request home with me and pray there but not in a group. i can talk to God for hours but to pray in public - forget it. it took me a very long time to feel comfortable in praying in my bible study group. now i am involved in other groups and i am silent there.
when i finally went home to live with my mother she told me many times that i wasn't good enough. and they definitely told me that in the orphanage.
i toured the whole building, upstairs and the basement. i didn't even remember there was an upstairs or a basement. although i may have blocked out some of the memories as the worst of them were at the forefront.
today my memory is of a beautiful, warm, homey room. it's where the pastor counsels people. it's what i want to remember.
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