GO!

Wow! It's been a while since I have blogged!  Sorry about that :)

Just like everyone else, our lives have been a bit crazy. So....where to start??!!

Most likely I will not fit everything into this post so let's just jump in from the beginning!

Most of you are aware that our family gains so much joy from working with teens and young adults and most of you also know the incredible joy we get from working with some of the Native American tribes that are across the US.

This past summer before we headed out to Wyoming, we took a detour and were able to visit and be a small part of something incredible going on in Wisconsin on the LCO reservation there. We had not been on the road an hour after leaving before William told us that he firmly believed that this was where the Lord would eventually want us.  How quickly he did not know.

So when we eventually got home our family began to really pray and seek the Lord's timing. It was difficult at first because we all were thinking something different, yet we knew that one way the Lord verifies His instruction is through others...so we continued to pray.

Eventually I started to get a bit wishy-washy. It was hard to live in such limbo and my fleshly self wanted to settle back into a routine and move on from it. But God was so faithful to keep a bit of unsettled-ness in my spirit that kept me seeking Him and His will.

The same held true for William.

So one day we came together and changed our prayer a bit. We began to confess our confusion and doubt and ask God to close doors and open doors. We told Him that we would walk into and away from whatever He asked us to.

I would say it was about two days later when He began to not just close doors for us, but He slammed them shut. Some of the closing doors were very painful for us to see closed. Some of them we are praying that eventually God will open again.

But for every door He shut, He opened one in Wisconsin. And then slowly (though it feels super fast!) He started to give us a glimpse into a beautiful tapestry that He has been weaving for years. The beauty and intricacy of His plan has been even more incredible that what we had imagined. And He very clearly and very graciously told us again...Go.

So we obeyed...we went.

William is still in Texas renting a room from friends while he is hoping to eventually work remote with his current job but also searching for a job in the area we are at. The Lord has been working mightily in this area this week so we continue to pray. We know that God does not want us separated for long so we know He will be here soon.

And then, with William having full confidence that we were in the Lord's will...one week and two days ago we loaded up what we could in our van and he sent my two youngest girls and myself  to Wisconsin before him. We have been so blessed to walk into the arms of incredible friends and ministry partners. We walked straight into a church that we know and love. And my girls walked into arms of friends that they have been building relationships with for years.

One thing that is super neat is that we are in an area that we sooo appreciate geographically!  After living in North Dakota for four years we knew that we enjoyed cold weather and snow. We love being outdoors and adore the beauty of God's creation.

There is so much more to the story that I want to share with you, but I think I'll wrap it up for today!

Just know that God has been so faithful to us and we are just in awe of the calling He has put in front of our family and the opportunity we have to share His love with others!

So in the next blog I'll tell you about getting pulled over less than 10 miles into Minnesota!!!

Here Comes The Bride...

It is June and the wedding month is drawing to a close. I have really enjoyed seeing all of the wedding pictures on Facebook, especially of young men and woman that I have taught in the past! The happiness that I see on their faces is contagious...seriously, I can't look at them without smiling myself!
                            
All of the bridal and wedding pictures make me think of the Church as well. Scripture calls the Church the Bride of Christ. When I think about this, I wonder how He feels about the way we are preparing ourselves for the sweet day when the bride has made herself ready and it is time for the marriage of the Lamb.

As I look at the pictures of the beautiful brides having their hair and make-up done and as they slip into the beautiful gowns, I wonder if our sweet Lamb of God sees beauty in our preparation.Sometimes I wonder if instead of a smile, we bring Him sorrow.

So I have been praying and thinking about what I can do to bring beauty to the Church as we prepare for our Lord. And my mind keeps coming back to all of the scripture that says the desire of the Lord is that the Church is unified.

                                      

Sometimes as I look around, I don't feel like we are very unified. One of the main reasons God wants us unified is that through our unification the world can see Him and how much He loves them. 

That is not how the world sees us right now.

So in my ramblings of confusions and confessions, I have come up with a list that I am going to use for myself. A list of things to think about and do with the intent of working towards making myself a more unified part of the body of Christ.

Social Media: I love Facebook! I love the pictures, the ideas, the people I am able to stay in contact with...I just love it! But I also see danger prowling around. So I have made some guidelines for myself when using social media

•  I will not begin or participate in any type of religious debate, no matter how right I think I am. No argument is ever won on Facebook. All we do when we argue religion on Facebook or Twitter or whatever is feed into discord. If there is an issue that needs to be confronted, I will follow the Biblical model for going to my brother or sister (Matt. 5:23-24, 18:15-17). And I will always keep in mind Mark 9:38-41.
• I will not post anything political. I have candidates that I support and issues I feel passionately about, but again, nothing is ever won by arguing on social media. If I believe strongly in a candidate or issue, I will support them with my time and/or money where it is most likely I will make a difference. If I have a friend and we enjoy political debating, I will invite them over for dinner!
• I will never...never purposefully say anything derogatory about any other person, group of people, nation, etc. 

Let me explain just a little bit of why I believe this is such an important step to take. When I have been in situations where I am blessed to be able to evangelize, at times I have been asked the question of which Bible is correct. Being thrown off  by this question at first, I figured out that the confusion was with Christians on Facebook arguing over "hot topics." The assumption was that since Christians could not agree on Biblical issues, they must have different Bibles. 

Though we will always have issues we disagree over we need to be mindful that sometimes people read our posts and they don't know all of the religious jargon we have made up and our conflicting opinions can certainly give the appearance of disunity. 

                             

My Mouth: Boy howdy does this get me into trouble!! For some reason it tends to follow me everywhere! :)

• When I speak of other Christian denominations, I will not speak negatively. So much is revealed in scripture that we clearly agree on and that unites us, why should I dwell on the differences of opinion we have for all of the other stuff! I have been reading a book called "The Imitation of Christ" and there is a quote in there that I love.... "What good is much discussion of involved and obscure matters when our ignorance of them will not be held against us on Judgment Day?"  
• Sometimes there are time when we must deal with teachings that are against scripture. Those can't be ignored. I will deal with it using the Biblical model and go to the leadership in that denomination or local church. What I won't do is complain about it to others when I have not done what I am called to do by going to their leadership.
• Instead of my mouth being known for what I am against, I want it to be used to tell people what I am for! I should evangelize more than I argue or disagree. Unfortunately, right now, I am not able to say I do that.
• If I won't back my mouth up with my resources (time and/or money) I will keep it shut.

                                      

Involvement: The Body of Christ, the Bride of Christ, needs each of us in order to function in the way we were intended. 

• I will pick a local church and get involved...and stay involved! Unless the Lord calls me somewhere else, they are stuck with me! :)
• Realize that the local church where I meet is not about a certain pastor or worship leader...it is about being a part of the body of Christ. Pastors and worship leaders, though great, may come and go, our dedication is to the body of Christ.
• Building my local church up will be my calling, not bringing it down. Most complaints I will keep to myself and pray for God to give me a spirit of contentedness. If there are complaints that need to be expressed I will follow the Biblical model for bringing that before the correct person and I will also proceed with a heart of love, not a heart that just wants to be heard or be right.

                               

Heart: God has a heart for the lost... the Church has a heart for the lost...therefore I must have a heart for the lost.

• Remember that my battle is not against flesh and blood, but it is against the rulers and principalities of this dark age (Eph 6:12). 
• I have found that the Lord softens my heart for the lost when I spend time reading His Word. That is also where He fills me up so that He can use me to pour into others!
• True love only comes through the Father, because He is love. It is easy to confuse other emotions and feelings I have with love, but it only comes from being one with God. When I am not sure if I have a loving heart I just compare it to the Biblical definition of Love...is it patient, kind, humble, etc. ? (1 Corinthians 13:4-7)

       

There is a final thing that I try to keep in mind...most people don't really care about my opinion, and most of the time they shouldn't! Kinda a weird statement to have on my opinion blog isn't it??!! Ha!!

But seriously, my opinion is not worth very much. I'm not really going to make a difference to most people just by sharing it. So what I try to do is take the things that I do feel are important and put my resources into them.

Paul says in 1 Corinthians 9:19-23, "Though I am free and belong to no one, I have made myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law), so as to win those not having the law. To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some. I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings."

My goal here on earth is not to win political arguments and governments, these will all pass and fade. I need to focus on the eternal as opposed to the temporal, the works prepared for me as opposed to the works I create. 

Kinda like what we talked about before, as opposed to feeding into brokenness and disagreement by just spouting out words, I will try to take my time, my resources, and my money and put them into the things that matter. I want to be a Kingdom builder, not just a Kingdom announcer!

At the end of the day, I have a deep desire to be a part of bringing the body before Christ and presenting it as a beautiful, unified bride. One that has waited with anticipation for the day when we are presented in full splendor to the one we adore. One that He will look upon and say "well done my good and faithful servant!" (Matt 25:21)

                              

I know that the Lord wants His church unified and I know that I want to please Him...I want that with every fiber of my being. I truly believe that if we all join together, even just taking little steps, we can follow the heart of our Lord and draw all tribes, tongues, and nations to Him!

"He who testifies to these things says, "Yes, I am coming soon." Amen. Come, Lord Jesus" (Rev 22:20)

Oh yes!!  Come Lord Jesus and find your Bride beautifully waiting for You!!

The Danger of Normal

nor·mal

ˈnôrməl/

adjective

1. 1.

   conforming to a standard; usual, typical, or expected.

Such a sly, two syllable word!  It sneaks up on you without calling any attention to itself.  You don't realize that it is there until one day it has become your world.

Have you ever driven to work or school or church and just kinda tuned out until suddenly you are there?  You wonder how in the world you managed to drive that far without really noticing anything around you!  

                             

You just function on autopilot and go through your normal routine.  

If you have experienced something like this you have fallen victim to "normal," the usual, typical or standard way you function throughout your day.

At face value, this might seem like a good thing.  You made it to your destination safely didn't you?

Yes...but...what did you miss? During the drive you could have passed someone on the side of the road changing a tire or children playing in a field you pass by. Maybe the shop that you always drive passed has put up an Annual Sale 50% Off sign.  So many opportunities missed because of functioning in "normal."

What about the times that you are driving in autopilot and you suddenly run over debris in the road?  Or you don't notice traffic stopping ahead and you have to slam on the breaks....worse yet you rear-end the car in front of you.  Sometimes normal can be a distraction of obstacles in the road...things go unnoticed.

 

Our lives can be like driving a car on autopilot.  We become so immersed and comfortable in our "normal" that we miss opportunities and we don't notice obstacles that arise.  We can get so focused on what is going on in our lives and in our little world that we forget there is a bigger picture, a bigger world.  And that bigger world is made up of people that are crying out for help....and we can't hear them because we don't notice them.

                                                   

We go throughout our day, our routine, our normal, and we get distracted by the lists in our heads.  Lists of things we need to do, things we need to buy, things we need to remember and these things all revolve around "we."  Because in normal our world revolves around me.

Many times these are good things. We plan activities for our churches, buy groceries for our families, and remember things we need to do for health.  But we get so caught up in our world and in our normal that we don't notice the abnormal until it is so big and so different and sometimes so horrible that we have to slam on our breaks.

Why is it that we have to see appalling pictures of ISIS before we pray for those that are persecuted? 

Why is it that we have to watch a disgusting, racist video of college students before we cry out to God to change the heart of our society?

Why is it that we have to watch movies that show scenes depicting the bondage the enemy has the world in before we feel like we need to spread the news of Jesus?

                           

Wanna know why? 

It's because we are so caught up in our normal that we walk right past a person in pain.  If we would just slow down a bit and really see people we could see it all over their faces!  

The world is hurting and crying out for help.  We know that politics won't heal what is broken and we know that humanitarian aid can only help so much.  The one, true fix is the love of a Father who sent His son to take on the burden and punishment of our iniquities so that through him, Jesus, we might be saved.  

                           

                          

But friend, we are not saved by grace so that we can lead a normal life and make it safely to our destination! We are saved so that we can go out to the world and share that grace with others!   

Normal is my enemy!  I fight normal every day, because it is so, so easy for me to slip into it.Normal is comfortable. But normal keeps me from seeing people.  

And when I don't see people, I don't love people.  

And when I don't love people, I don't reach out to people.  

And when I don't reach out to people, I take what my Father gave me and I bury it into the ground for safe-keeping until His arrival.  

And when I bury it, what type of greeting will He give me on His return?........

     "... 'Well done, good and faithful servant!"

or......
     "... throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."

(Mathew 25:14-30)

Normal is dangerous.

The Radical Experiment - Pray For The Entire World

The first part of the Radical Experiment is to pray for the entire world over the course of a year.  Rather than a general...God bless the world....prayer, the author, David Platt, encourages you to pray for each country specifically.

Though this might seem like a daunting task, it is made easier by Operation World.  They have broken down the general prayer needs of each country as well as statistics and relevant information about each.  They have a free version on their website: Operation World.  They also sale it in book form with the title "Operation World."


I have not found another resource comparable to Operation World, but if anyone knows of one please let me know!

Now, you might be wondering why we would be challenged to pray for the entire world.  The answer is pretty simple on this one!  God has a heart for the nations!!

Scripture demonstrates over and over how much God cares for the entire world.  In Matthew 24:14 and 28:19, Mark 11:17, 13:10 and 13:27 are just a few verses that let us see into the passion and desire that God has to draw every tribe and every nation to Him.

It is easy to let our hearts become so full of all we have...all we feel blessed with that we don't leave room for the rest of the world.  But you see, our hearts should be for the world.

John 17: 22-23 tells us:

"22 The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, 23 I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me. "

In this chapter Jesus begins by praying for his disciples and then he begins to pray future believers. He prays that we will be unified in Him as He is in the Father so that the world will know him and know they are loved!! 

Our hearts should be like Jesus' and herald a passionate beat for the world.  

It is so easy to forget our purpose....and it is all of our purpose...we are ambassadors for Christ according to 2 Corinthians 5:20.  An ambassador is an official representative.  We must go and represent.  

And finally let's not forget Matthew 28:16-20:

16 Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. 17 When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. 18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations,baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”



We are tasked with having a passion for people, being a representative of Christ, and going.  

How can I do any of that if I stay in my white, middle-class bubble?  

And how can I burst my bubble without first praying for those whom I am called to serve?

So today, begin a your journey to be an ambassador for Christ and pray for the world!!