encouraged

" Each heart knows it's own bitterness, and no one else can fully share it's joy." Prov.14:10

My dear friend, Megan, just started a blog and I love that she has managed to put words to a sentiment I also share. It is a desire to do much in passion and joy, through Christ. Yet, this passion is often directed to so many areas that the fullness of God's love is not truly directed and exhaustion comes from a striving to accomplish much, with only self reliance/ desire as backing. To wait on the Lord's direction is to be valued; even if it seems to take forever and becomes a direction that wasn't even on the radar, it will be blessed.

Check out her blog- megslizbeth.blogspot.com

Why?

"But now that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, how can you turn back again to the weak and worthless elementary principles of the world, whose slaves you want to be once more?" Gal. 4:9

Commitment

I was reminded today that I am alive in Christ. That all the moments, that I am more than excited about life and am in the present moment, are when I am focused on Christ. Oddly enough most addicts can remember from what/ where they get their kicks, but me I forget. I forget the feeling of love and peace and exuberance. I want to once again, be daily in communication with God. I want to be in the moment, and focus less on fear of the unknown future. I want to pray. I want to read my bible for all it is worth. I want to have an evident intimate relationship with my God. And I want to reach my world with the freeing message of love found in a relationship with Him.
Come, have dinner with me and lets talk.

Are You Ready?

What is your vision for life? At Christ's coming, I want to look at my life and think I held nothing back. That I spent my life in reliance upon God's guidence and served others with the intention of showing Christ. I want to live, love and lead like Jesus so, that when judgement happens I will not be found hypocritical, complacent or misdirected. I want to live my life as if every day is my last.
Isaiah 61:1-4 Proclaim the Lord
Matthew 16:24- 27 Take up your cross... He will come and reward those
Colossians 1:28, 29 teach everyone wisdom
2 Corinthians 5:10 We must all appear before the judgement seat
1 Thessalonians 2:19, 20 for what is our hope, our joy, or the crown in which we will glory in the presence of our Lord Jesus when he comes? Is it not you? Indeed, you are our glory and joy.
Exodus 13:17, 18 -God does not always take you the shortest route.

Pick up your death sentence and follow.

God, give me courage for You are GREAT!

Gear Sale

My cousin and I went to the REI Snatch and Grab Sale this morning. Attached is a picture of us waiting in line. Coffee, tea and notes/ book in hand we were prepared for the wait. It was cold. What else can I say, we grabbed some deals and conquered the line.

Grand Coincidences

Funny how my daily devotions have been following my mood. Today, I was given a fairwell party at the clinic Iw as rotation through- they were a great group. I also had an interview with the director of a program called Iceaxemen. It is an after school program for high school students to get them outdoors. It also provides a positive environment for kids to grow and be safe. Side note, it is also missionally grounded.
Anyways, this is my reading for the morning.
Do we expect God to come to us with His blessings and save us? He says, "Look to Me, and be saved..." The greatest difficulty spiritually is to concentrate on God, and His blessings are what make it so difficult. Troubles almost always make us look to God, but His blessings tend to divert our attention elsewhere. The basic lesson of the Sermon on the Mount is to narrow all your interests until your mind, heart and body are focused on Jesus Christ. "Look to Me..."
Many of us have a mental picture of what a Christian should be, and looking at this image in other Christians' lives becomes a hindrance to our focusing on God. This is not salvation- it is not simple enough. He says, in effect, "Look to Me and you are saved," not "You will be saved someday." We will find what we are looking for if we will concentrate on Him. We get distracted from God and irritable with Him while He continues to say to us, "Look to Me and be saved..." Our difficulties, our trials, and our worries about tomorrow all vanish when we look to God.
Wake yourself up and look to God. Build your hope on Him. No matter how many things seem to be pressing in on you, be determined to push them aside and look to Him. "Look to Me.." Salvation is yours the moment you look.

This is funny because I have been really anxious and indecisive about the future lately. I have this back up life planned, if I don't get a job and one if I do. Also, i have been super blessed this last week with too many coincidences to have it be just a good week. Simple, God is good.
Back to my future plan/ back-up plans.
First, if I get a job in Eugene or surrounding area, I will most likely become really involved with the iceaxemen program, first baptist church, and missions in town/ abroad and buy a car. However, if this is not the case, my plan gets more ambiguous. I might do language school in Mexico/ Bolivia, commit to a long term mission in Bolivia, try to find a medical/ mission related venue, or work for a traveling tech agency or peace core.

Thanks for the reminder God, Liz and Joe to be part of the moment and stop trying to think so far ahead.

Daily Reading- a reminder I can't mess up God's plan

January 19
Whenever God gives a vision to a Christian, it is as if He puts him in "the shadow of His hand" (Isaiah 49:2). The saint's duty is to be still and listen. There is a "darkness" that comes from too much light- that is the time to listen. The story of Abram and Hagar is Genesis 16 is an excellent example of listening to so-called good advice during a time of darkness, rather than waiting for God to send the light. When God gives you a vision and darkness follows, wait. God will bring the vision He has given you to reality in your life if you will wait on His timing. Never try to help God fulfill His word. Abram went through thirteen years of silence, but in those years all of his self-sufficiency was destroyed. He grew past the point of relying on his own common sense. Those years of silence were a time of disciple, not a period of God's displeasure. There is never any need to pretend that your life is filled with joy and confidence; just wait upon God and be grounded in Him. (see Isaiah 50:10-11)
Do I trust at all in the flesh? Or have I learned to go beyond all confidence in myself and other people of God? Do I trust in books and prayers or other joys in my life? Or have I placed my confidence in God Himself, not in His blessings? "I am Almighty God..." - El-Shaddi, the All-Powerful God (Genesis 17:1). The reason we are all being disciplined is that we will know God is real. As soon as God becomes real to us people pale by comparison, becoming shadows of reality. Nothing that other saints do or say can ever upset the one who is built on God.

Thanks God for the reminder.

New Friends, New Bible Study

Thanks for the invite Matt. I totally enjoyed the study. It was great to just read/ discuss and tangent from the chapter read.
Ephesians chapter one was the focus for the evening. It was great to be reminded of how blessed I am as a Christian. - through Christ I have power, wisdom, understanding, spiritual blessings, hope, and am a co-hire. In fact my being, is praise to God. With this reminder, how could I not feel anything but thankful and excited/joyful. Yet, that became a huge focus for me to get my mind straight and back on God. I was challenged to fully surrender, use what God has given me, understand that God's will, will be done- I can't mess it up, and believe that God will reveal his will.
A good challenge for me was to question myself, Why am I not joyfilled?
I can't mess up!
Getting focused.

Bless the Rest

I was really encouraged today at church to pray for the nations. There was a guest speaker and his humor and passion was wonderful.
One of the main verses he quoted was from John 10:14-16. It is a quote from Jesus. "I am the good shepherd." (This title is in reference to the paragraph and verses before, when Jesus is using the example of the relationship between a shepherd and his sheep- an analogy for God and his people. Jesus is stating that He would never abandon His sheep. The comparison was that a hired hand might and probably would, desert the sheep because he is not invested/ interested in their lives unlike the true shepherd.)
So, Jesus/ God will never abandon and is therefore a "good shepherd," I continue with the verses that were actually focused on during the sermon.
"I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me- just as the Father knows me and I know the Father- and I lay down my life for the sheep. I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd."
The speakers focus was more on that last half of the verses. He spoke about bringing the word of God to peoples that do not know Him. He spoke of his work in Iraq and helping the Curds, and how God is working through the believers there.
He also quoted Paul and his ministery written in Romans 15: 20. "It has always been my ambition to preach the gospel where Christ was not known, so that I would not be building on someone else's foundation. Rather, as it is written: "Those who were not told about him will see, and those who have not heard will understand." (Isaiah 52:15) Then he quoted Habakkuk 2:14, "For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea."
It was really encouraging to hear about what God is doing in Iraq and just how simply these people are helping that nation. I was encouraged by his reminder of Jesus to the disciples, to "Go, and make diciples of all the nations." I was great to be reminded that God is concerned for all and desires that all would know Him.
Pray for the unbelievers. Pray for those that bring the knowledge of God to people who do not know Him. Be encouraged God will make himself known.


Below is the link for Frontiers and more about their ministry. The speaker was Dr. Bob Blinco and you can hear his message in the other link through First Baptist Church. Just click on January 17th.

http://frontiers.org/
http://www.fbceugene.com/resources/media-messages/messages

Adventures with Steph Last Weekend

Pics From Winter Break

This was my winter break: I spent most of my time relaxing with family, but also took some time to hike Pilot Butte and go x-coutry skiing with my dad. All in all it was a fun time!

Perception

Sometimes life is like a kaleidoscope, it only takes one little movement to change the whole picture. -quote from my aunt Susan.
When I moved to Eugene, I was apprehensive about moving somewhere that rain and cloudy skys are commonplace. But when every friend and family member kept asking how I felt about living in Eugene, I began to focus more on myself than a health person should and chose to not like it.
I have been blessed in every environment I was placed. Why do I chose to feel depressed and alone? Much in my experience has been wonderful. Why do I chose to complain? Over analysis is an easy thing for me to fall into.
Over my Christmas break, I had time to do much more than x-rays. In the time spent with my family, I became less uptight-If you know me this is generally the opposite effect. I was encouraged by stories that friends told of God coming to their rescue and answering of pray. I was surrounded by people that believed in the power of God, His instruction, and protection. But it was only after my family reunion and a discussion over a short story my cousin wrote, that I realized that I have not talked to God in a while.
In fact, my once common practice of reading my bible and studying of scripture, to better understand my faith and the God of which that faith claims devotion, was but a distant memory. And with this distance, I found my faith lacking in trust and power of that God. In place of confidence, I became ashamed of my "foolish faith" trusting instead in my empty mind and body.
Tired now, I write about a religion I once claimed with abandon and boldness. Was my boldness only naivety to truth, or now do I choose to be unseeing and therefore dead to joy. I question the act of prayer. The critic in me saying, "Does it just feel better to state the frustrations of life out loud?" Or am I really heard by this unseen God?
Does my lack of faith tie God's hands? It is not that I have choose to believe that there is no God. In fact, my memory of the supernatural and crazy coincidences will never let me let me say "There is no God."
So, I find myself asking that you, God, would give me more faith to trust you and your power. Keep me sane here in Eugene.
Yes, you may laugh at my prayer, here on a blog for all to see. But in your reading of it, you are a partner in my prayer. In this, I pray that God would increase your faith. He is God.
Live for His name and never be ashamed.

Knees to the Earth- Watermark
Wonderful Savior
My heart belongs to Thee
I will remember always the blood You shed for me
Wonderful Savior
My heart will know Your worth
So I will embrace You always as I walk this earth
Chorus:
Be blessed, be loved, be lifted high
Be treasured here
Be glorified
I owe my life to You my Lord
Here I am....Beautiful Jesus
How may I bless Your heart?
Knees to the earth I bow down to everything You areBeautiful Jesus
You are my only worth
So let me embrace You always as I walk this earth

C.S. Lewis Song- Brooke Fraser
If I find in myself desires nothing in this world can satisfy,
I can only conclude that I was not made for here
If the felsh that I fight is at best only light and momentary,then of course I'll feel nude when to where I'm destined I'm compared
[CHORUS]
Speak to me in the light of the dawn
Mercy comes with the morning
I will sigh and with all creation groan as I wait for hope to come for me
Am I lost or just found? On the straight or on the roundabout of the wrong way?
Is this a soul that stirs in me, is it breaking free, wanting to come alive?
Cos my comfort would prefer for me to be numb
An avoid the impending birth of who I was born to become
[CHORUS][BRIDGE]
For we, we are not long here
Our time is but a breath, so we better breathe it
And I, I was made to live, I was made to love, I was made to know you
Hope is coming for me
Hope, He's coming.