A week or so ago, I was having dinner with my boss when I made a reference to something that was very Scandinavian in nature.
"That was such a Minnesota thing," he said while he ate his slice of pizza. "What other types of Minnesota-specific things are there?"
I thought for a second. "Well, there's fishing. Ice fishing. The funny vowels in words like 'aunt'. The Red Green Show---"
"The Red Green Show is flipping amazing," he said staring me in the face. "Is it really Minnesotan?"
"It's actually a Canadian show, but there aren't many differences," I replied. We continued to talk about the Red Green Show and how awesome it is for a while when I came to this realization:
My expectations of men came from the Red Green Show.
Think about it. To me, a man is a guy who meets these criteria:
Wears flannel. Regularly.
Is hairy.
Goes fishing.
Goes ice fishing.
Spends more time in his garage or truck than in the house.
Spends more time fixing your vehicles, lawnmower, weed-whacker, leaf-blower, snow-blower, and ice fishing hutch heater than fixing your dishwasher or air conditioner.
Knows 101 uses (and counting) for the handyman secret weapon: duct tape.
If duct tape doesn't solve it, WD-40 will.
His motto is "If the women don't find you handsome, they should at least find you handy."
Nearly every single character in Red Green meets these criteria.
No wonder Hoosiers think I'm weird. I subconsciously have these expectations which are incredibly culture based. Ahh!
A guy like that is hard to find in these parts, but so is a guy who meets Biblical standards of manliness. Bekah and I have frequently had conversations about the young men in our lives and how we feel, well, disappointed in them. Apart from SIL (which only meets during the summertime) I can only fill one hand with the young men I know who truly love the Lord and are walking in him. Sure, we know plenty of guys who claim to love Christ or claim to be good guys, but in reality they're no different. A young man who truly loves the Lord is about as scarce as a unicorn.
Where are you, young men? Are you working on becoming that Biblical male? Are you growing in the Lord and learning to love Him more? Are you asking for the Lord to give you a greater desire for Him and His Word? Are you becoming the man God wants you to be? Are you becoming the man that I need you to be?
I need you. Our country needs you. The lost need you. Future generations need you. How long will you be satisfied with less than God's best? How many more times will you pick up the remote control instead of your Bible? Brothers, a number of us have lost hope in your existence. We need you to guard us, to guide us, and to encourage us.
Monday, November 25, 2013
Thursday, November 7, 2013
Basics. They're--- well, basic.
Faith.Grace.Prayer.Repentance.Forgiveness.Bible.Justification.
I'm assuming a number of you reading this blog have been Christians for quite some time. Some of you might not be, but I encourage you to continue reading anyway. What comes to mind when you see the seven words at the beginning of this post? Can you remember who told you what those words mean or where Scripture talks about them? Can you cohesively explain them to someone who's new in Christ?
After we've been a part of the Family for awhile, we tend to move on to 'more advanced' subjects like Free Will vs Predestination or Pedo vs Believers baptism or 'Do you receive the Spirit at birth or when you become saved?' All these subjects are important, but when it comes to courses in Christian basics, we tend to think we don't need them. 'Those classes are for infants in Christ.' Are they? When was the last time you thought about what the Bible basis for prayer was? Why prayer? How does prayer work? Who is prayer about? Even professional basketball players routinely practice basic skills (dribbling?).
For the past few weeks, I've been in a Sunday School class called Spiritual Bootcamp. The class has been a wonderful refresher for me. I've also learned a number of things about the subjects above and others. It doesn't mean I didn't know the fundamentals. It doesn't mean I didn't have a biblical foundation. But I've discovered there were places my biblical foundation needed to be refortified.
We can so easily discard the basics and fundamentals as 'easy' and 'no-brainers.' But how easy are the fundamentals? Is it easy to deal with the reality that you are a filthy sinner who deserves enduring the eternal wrath of God? Is it easy to believe a righteous God sent His ONLY Son to endure that wrath so you didn't have to? Is it easy to praise God in the storm of reality? Is it easy to leave the future of a loved one living in rebellion to God? Is it always easy to pray?
Brothers and sisters, we live in a broken, fall world. We are attacked on all sides and if we do not perform maintenance on our foundation, it will begin to rot. I encourage you to get back to basics. Talk about the concept of grace or faith or love with a pastor or spiritual leader. Take a course of Spiritual Bootcamp. When have you ever regretted strengthening the most important relationship you'll ever have? It may give you the tools you need to share your faith with someone. You may come to find out that you were not who you thought you were. Anyway you slice it, it's worth it.
<3
I'm assuming a number of you reading this blog have been Christians for quite some time. Some of you might not be, but I encourage you to continue reading anyway. What comes to mind when you see the seven words at the beginning of this post? Can you remember who told you what those words mean or where Scripture talks about them? Can you cohesively explain them to someone who's new in Christ?
After we've been a part of the Family for awhile, we tend to move on to 'more advanced' subjects like Free Will vs Predestination or Pedo vs Believers baptism or 'Do you receive the Spirit at birth or when you become saved?' All these subjects are important, but when it comes to courses in Christian basics, we tend to think we don't need them. 'Those classes are for infants in Christ.' Are they? When was the last time you thought about what the Bible basis for prayer was? Why prayer? How does prayer work? Who is prayer about? Even professional basketball players routinely practice basic skills (dribbling?).
For the past few weeks, I've been in a Sunday School class called Spiritual Bootcamp. The class has been a wonderful refresher for me. I've also learned a number of things about the subjects above and others. It doesn't mean I didn't know the fundamentals. It doesn't mean I didn't have a biblical foundation. But I've discovered there were places my biblical foundation needed to be refortified.
We can so easily discard the basics and fundamentals as 'easy' and 'no-brainers.' But how easy are the fundamentals? Is it easy to deal with the reality that you are a filthy sinner who deserves enduring the eternal wrath of God? Is it easy to believe a righteous God sent His ONLY Son to endure that wrath so you didn't have to? Is it easy to praise God in the storm of reality? Is it easy to leave the future of a loved one living in rebellion to God? Is it always easy to pray?
Brothers and sisters, we live in a broken, fall world. We are attacked on all sides and if we do not perform maintenance on our foundation, it will begin to rot. I encourage you to get back to basics. Talk about the concept of grace or faith or love with a pastor or spiritual leader. Take a course of Spiritual Bootcamp. When have you ever regretted strengthening the most important relationship you'll ever have? It may give you the tools you need to share your faith with someone. You may come to find out that you were not who you thought you were. Anyway you slice it, it's worth it.
<3
Sunday, October 13, 2013
Sunday Morning Expansion
John 21:4-14
4 Just as day was breaking, Jesus stood on the shore; yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. 5 Jesus said to them, “Children, do you have any fish?” They answered him, “No.” 6 He said to them, “Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some.” So they cast it, and now they were not able to haul it in, because of the quantity of fish. 7 That disciple whom Jesus loved therefore said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his outer garment, for he was stripped for work, and threw himself into the sea. 8 The other disciples came in the boat, dragging the net full of fish, for they were not far from the land, but about a hundred yards off.
9 When they got out on land, they saw a charcoal fire in place, with fish laid out on it, and bread. 10 Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish that you have just caught.” 11 So Simon Peter went aboard and hauled the net ashore, full of large fish, 153 of them. And although there were so many, the net was not torn. 12 Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” Now none of the disciples dared ask him, “Who are you?” They knew it was the Lord. 13 Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them, and so with the fish. 14 This was now the third time that Jesus was revealed to the disciples after he was raised from the dead.
This was (roughly) the passage Pastor Glenn preached from this morning. He talked about how God provided for the disciples abundantly even when they didn't know it was Christ, at first. The net did not break, even though it should have from its load. Jesus had a fire for their catch all ready when they got back to shore.
I love my pastor and he made wonderful observations and the sermon overall was really good. But I couldn't help thinking of how this passage applied to a couple of situations I have been involved in the past few weeks.
A couple of friends who are dear to me have been going through some of the most difficult experiences in their lives to date. Each of these friends has come to me for advice, for help, for encouragement, or for a shoulder to cry on. Three years ago, two years ago, a year ago, I wouldn't have been able to be there for these friends like I can now. I have the completed picture of my life's tragedy in my past and it's given me the tools I need to help the ones I love go through similar experiences.
God provided for me abundantly in my trials, but that was not the end of that. I firmly believe God allows bad things to happen to us so that we can share our testimonies with others. Our testimonies give credit to who God is and helps us advice others. My suffering is an avenue of service. Not only was I provided for abundantly, but the ones I care for are also being provided for abundantly.
Loved one, you may be reading this blog. God is providing for you. Abundantly.
Don't forget.
I love you.
<3
4 Just as day was breaking, Jesus stood on the shore; yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. 5 Jesus said to them, “Children, do you have any fish?” They answered him, “No.” 6 He said to them, “Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some.” So they cast it, and now they were not able to haul it in, because of the quantity of fish. 7 That disciple whom Jesus loved therefore said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his outer garment, for he was stripped for work, and threw himself into the sea. 8 The other disciples came in the boat, dragging the net full of fish, for they were not far from the land, but about a hundred yards off.
9 When they got out on land, they saw a charcoal fire in place, with fish laid out on it, and bread. 10 Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish that you have just caught.” 11 So Simon Peter went aboard and hauled the net ashore, full of large fish, 153 of them. And although there were so many, the net was not torn. 12 Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” Now none of the disciples dared ask him, “Who are you?” They knew it was the Lord. 13 Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them, and so with the fish. 14 This was now the third time that Jesus was revealed to the disciples after he was raised from the dead.
This was (roughly) the passage Pastor Glenn preached from this morning. He talked about how God provided for the disciples abundantly even when they didn't know it was Christ, at first. The net did not break, even though it should have from its load. Jesus had a fire for their catch all ready when they got back to shore.
I love my pastor and he made wonderful observations and the sermon overall was really good. But I couldn't help thinking of how this passage applied to a couple of situations I have been involved in the past few weeks.
A couple of friends who are dear to me have been going through some of the most difficult experiences in their lives to date. Each of these friends has come to me for advice, for help, for encouragement, or for a shoulder to cry on. Three years ago, two years ago, a year ago, I wouldn't have been able to be there for these friends like I can now. I have the completed picture of my life's tragedy in my past and it's given me the tools I need to help the ones I love go through similar experiences.
God provided for me abundantly in my trials, but that was not the end of that. I firmly believe God allows bad things to happen to us so that we can share our testimonies with others. Our testimonies give credit to who God is and helps us advice others. My suffering is an avenue of service. Not only was I provided for abundantly, but the ones I care for are also being provided for abundantly.
Loved one, you may be reading this blog. God is providing for you. Abundantly.
Don't forget.
I love you.
<3
Monday, September 2, 2013
To Lighten the Mood
I'm aware that the last post was rather depressing and melancholy, so I've decided to write about more uplifting topics today.
Over the past couple months or so, I'm happy to tell you that we have a new brother and sister in Christ. I was filled with so much joy to the point of tears on both accounts. The sister is a former Mormon who had been having spiritual discussions with two co-workers at Chick-fil-A. The brother is a young man who grew up in my home church (First Baptist of Delphi) and had strayed somewhat from his upbringing during college. I've seen so much growth and fruit from this young man in the few weeks I've been back in Indiana. It fills me with tremendous joy.
I was (finally) able to visit a very old friend (pretty much like a sister to me) last week and her family. Her youngest son was born pre-maturely, but now he is a happy, strong little boy. Did I mention he's very inquisitive and loves to take books off of shelves to look at them? We must have a future scholar on our hands, er, laps. ;)
A number of couples are anticipating the birth of their first-born children. One of the ladies was a dear friend of mine in high school and I'm excited that she gets to step into this next step of her life. Two couples I know are not married. I'm comforted to know that God can redeem any situation and that babies born in even the worst of circumstances still bring Him joy and glory. Their conception may have been an 'accident' in our eyes, but they are formed by God. He was not surprised at the result in the pregnancy test. He doesn't think this is a catastrophe.
My allergies are much better today. My eyes weren't sore and raw like they have been for days. Nobody today has asked me if I'm tired or been crying about something. Allergies go, but chronic pain stays. A woman who is almost like my second mother experiences a level six pain on a day to day basis.
God is sovereign and gives us grace to endure what is beyond our control. The bad things, the hard things, the things that break you're heart are not God's weakness being revealed, but our weakness recognizing God's strength.
"7 But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. 8 We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; 9 persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed;" --- 2 Corinthians 4:7-9
God has the victory. We may be near insanity or despair, but we if we have Christ, we have the ultimate victory. It's hard times that make the deliverance significant.
"11 For we who live are always being given over to death for Jesus' sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh." --- 2 Corinthians 4:11
Our suffering identifies us with Christ. That is an honor and a joy.
Over the past couple months or so, I'm happy to tell you that we have a new brother and sister in Christ. I was filled with so much joy to the point of tears on both accounts. The sister is a former Mormon who had been having spiritual discussions with two co-workers at Chick-fil-A. The brother is a young man who grew up in my home church (First Baptist of Delphi) and had strayed somewhat from his upbringing during college. I've seen so much growth and fruit from this young man in the few weeks I've been back in Indiana. It fills me with tremendous joy.
I was (finally) able to visit a very old friend (pretty much like a sister to me) last week and her family. Her youngest son was born pre-maturely, but now he is a happy, strong little boy. Did I mention he's very inquisitive and loves to take books off of shelves to look at them? We must have a future scholar on our hands, er, laps. ;)
A number of couples are anticipating the birth of their first-born children. One of the ladies was a dear friend of mine in high school and I'm excited that she gets to step into this next step of her life. Two couples I know are not married. I'm comforted to know that God can redeem any situation and that babies born in even the worst of circumstances still bring Him joy and glory. Their conception may have been an 'accident' in our eyes, but they are formed by God. He was not surprised at the result in the pregnancy test. He doesn't think this is a catastrophe.
My allergies are much better today. My eyes weren't sore and raw like they have been for days. Nobody today has asked me if I'm tired or been crying about something. Allergies go, but chronic pain stays. A woman who is almost like my second mother experiences a level six pain on a day to day basis.
God is sovereign and gives us grace to endure what is beyond our control. The bad things, the hard things, the things that break you're heart are not God's weakness being revealed, but our weakness recognizing God's strength.
"7 But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. 8 We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; 9 persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed;" --- 2 Corinthians 4:7-9
God has the victory. We may be near insanity or despair, but we if we have Christ, we have the ultimate victory. It's hard times that make the deliverance significant.
"11 For we who live are always being given over to death for Jesus' sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh." --- 2 Corinthians 4:11
Our suffering identifies us with Christ. That is an honor and a joy.
Friday, August 30, 2013
Baffled
I don't consider myself to be an intellectual. I don't claim to be smart or dumb. I consider myself pretty mediocre. I am easily baffled but I don't have a problem filling out an order form or billing information or renewing my vehicle's registration online.
Some of the things that baffle me are as follows:
Calculus
Whether zebras are white with black stripes or black with white stripes
People who are just plain mean or bitter
X bar theory (for all you linguists out there)
Plain bagels
Hot dogs
IU fans
Food Stamps
Another thing that baffles me is life.
Think about it.
Every morning you wake up, you anticipate the rest of your life being the same as today or relatively similar to yesterday. If you do think there's going to be a change, it's one you anticipate or one you are in control of. One of the biggest illusions we have as Americans (or as human beings) is we each think 'I am the master of my own destiny.' Well, no.
Within the last year
4 good friends of mine have been fired or laid-off from their jobs
2 have been diagnosed with progressive cancers
1 of the above died a month ago
A friend's baby was born already dead
Close friends are experience major chronic pain
Both of my parents have had surgeries and spent more than two days each in the hospital
For the first time in my life, my dad was unable to work for months
Within the last few weeks, more than three dating couples who had been together between 15 months and 3 years broke up
Friends, family friends, and family are all having issues outside their control and others are suffering life long consequences for past decisions
I don't know if it's because of my age or what, but I don't remember this much sorrow going on in the lives of those close to me before. My heart aches for these people. It baffles me that God has spared me from enduring these things.
I've been thinking about this a lot over the summer:
Why has the Lord chosen to spare me? I'm no better than these people. As a matter of fact, I deserve to be the one enduring unimaginable troubles.
But this is not his plan for me. Maybe he is breaking my heart for these loved ones that I may pray and serve them. Maybe he does have unimaginable troubles in store for me and he's called me to learn from the trials of others in preparation for my own.
Through the above people who are suffering, I see God providing in equally unimaginable ways. God's grace in action, God's love in action, people coming closer together or hearing about him for the first time. Not all suffering leads to despair.
I pray that God provide for their needs and that I learn from their experiences and can encourage them. I also pray, with a burdened heart, for those who don't know him. His heart breaks for you. Let him catch your tears and lift you up.
It will cost you your life, but it will be a life worth living.
"Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." --- Matthew 11:28
Why has the Lord chosen to spare me? I'm no better than these people. As a matter of fact, I deserve to be the one enduring unimaginable troubles.
But this is not his plan for me. Maybe he is breaking my heart for these loved ones that I may pray and serve them. Maybe he does have unimaginable troubles in store for me and he's called me to learn from the trials of others in preparation for my own.
Through the above people who are suffering, I see God providing in equally unimaginable ways. God's grace in action, God's love in action, people coming closer together or hearing about him for the first time. Not all suffering leads to despair.
I pray that God provide for their needs and that I learn from their experiences and can encourage them. I also pray, with a burdened heart, for those who don't know him. His heart breaks for you. Let him catch your tears and lift you up.
It will cost you your life, but it will be a life worth living.
"Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." --- Matthew 11:28
Monday, August 26, 2013
Wrapping Up the Summer
I apologize if this post contains way more information than a normal blog post should. I had every intention of writing a post weeks ago, but things like SIL, moving, and my job had other plans. ;)
The last two weeks of SIL, I was fortunate to be in bed before 1:30am. Seriously. I slept so little during the week and I napped once or twice. I usually nap all the time at SIL. Haha, not this time! My weekends weren't any better. The second weekend of July I went to Minot, the third weekend of July I went to Detroit Lakes, and the last weekend of July I went to Minot (once again) for the State Fair. I really enjoyed my time at SIL despite the deadlines and project requirements etc. Somewhere in there I had a week that had over four projects due. Finals week was my easiest week since June. Yes, finals weeks was easier.
I was glad to be done with classes, to see friends and family I had missed, and I was very excited to start earning a paycheck again. However, I was more sad to leave. I always enjoy my time at SIL, but each summer has been different from all the summers before it. I'm in a different place emotionally and spiritually each summer and each summer I learn something about God that positively astounds me.
I was blessed to have two riding companions come with me as far as Chicago on the return trip. Their names are Larinda and Brenda*. Larinda is the 4th (I think) of twelve or thirteen children. She's a graduate of Moody Bible Institute and lives with her family in South Carolina. She hopes to do Bible Translation in South America. Brenda has two siblings (I think) who are brothers. Brenda is Korean but she grew up in China where her dad was/is a Bible translator. Brenda graduated from high school early and finished her undergraduate degree at CanIL in Vancouver (the Canadian version of SIL that also offers courses during the fall and spring). Brenda and Larinda both started their Masters programs this summer. All three of us were homeschooled. :)
We left Grand Forks on Friday at 2pm CT. From Grand Forks to Minneapolis is a five hour drive, but with these ladies it felt like two. We rolled into Chicago two hours later than we had anticipated, but it didn't matter so much to us. After dropping off the two girls, I trudged the rest of the way to my parents' home in Rossville, IN and passed out on the couch around 6:30am EST. I am so thankful that I had sermons on my iPod to listen to. They engaged my mind long enough to help keep me awake and alert instead of becoming a zombie.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
I slept until about noon when Dad came downstairs. He was the only one home (Mom and the twins were in Florida visiting Grandma & Grandpa) and was surprised to find me on the couch.
"I thought it made more sense to come all the way here and leave my stuff from ND here instead of unpacking it in West Lafayette just to pack it all up again," I said. Or at least, that's what I meant to say. It was a rough day. I'm not a pro at pulling all-nighters and it usually takes me days to recover from pulling one. I left Rossville around 1pm to start packing up my share of my apartment in West Lafayette. I was able to get an extension on the lease, but I didn't want to stay any longer than I had to. Besides, it's hard to get people to come help you move in the middle of the week. It was a Saturday, my family (for the most part) was gone and my best friend was out of town, so I thought my time was best spent packing up.
Now, I had heard of people moving home for the summer from college and the occasional grown-up kid who couldn't make it on his own and had to move back in with Mom & Dad and I was totally okay with the fact that I was going to be living at home again. My family and I were both really happy that we were all going to be living together again. But I hadn't anticipated how hard it was going to be to squeeze my share of an apartment's worth of stuff into my former bedroom. I didn't even take home half of what was mine.
I was by myself packing, I was sleep deprived, my allergies were so bad my eyes were watering and I was sneezing to beat the band, top that off with me being allergic to dust and the worst allergy season in Indiana I can recall, and I give you a pretty pathetic version of me on August 3.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Sunday (August 4th), I got to reunite with my church family at First Baptist in Delphi. It was glorious to fellowship with them and be at my church home. A number of people offered to help me move all my stuff which was incredibly helpful. If you're reading this, and you were involved, I just want to reiterate how thankful I am for you. :)
Monday (August 5th) was my first day back at work. You may recall I started working as a receptionist for Vector Marketing in the Lafayette office back in April. I wasn't very focused or productive. Tuesday felt almost as bad.
Tuesday (August 6th), after I got back from day two back at work, I packed up a duffle bag of two to three days worth of clean clothes and toiletries. Mom and the twins got back from the airport around 9pm and Mom, Rebecca, and I were on the road by 10:30pm headed for Colorado Springs.
Now, the back story for the family we were going to see in Colorado Springs is a blog post in and of itself so I will save that for a later time. What you need to know for now is that the woman who was like my second mother while I was growing up went to be with the Lord and we went to Colorado to visit her husband and children.
After another all night trip, we arrived in Colorado on Wednesday afternoon. Thursday, Scott (the husband) took us on a drive to Hoosier Pass, Buena Vista, Fairplay, and South Park (yep, it's a real place!).
We came back after a super duper long drive on Friday (well, technically Saturday morning) and were beat on Saturday. Three all-night drives in a week may be a little to much for me.
Since then, I've been working five days a week (roughly 35-38hours) and meeting with people to catch up. I still have boxes that haven't been touched since the day I left the apartment stacked up in my room and the garage. However, I blame my allergies for holding me back. I feel like I need to take another Benadryl every time I open a box. At least my bookcase now hold (mostly) books and my international collection is sitting nicely on my dresser. Next to my beta fish (it still surprises me that he's still alive).
I will leave you with the above for now. I plan to write more regularly as I get into the swing of this new life.
As they say in Canada,
Keep your stick on the ice ;)
* is a pseudo-name. I don't know how sensitive I need to be with her information so I am referring to her by a made up name.
The last two weeks of SIL, I was fortunate to be in bed before 1:30am. Seriously. I slept so little during the week and I napped once or twice. I usually nap all the time at SIL. Haha, not this time! My weekends weren't any better. The second weekend of July I went to Minot, the third weekend of July I went to Detroit Lakes, and the last weekend of July I went to Minot (once again) for the State Fair. I really enjoyed my time at SIL despite the deadlines and project requirements etc. Somewhere in there I had a week that had over four projects due. Finals week was my easiest week since June. Yes, finals weeks was easier.
I was glad to be done with classes, to see friends and family I had missed, and I was very excited to start earning a paycheck again. However, I was more sad to leave. I always enjoy my time at SIL, but each summer has been different from all the summers before it. I'm in a different place emotionally and spiritually each summer and each summer I learn something about God that positively astounds me.
I was blessed to have two riding companions come with me as far as Chicago on the return trip. Their names are Larinda and Brenda*. Larinda is the 4th (I think) of twelve or thirteen children. She's a graduate of Moody Bible Institute and lives with her family in South Carolina. She hopes to do Bible Translation in South America. Brenda has two siblings (I think) who are brothers. Brenda is Korean but she grew up in China where her dad was/is a Bible translator. Brenda graduated from high school early and finished her undergraduate degree at CanIL in Vancouver (the Canadian version of SIL that also offers courses during the fall and spring). Brenda and Larinda both started their Masters programs this summer. All three of us were homeschooled. :)
We left Grand Forks on Friday at 2pm CT. From Grand Forks to Minneapolis is a five hour drive, but with these ladies it felt like two. We rolled into Chicago two hours later than we had anticipated, but it didn't matter so much to us. After dropping off the two girls, I trudged the rest of the way to my parents' home in Rossville, IN and passed out on the couch around 6:30am EST. I am so thankful that I had sermons on my iPod to listen to. They engaged my mind long enough to help keep me awake and alert instead of becoming a zombie.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
I slept until about noon when Dad came downstairs. He was the only one home (Mom and the twins were in Florida visiting Grandma & Grandpa) and was surprised to find me on the couch.
"I thought it made more sense to come all the way here and leave my stuff from ND here instead of unpacking it in West Lafayette just to pack it all up again," I said. Or at least, that's what I meant to say. It was a rough day. I'm not a pro at pulling all-nighters and it usually takes me days to recover from pulling one. I left Rossville around 1pm to start packing up my share of my apartment in West Lafayette. I was able to get an extension on the lease, but I didn't want to stay any longer than I had to. Besides, it's hard to get people to come help you move in the middle of the week. It was a Saturday, my family (for the most part) was gone and my best friend was out of town, so I thought my time was best spent packing up.
Now, I had heard of people moving home for the summer from college and the occasional grown-up kid who couldn't make it on his own and had to move back in with Mom & Dad and I was totally okay with the fact that I was going to be living at home again. My family and I were both really happy that we were all going to be living together again. But I hadn't anticipated how hard it was going to be to squeeze my share of an apartment's worth of stuff into my former bedroom. I didn't even take home half of what was mine.
I was by myself packing, I was sleep deprived, my allergies were so bad my eyes were watering and I was sneezing to beat the band, top that off with me being allergic to dust and the worst allergy season in Indiana I can recall, and I give you a pretty pathetic version of me on August 3.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Sunday (August 4th), I got to reunite with my church family at First Baptist in Delphi. It was glorious to fellowship with them and be at my church home. A number of people offered to help me move all my stuff which was incredibly helpful. If you're reading this, and you were involved, I just want to reiterate how thankful I am for you. :)
Monday (August 5th) was my first day back at work. You may recall I started working as a receptionist for Vector Marketing in the Lafayette office back in April. I wasn't very focused or productive. Tuesday felt almost as bad.
Tuesday (August 6th), after I got back from day two back at work, I packed up a duffle bag of two to three days worth of clean clothes and toiletries. Mom and the twins got back from the airport around 9pm and Mom, Rebecca, and I were on the road by 10:30pm headed for Colorado Springs.
Now, the back story for the family we were going to see in Colorado Springs is a blog post in and of itself so I will save that for a later time. What you need to know for now is that the woman who was like my second mother while I was growing up went to be with the Lord and we went to Colorado to visit her husband and children.
After another all night trip, we arrived in Colorado on Wednesday afternoon. Thursday, Scott (the husband) took us on a drive to Hoosier Pass, Buena Vista, Fairplay, and South Park (yep, it's a real place!).
We came back after a super duper long drive on Friday (well, technically Saturday morning) and were beat on Saturday. Three all-night drives in a week may be a little to much for me.
Since then, I've been working five days a week (roughly 35-38hours) and meeting with people to catch up. I still have boxes that haven't been touched since the day I left the apartment stacked up in my room and the garage. However, I blame my allergies for holding me back. I feel like I need to take another Benadryl every time I open a box. At least my bookcase now hold (mostly) books and my international collection is sitting nicely on my dresser. Next to my beta fish (it still surprises me that he's still alive).
I will leave you with the above for now. I plan to write more regularly as I get into the swing of this new life.
As they say in Canada,
Keep your stick on the ice ;)
* is a pseudo-name. I don't know how sensitive I need to be with her information so I am referring to her by a made up name.
Friday, July 19, 2013
The Clock is Ticking
It's 1:17pm central time. Wilkerson Dining Hall served traditional wings and celery (my favorite special lunch item) and the hot weather of the past few days has broken to a lovely high 70s. I've finally figured out how to circulate air in our enormous dorm room with four fans and I'm starting to talk to more people back home in preparation for the journey two weeks from now.
This time is always bittersweet: two weeks left in this nine week trail of blood, sweat, laughter, and tears. I've soaked in every possible moment of this experience. Yes, it has been my heaviest summer work load since Package A (first summer) and my attention span is now short and my apathy level has risen, but SIL is so much more than classes. It's linguistics. It's community. It's a spiritual journey. It's field preparation. It's beneficial. It's hard. It's exhausting. It's refreshing.
It's hard to leave. Some of us are going home, wherever that is. Some of us are going far away for work or research. Some of us will be living in limbo for a few weeks until our next phase starts. Some of us are getting married. Some of us will never return to SIL. There's a part within me that doesn't want to leave and a part of me that can't wait for it to be over. I look forward to being home and seeing family, friends, and co-workers. I don't want to forget what I've been learning here or go back to a mundane routine.
I'm simultaneously excited and terrified about what life will be like when I go home. Before this summer, I was sad I wasn't going to get my summertime in Indiana (which I haven't had since 2010). Now, I'm considering returning to North Dakota next summer as well and pursuing a masters degree.
Yes, a masters degree. I'm currently enrolled as a non-degree seeking graduate student at the University of North Dakota and I'm taking 9-credit hours. It just so happens, that 9-credits is the limit a grad student can transfer into their program. For SIL, the total credit requirement is 32-credits, 4 of which are supposed to be thesis credits. That leaves 19 other credits which I could cover with two full-time summers. Plus, credits are good for seven years. Mine will be good until 2020 (scary!). Theoretically, I could return to SIL for one of those summers next year, do a 4yr term with Wycliffe, return afterward for my last summer at SIL and then write and defend my thesis the following summer. It seems so simple! (notice the word 'seems'). So that's one thing I've been thinking about.
This has been my first summer here without the lovely London Cline (now Brumleve). God gave me such a priceless treasure in her. Not that God hasn't provided a super cool roommate for me this summer. The illustrious Beth Gray has been awesome. At her wedding, London and I agreed we needed to Skype sometime before I went back home. It didn't happen until earlier this week. I anticipated our Skype session to last for an hour and a half or so and to be somewhat about life stuff and somewhat about spiritual stuff. After our first Skype session, we had only covered some life stuff and hadn't even scraped the surface of what we wanted (and probably needed) to share. We scheduled for the next day at the same time. Again, almost two hours of life and getting into deep stuff mixed with spiritual stuff. Our third Skype session is scheduled for Monday afternoon. I can't wait to see what we can share with each other. From my first day of SIL ever, she's been such an encouragement to me and I've been so blessed by her. Thank you, Lord.
As much as I love pouring my heart for the world to see on this blog of mine, I do have a test in Ethnographic Methods today at 4. Your prayers are much appreciated. Ethnography isn't exactly my strong point and there are so. many. terms. agh.
I have more things to tell y'all about, but they will have to wait for later. ;)
<3
This time is always bittersweet: two weeks left in this nine week trail of blood, sweat, laughter, and tears. I've soaked in every possible moment of this experience. Yes, it has been my heaviest summer work load since Package A (first summer) and my attention span is now short and my apathy level has risen, but SIL is so much more than classes. It's linguistics. It's community. It's a spiritual journey. It's field preparation. It's beneficial. It's hard. It's exhausting. It's refreshing.
It's hard to leave. Some of us are going home, wherever that is. Some of us are going far away for work or research. Some of us will be living in limbo for a few weeks until our next phase starts. Some of us are getting married. Some of us will never return to SIL. There's a part within me that doesn't want to leave and a part of me that can't wait for it to be over. I look forward to being home and seeing family, friends, and co-workers. I don't want to forget what I've been learning here or go back to a mundane routine.
I'm simultaneously excited and terrified about what life will be like when I go home. Before this summer, I was sad I wasn't going to get my summertime in Indiana (which I haven't had since 2010). Now, I'm considering returning to North Dakota next summer as well and pursuing a masters degree.
Yes, a masters degree. I'm currently enrolled as a non-degree seeking graduate student at the University of North Dakota and I'm taking 9-credit hours. It just so happens, that 9-credits is the limit a grad student can transfer into their program. For SIL, the total credit requirement is 32-credits, 4 of which are supposed to be thesis credits. That leaves 19 other credits which I could cover with two full-time summers. Plus, credits are good for seven years. Mine will be good until 2020 (scary!). Theoretically, I could return to SIL for one of those summers next year, do a 4yr term with Wycliffe, return afterward for my last summer at SIL and then write and defend my thesis the following summer. It seems so simple! (notice the word 'seems'). So that's one thing I've been thinking about.
This has been my first summer here without the lovely London Cline (now Brumleve). God gave me such a priceless treasure in her. Not that God hasn't provided a super cool roommate for me this summer. The illustrious Beth Gray has been awesome. At her wedding, London and I agreed we needed to Skype sometime before I went back home. It didn't happen until earlier this week. I anticipated our Skype session to last for an hour and a half or so and to be somewhat about life stuff and somewhat about spiritual stuff. After our first Skype session, we had only covered some life stuff and hadn't even scraped the surface of what we wanted (and probably needed) to share. We scheduled for the next day at the same time. Again, almost two hours of life and getting into deep stuff mixed with spiritual stuff. Our third Skype session is scheduled for Monday afternoon. I can't wait to see what we can share with each other. From my first day of SIL ever, she's been such an encouragement to me and I've been so blessed by her. Thank you, Lord.
As much as I love pouring my heart for the world to see on this blog of mine, I do have a test in Ethnographic Methods today at 4. Your prayers are much appreciated. Ethnography isn't exactly my strong point and there are so. many. terms. agh.
I have more things to tell y'all about, but they will have to wait for later. ;)
<3
Sunday, July 14, 2013
If the Lord wills.....
James 4:7-8, 13-17
7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.
13 Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”— 14 yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. 15 Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.” 16 As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. 17 So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.
Psalm 37:4-5
4 Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. 5 Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act.
I've been chewing over James 4:13-14 & 17 in my mind for a couple days now. In children Sunday Schools or youth groups, this passage is usually tied with making money or getting rich. The message is so much deeper than that.
I've been writing letters to some friends I have who are graduating from high school and trying to figure out what advice or wisdom I should give them that I didn't have when I graduated from high school. Looking back, I've realized that I was viewing my future as a compromise between me and God. I wanted to major in Elementary Education so I could be a light to kids in public schools. Don't get me wrong, there are definitely people who are called to do that and it is not an easy calling, but the problem was with my mindset. "Today or tomorrow I will go and become a teacher for awhile and after I've worked enough I'll get married, have children and be a stay-at-home mom" (again, nothing wrong with that if that is your calling). Notice how I critiqued James 4:13 for myself. My motives were pure and admired by lots of people. I love children and legitimately wanted to help them. It was going to be my ministry. I was sure God understood that and would bless it. This is the double-mindedness James 4:8 above is referring to.
This is the interesting part, I hadn't picked my major initially for the purpose of ministry. It was a degree, it was a guaranteed profession, a job I knew I would enjoy, and I'd get summers off to travel and teach English or something, very me oriented things. Around this time was when Brandon Heath's "Give Me Your Eyes" was popular and I seriously considered the message of the song:
It wasn't until I started thinking of it as a ministry that my heart began to change. I prayed and asked God to give me His eyes and to show me how He felt about those around me. When I began to see with His eyes and reached out to those around me, I realized a school was not my ministry. This was about the time I took my first linguistics class.
This was a period of intense growth in my spiritual walk. I was mourning a failed relationship and hurting when I came across Psalm 37. The whole chapter is about trusting God, delighting in His character, and giving Him everything. I began to draw near to Him and find healing in the character of God and committing myself to Him. Yes, I had already been saved, but "committing your way to the Lord" is a daily act. When we commit our way to Him daily and delight in His character He fulfills our desires because He gives us those desires. I desired to serve Him no matter what that looked like. I discovered that God was calling me to something far greater than what I had thought He would bless. He was calling me to a life of service and sacrifice for His glory.
If the Lord wills, I will finish my application with Wycliffe and leave for the field in about a year. I will serve Him as much as I can wherever I am until then. My life has been radically changed. I never thought I would do missions. I never imagined how God would change me over the last four years. I never imagined how much He would shape my desires to His desires. I never imagined how simultaneously difficult and wonderful it would be. I trusted Him, and He acted. In my life and in the lives of the people He's helped me see.
I encourage you, brothers and sisters, to pray for God's eyes. I encourage you to delight yourself in Him and trust Him. Know what your true calling is and do it.
He just might radically change you.
7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.
13 Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”— 14 yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. 15 Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.” 16 As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. 17 So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.
Psalm 37:4-5
4 Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. 5 Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act.
I've been chewing over James 4:13-14 & 17 in my mind for a couple days now. In children Sunday Schools or youth groups, this passage is usually tied with making money or getting rich. The message is so much deeper than that.
I've been writing letters to some friends I have who are graduating from high school and trying to figure out what advice or wisdom I should give them that I didn't have when I graduated from high school. Looking back, I've realized that I was viewing my future as a compromise between me and God. I wanted to major in Elementary Education so I could be a light to kids in public schools. Don't get me wrong, there are definitely people who are called to do that and it is not an easy calling, but the problem was with my mindset. "Today or tomorrow I will go and become a teacher for awhile and after I've worked enough I'll get married, have children and be a stay-at-home mom" (again, nothing wrong with that if that is your calling). Notice how I critiqued James 4:13 for myself. My motives were pure and admired by lots of people. I love children and legitimately wanted to help them. It was going to be my ministry. I was sure God understood that and would bless it. This is the double-mindedness James 4:8 above is referring to.
This is the interesting part, I hadn't picked my major initially for the purpose of ministry. It was a degree, it was a guaranteed profession, a job I knew I would enjoy, and I'd get summers off to travel and teach English or something, very me oriented things. Around this time was when Brandon Heath's "Give Me Your Eyes" was popular and I seriously considered the message of the song:
"Give me Your eyes for just one second.
Give me Your eyes so I can see everything I keep on missing.
Give me Your love for humanity.
Give me Your arms for the brokenhearted, the ones that are far beyond my reach.
Give me your eyes for the ones forgotten.
Give me Your eyes so I can see."
It wasn't until I started thinking of it as a ministry that my heart began to change. I prayed and asked God to give me His eyes and to show me how He felt about those around me. When I began to see with His eyes and reached out to those around me, I realized a school was not my ministry. This was about the time I took my first linguistics class.
This was a period of intense growth in my spiritual walk. I was mourning a failed relationship and hurting when I came across Psalm 37. The whole chapter is about trusting God, delighting in His character, and giving Him everything. I began to draw near to Him and find healing in the character of God and committing myself to Him. Yes, I had already been saved, but "committing your way to the Lord" is a daily act. When we commit our way to Him daily and delight in His character He fulfills our desires because He gives us those desires. I desired to serve Him no matter what that looked like. I discovered that God was calling me to something far greater than what I had thought He would bless. He was calling me to a life of service and sacrifice for His glory.
If the Lord wills, I will finish my application with Wycliffe and leave for the field in about a year. I will serve Him as much as I can wherever I am until then. My life has been radically changed. I never thought I would do missions. I never imagined how God would change me over the last four years. I never imagined how much He would shape my desires to His desires. I never imagined how simultaneously difficult and wonderful it would be. I trusted Him, and He acted. In my life and in the lives of the people He's helped me see.
I encourage you, brothers and sisters, to pray for God's eyes. I encourage you to delight yourself in Him and trust Him. Know what your true calling is and do it.
He just might radically change you.
Wednesday, July 10, 2013
Not What I Intended
It has been entirely too long since I've blogged. I do apologize. My coursework has been heavy the past couple weeks and over the 4th I took an extended weekend in Minneapolis with my mother's sister and her family as well as my best friend.
It was incredibly refreshing for me. Earlier in the week I felt like I was on the verge of imploding from the stress of the work I needed to get done, but God gave me grace to do what I needed to before I could leave. In Minneapolis, my cousin Jonny, Bekah, and I watched a number of movies together, hung out, and made lava cakes. I had my first experience with a dinner movie theater where aunt & uncle had salads, Jonny had a whole pizza, and Bekah & I split wings and fried cheese curds to eat and watched Star Trek: Into Darkness. The movie was amazing. If you're interested in science fiction or are into anything Trekkie or StarWars like, or if you're just up for a good time, I totally recommend it.
I had brought my homework fieldbag with me to do homework, but every time I sat to do some, I couldn't remember what I read and I couldn't process what I was supposed to be doing.
It was incredibly refreshing for me. Earlier in the week I felt like I was on the verge of imploding from the stress of the work I needed to get done, but God gave me grace to do what I needed to before I could leave. In Minneapolis, my cousin Jonny, Bekah, and I watched a number of movies together, hung out, and made lava cakes. I had my first experience with a dinner movie theater where aunt & uncle had salads, Jonny had a whole pizza, and Bekah & I split wings and fried cheese curds to eat and watched Star Trek: Into Darkness. The movie was amazing. If you're interested in science fiction or are into anything Trekkie or StarWars like, or if you're just up for a good time, I totally recommend it.
I had brought my homework fieldbag with me to do homework, but every time I sat to do some, I couldn't remember what I read and I couldn't process what I was supposed to be doing.
Super awesome field bag
It turned out three days of doing no homework was exactly the refresher I needed. I was nervous about coming back in the afternoon on Sunday and having a weekends worth of work to do, but I made unbelievable progress within a 7 hour period.
I've noticed a trend this summer. As my stress and homework level peak and I wonder if I'm about to implode, I pray about it, read the Word, serve somebody here at SIL, and the stress nearly vanishes and I accomplish a lot.
On the whole, I've been trying to reach out to people here this summer and serve them in ways I can. There's a family I consistently give rides to church, I've babysat for a mom who's here without her husband, a couple girls I tried to encourage and mentor specifically, and an older gentlemen I've prayed with a few times for struggles he has.
This summer is different than previous summers. I have yet to take a nighttime walk to the chapel or the cube fountain and pour my heart out to God while I read Psalms and pray, I have yet to feel like I've hit my max with getting to know people, and I have yet to cry.
Well, let me specify: I have cried when praying with John*, teared when I've been struck by God's desire to pursue me or love me, I cried when the lady talked about her inability to conceive and the depression that followed. This is the first summer where I haven't cried for me. My heart has ached to celebrate with my younger 'sisters' graduating from high school and for my amazing siblings who are now adults. My heart has ached to comfort the many people I know back home who are suffering, miserable, or confused. I've cried for being overwhelmed with the love my church family has for me. I've received three cards from them this summer. The last one had so many notes of encouragement and prayer on it that covered both inside pages and the entire back with a few others that trickled onto the front of the card. I hadn't expected to receive any of these cards. Oh yeah, they all made me cry.
The more I grow in my faith, the more I'm amazed at how much I benefit from serving. Service, of course, should be done for others and not out of selfish gain. However, it's totally awesome! I would choose to serve these people without being blessed myself, but it amazes me that it does bless me at all and the more I serve the more I am blessed!
This post was originally supposed to be about roommate Beth and selected other people, but I guess this post was supposed to be about other things. :)
P.S. I'll be attending a youth group for my Grand Forks church sometime in the next week or so to talk about missions. I hope it goes well...
*pseudo-name
Tuesday, June 25, 2013
2 Corinthians 4
4 Therefore, having this ministry by the mercy of God,[a] we do not lose heart. 2 But we have renounced disgraceful, underhanded ways. We refuse to practice[b] cunning or to tamper with God's word, but by the open statement of the truth we would commend ourselves to everyone's conscience in the sight of God. 3 And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. 4 In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. 5 For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants[c] for Jesus' sake. 6 For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
7 But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. 8 We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; 9 persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; 10 always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies. 11 For
we who live are always being given over to death for Jesus' sake, so
that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. 12 So death is at work in us, but life in you.13 Since we have the same spirit of faith according to what has been written, “I believed, and so I spoke,” we also believe, and so we also speak, 14 knowing that he who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus and bring us with you into his presence. 15 For it is all for your sake, so that as grace extends to more and more people it may increase thanksgiving, to the glory of God.
16 So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self[d] is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. 17 For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, 18 as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.
--- 2 Corinthians 4
In chapel yesterday, a woman spoke of her struggle with not being able to conceive a baby and depression. The message of her talk was that we will face hard times. Or at least, that's what stuck out to me. Most people left chapel either red-eyed or in tears. She didn't share this passage in her talk, but her talk pushed me to the Scriptures. I read a chapter from my normal devotional time, but was yearning for more instruction so I started flipping to Paul. I landed on 2 Corinthians because I had the second page dog-eared and wanted to rediscover whatever it was that caught my special attention however long ago. This whole chapter spoke to me.
We like to think that following Christ is easy. We get eternal life, a wealth of community and family, God provides, and we grow. But sometimes, the community or family we have hurts us more than our enemies, God provides less or differently than we anticipate, growth is painful, and according to this passage, having eternal life is, well, hard in our mortal bodies. This passage guarantees physical, emotional, and spiritual troubles.
Have you ever considered your body or heart to be a representation of Christ crucified? "For we who live are always being given over to death for Jesus' sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh" (v11). We are not alone in this battle, this fight, or struggle. Jesus has gone before, shared our humanness, and has already felt our heavy heart, the tears that roll down our cheeks, the anxiety, the pain, the isolation.
The Father promises resurrection. "Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison" (v16-17). Notice the word light. 'This light affliction.' Whatever taxing experience we go through, it certainly never feels like a light affliction. A miscarriage, a broken relationship, joblessness. It is a light load we bare in comparison with Christ. He bore God's wrath so this affliction would be light, bearable. Yet, we will still see a glory we cannot even wrap our brains around when all our afflictions cease.
"But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us" (v7). 'Jars of clay.' The perishable. The mortal. Anything and everything that is not eternal. I used to think that 'jars of clay' were material possessions. Now I believe the connotation is broader than that. I've discovered my treasures are specific people or the relationships I have with them. For the chapel speaker, her treasure was to be a mother, a dream she'd had since childhood. When things go wrong in my relationships or friends fall away, I can't control them. I have to surrender them to God. We're simple and powerless for a purpose. That purpose is to magnify God's character. If we were powerful, where would God be? Forgotten. Neglected. Not glorified. Our work would be of ourselves which is directly contradicted by this passage.
The phrase "we do not lose heart" is used twice in this chapter. In case Paul's message isn't clear, he tells us in Ephesians and Galatians to 'not lose heart.'
Galatians 6:8-9 --- "For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not lose heart."
Ephesians 3:11-13 ---"This was according to the eternal purpose that he has realized in Christ Jesus our Lord, in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through our faith in him. So I ask you not to lose heart over what I am suffering for you, which is your glory."
Do not lose heart, brothers and sisters. God will sustain you. "We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed;" (v8-9). God sustains, renews, carries the situation for us. He sustains us through his Body. One of the things the speaker at chapel pointed out, is that God uses the body of Christ to help us carry our burdens. When we need to hear Biblical truth and have an example of God's love to remind us of who He is. Community with the Body is important. The Body prays for us and with us when we cannot. The Body lifts our burdens when it is too heavy for us to carry on our own.
"For it is all for your sake, so that as grace extends to more and more people it may increase thanksgiving, to the glory of God" (15). The affliction and suffering are for your sake. How often we plead for God to take away our affliction and not consider what He wants to teach us through it. As God gives grace to you, he also passes it to others through you. This reminds me of a family back home where the daughter has been incredibly sick for two years now. (At least, I think it's two years.) She's been in and out of the hospital constantly, has had numerous trips to Cleveland to see specialists, and was in a nursing home for two or three months. Talk about affliction! But God. I want you to think about that for a second. But God. Their family has become strong as a unit and as individuals. They give me hope. They give friends and family hope. The grace God has given them has poured out to other who know them. If this family can pull through this affliction with God's grace, maybe I can too. I'm confident that this family would not be such a strong example of Christ without this affliction in their lives. It has not been easy for them or anyone who knows them, but the reward they are reaping is significantly greater. God is given glory in this affliction.
Do not lose heart during your light afflicted, brothers and sisters. He's got a plan and He will carry you through it. If you are afflicted, burdened, I encourage you to read this passage and ask the Spirit to comfort you. <3
Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations forever and ever. Amen. --- Ephesians 3:20-21
Wednesday, June 19, 2013
In Our Own Tongue
This link, brings you to a website with a video of the Kimyal people receiving a New Testament. In their own language. For the first time. Videos like this touch my heart and help me remember why Bible translation is so important.
Enjoy. :)
Enjoy. :)
Two is Better than One... Unless They're Wives.
For my hour of contribution to the lovely SIL program, every day I spend a little over an hour with the five-year-olds (The Get-Along-Gang). There are nine of them this year and they're from all over the world. Very few of them were even born on the North American continent (if at all).
Whenever I go to the Get-Along-Gang classroom, they're usually eating snack or returning from playing outside. After their snack, it's time for a Bible story. Miss Aubrey (the childcare staff for the 5s) must think I do a good job because she frequently asks me to read it to them. Last week, one of our stories was about Jacob, Rachel, and Leah. I'd never read the story of Jacob quite like it was in this particular child's Bible Story book before. In fact, none of the stories are written in your 'usual' children's Bible Storybook way. A number of the stories point straight to Christ or to the deep message that the story symbolizes.
The story mentioned that Leah was ugly and Jacob loved Rachel, not Leah. Ok, we're normal so far, but then the it said something like, "But God loved Leah, even though Jacob didn't. People thought Leah was ugly, but she was not ugly to God. She was His beautiful daughter, His princess. So God gave her lots of children to show her how much He loved her." There was a picture of a happy looking Leah with five or six little boys clustered around her and she was looking toward heaven with a smile.
I'd never really thought about it that way before. Yes, God blessed Leah with children since Jacob didn't love her, but I hadn't thought of it as God showing how much He loved her. I guess I only ever really thought about it as a pity thing.
In my personal Bible time today, I read the real story (Gen 29-30). Leah acknowledges the Lord in the naming of her first four sons. I think there's a difference between the first three and fourth, however.
Reuben- "the LORD sees my affliction; therefore my husband will love me"
Simeon- "Because the LORD has heard that I am unloved, He has therefore given me this son also"
Levi- "Now this time my husband will become attached to me"
These three are yearning for the attention of her husband. Notice the third time, she does not mention the LORD. It could be she was growing in desperation for his affection. Any normal woman would.
Judah- "This time I will praise the LORD"
I looked through a couple of online commentaries to see if they had anything to say about this particular difference. It's not talked about much. The family drama between the sisters throughout the rest of the story and comparing Rachel to Hannah (1 Sam) is a more common topic. The only commentary that talked about said this: "Her fourth she called Judah, praise, saying, Now will I praise the Lord. And this was he, of whom, as concerning the flesh Christ came. Whatever is the matter of our rejoicing, ought to be the matter of our thanksgiving. And all our praises must center in Christ, both as the matter of them, and as the Mediator of them. He descended from him whose name was praise, for he is our praise. Is Christ formed in my heart? Now will I praise the Lord." (Wesley's Explanatory Notes)
Did Leah know the Promised One would come from Judah? I don't know. But I like to think that the children's Bible Story was right. I think Leah did find comfort in the LORD. Not only in His gift of fertility, but in who He is. Yes, Leah had her bad days. Wouldn't anybody related to someone like contentious Rachel have bad days? Her life, whether she agreed in deceiving Jacob or not, was hard. But she was still chosen and used by God. His promise was for her too. And He loved her.
It's hard to remember that the stories we read our children are for our benefit, too. We can never be reminded too often of God's care. We can never be reminded too frequently of His sovereignty.
"Therefore, behold, I will allure her, and bring her into the wilderness, and speak tenderly to her." --Hosea 2:14
"Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God." --Matthew 5:8
Whenever I go to the Get-Along-Gang classroom, they're usually eating snack or returning from playing outside. After their snack, it's time for a Bible story. Miss Aubrey (the childcare staff for the 5s) must think I do a good job because she frequently asks me to read it to them. Last week, one of our stories was about Jacob, Rachel, and Leah. I'd never read the story of Jacob quite like it was in this particular child's Bible Story book before. In fact, none of the stories are written in your 'usual' children's Bible Storybook way. A number of the stories point straight to Christ or to the deep message that the story symbolizes.
The story mentioned that Leah was ugly and Jacob loved Rachel, not Leah. Ok, we're normal so far, but then the it said something like, "But God loved Leah, even though Jacob didn't. People thought Leah was ugly, but she was not ugly to God. She was His beautiful daughter, His princess. So God gave her lots of children to show her how much He loved her." There was a picture of a happy looking Leah with five or six little boys clustered around her and she was looking toward heaven with a smile.
I'd never really thought about it that way before. Yes, God blessed Leah with children since Jacob didn't love her, but I hadn't thought of it as God showing how much He loved her. I guess I only ever really thought about it as a pity thing.
In my personal Bible time today, I read the real story (Gen 29-30). Leah acknowledges the Lord in the naming of her first four sons. I think there's a difference between the first three and fourth, however.
Reuben- "the LORD sees my affliction; therefore my husband will love me"
Simeon- "Because the LORD has heard that I am unloved, He has therefore given me this son also"
Levi- "Now this time my husband will become attached to me"
These three are yearning for the attention of her husband. Notice the third time, she does not mention the LORD. It could be she was growing in desperation for his affection. Any normal woman would.
Judah- "This time I will praise the LORD"
I looked through a couple of online commentaries to see if they had anything to say about this particular difference. It's not talked about much. The family drama between the sisters throughout the rest of the story and comparing Rachel to Hannah (1 Sam) is a more common topic. The only commentary that talked about said this: "Her fourth she called Judah, praise, saying, Now will I praise the Lord. And this was he, of whom, as concerning the flesh Christ came. Whatever is the matter of our rejoicing, ought to be the matter of our thanksgiving. And all our praises must center in Christ, both as the matter of them, and as the Mediator of them. He descended from him whose name was praise, for he is our praise. Is Christ formed in my heart? Now will I praise the Lord." (Wesley's Explanatory Notes)
Did Leah know the Promised One would come from Judah? I don't know. But I like to think that the children's Bible Story was right. I think Leah did find comfort in the LORD. Not only in His gift of fertility, but in who He is. Yes, Leah had her bad days. Wouldn't anybody related to someone like contentious Rachel have bad days? Her life, whether she agreed in deceiving Jacob or not, was hard. But she was still chosen and used by God. His promise was for her too. And He loved her.
It's hard to remember that the stories we read our children are for our benefit, too. We can never be reminded too often of God's care. We can never be reminded too frequently of His sovereignty.
"Therefore, behold, I will allure her, and bring her into the wilderness, and speak tenderly to her." --Hosea 2:14
"Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God." --Matthew 5:8
Friday, June 14, 2013
Intellectual
I'm not the sharpest spoon in the drawer, the brightest candle in the box, the strongest timber in the forrest or whatever they say in your region of the country or world.
I'm no intellectual. Yeah, I'm taking a few graduate courses, but I can't say I'm all that fond of them. Maybe if they were about phonology and morphology instead of abstract theories about anthropology and how to do language survey. Because I know those things. I understand phonemes. They directly relate to something I understand. Phonetics, sounds I can perceive with my auditory nerve, graph on paper, or (in a sign language sense) form with my hands.
I don't understand computer systems or how you program an iPad program to be a cutesy Inuit girl or a Japanese puppet. Last evening, I attended SIL's weekly colloquium which is an academic lecture by a special guest about some project or research they've been working on. The first two summers at SIL I didn't usually attend colloquium because I didn't understand what people were talking about. Er, maybe I did, but only to a very small and shallow extent. I was fascinated by this summer's first colloquium based upon data from an Asian language of Myanmar. Tone of the language reflected patterns that are common in African tone languages. Not Asian languages. Excitement!
But I digress...
Last evening, our speaker was a professor from UND (Dr. Tim) who talked about technology (particularly for the iPad) that's used for language acquisition for children. A number of us had brought other things to study or glance at while the talk went on. We all thought it would be boring. We never touched our materials. Dr. Tim's presentation was fascinating. Everyone's lungs was filled with the inflation of awe. It was exciting and fun! None of us, or very few of us, at SIL would have even thought of using programs like that as a language tool or how to implement it.
Are programs ready for use directly on the field? Certainly not. Is it a starting point? Absolutely.
I really enjoyed Dr. Tim. I was impressed by the amount of respect he showed for Albert (the SIL director) and SIL in general. A number of people asked him questions during the Q&A afterward that he couldn't answer. His way of thinking was slightly different. Of course, he's never been on the field in third world countries or undertaken a term of literacy, but he recognized them as important and appreciated our input.
There's usually a snack 'n' chat time after the Q&A. Lo and behold, Jim Waters who teaches the Morphology and Syntax course for Package A (1st summer) came up to me and asked me what my plans were. Now, I have a lot of respect for Jim. He's one of the calmest guys you'll ever meet, super sweet, loves his wife, loves Jesus, loves linguistics, and has a doctorate.
I'm slightly intimidated by instructors/consultants/doctorates because I don't want to look stupid. I've gotten okay with handling these people in a one-on-one setting. During my talk with Jim, who should walk up to join our conversation of Kieth Snider. Now Kieth has spent most of his life working with tone in African languages. He's the sole teacher of SIL's class on Tone which is offered every other year. He received his doctorate in African Linguistics from Leiden University (for those of you who don't know, Leiden is in the Netherlands). Crazy smart Canadian.
Now it's both of them and me. I figured, "I could learn some pretty interesting things from these guys." I proceeded to ask Kieth a question I had for a class I'm taking. Before Kieth could answer, Jim asked me if I had met Jim Roberts. Yeah, I'd met Dr. Jim Roberts, the linguist from Chad who always has an enthusiastic tone in his clear voice, loves to crack jokes and be the first to laugh at them with his hilariously fake sounding yet genuine laugh. I suddenly realized that these three men were all wanting to know what I was taking and what I planned to do and why. Three of (what I consider) the best minds in linguistics in all of SIL gave me their attention. To say I was slightly nervous would be a bit of an understatement.
I thought more about this encounter afterward. None of the men I've mentioned above think of themselves as anything spectacular or special. At SIL, everyone is on a first name basis. That goes for the director as well as for the children. Doctorates with big egos don't go for that type of stuff (believe me, I've seen them). Each one of these guys started out in Linguistics 101 or got their undergraduates in something totally different before they discovered linguistics was their calling. These are all men who've spent blood, sweat, and tears in the African or South American sun analyzing syntax and tone so that other people could learn about The Son.
Maybe intellect is in the eye of the beholder. I certainly have more education than many unliterates around the world some of which I'll come in contact with one day. But if these men aren't classified as intellectual, I don't care much to be an intellectual either. I do hope to earn a masters degree some day or maybe even earn a PhD, but I hope to be like these men: Nerds with words who love Jesus.
I'm no intellectual. Yeah, I'm taking a few graduate courses, but I can't say I'm all that fond of them. Maybe if they were about phonology and morphology instead of abstract theories about anthropology and how to do language survey. Because I know those things. I understand phonemes. They directly relate to something I understand. Phonetics, sounds I can perceive with my auditory nerve, graph on paper, or (in a sign language sense) form with my hands.
I don't understand computer systems or how you program an iPad program to be a cutesy Inuit girl or a Japanese puppet. Last evening, I attended SIL's weekly colloquium which is an academic lecture by a special guest about some project or research they've been working on. The first two summers at SIL I didn't usually attend colloquium because I didn't understand what people were talking about. Er, maybe I did, but only to a very small and shallow extent. I was fascinated by this summer's first colloquium based upon data from an Asian language of Myanmar. Tone of the language reflected patterns that are common in African tone languages. Not Asian languages. Excitement!
But I digress...
Last evening, our speaker was a professor from UND (Dr. Tim) who talked about technology (particularly for the iPad) that's used for language acquisition for children. A number of us had brought other things to study or glance at while the talk went on. We all thought it would be boring. We never touched our materials. Dr. Tim's presentation was fascinating. Everyone's lungs was filled with the inflation of awe. It was exciting and fun! None of us, or very few of us, at SIL would have even thought of using programs like that as a language tool or how to implement it.
Are programs ready for use directly on the field? Certainly not. Is it a starting point? Absolutely.
I really enjoyed Dr. Tim. I was impressed by the amount of respect he showed for Albert (the SIL director) and SIL in general. A number of people asked him questions during the Q&A afterward that he couldn't answer. His way of thinking was slightly different. Of course, he's never been on the field in third world countries or undertaken a term of literacy, but he recognized them as important and appreciated our input.
There's usually a snack 'n' chat time after the Q&A. Lo and behold, Jim Waters who teaches the Morphology and Syntax course for Package A (1st summer) came up to me and asked me what my plans were. Now, I have a lot of respect for Jim. He's one of the calmest guys you'll ever meet, super sweet, loves his wife, loves Jesus, loves linguistics, and has a doctorate.
I'm slightly intimidated by instructors/consultants/doctorates because I don't want to look stupid. I've gotten okay with handling these people in a one-on-one setting. During my talk with Jim, who should walk up to join our conversation of Kieth Snider. Now Kieth has spent most of his life working with tone in African languages. He's the sole teacher of SIL's class on Tone which is offered every other year. He received his doctorate in African Linguistics from Leiden University (for those of you who don't know, Leiden is in the Netherlands). Crazy smart Canadian.
Now it's both of them and me. I figured, "I could learn some pretty interesting things from these guys." I proceeded to ask Kieth a question I had for a class I'm taking. Before Kieth could answer, Jim asked me if I had met Jim Roberts. Yeah, I'd met Dr. Jim Roberts, the linguist from Chad who always has an enthusiastic tone in his clear voice, loves to crack jokes and be the first to laugh at them with his hilariously fake sounding yet genuine laugh. I suddenly realized that these three men were all wanting to know what I was taking and what I planned to do and why. Three of (what I consider) the best minds in linguistics in all of SIL gave me their attention. To say I was slightly nervous would be a bit of an understatement.
I thought more about this encounter afterward. None of the men I've mentioned above think of themselves as anything spectacular or special. At SIL, everyone is on a first name basis. That goes for the director as well as for the children. Doctorates with big egos don't go for that type of stuff (believe me, I've seen them). Each one of these guys started out in Linguistics 101 or got their undergraduates in something totally different before they discovered linguistics was their calling. These are all men who've spent blood, sweat, and tears in the African or South American sun analyzing syntax and tone so that other people could learn about The Son.
Maybe intellect is in the eye of the beholder. I certainly have more education than many unliterates around the world some of which I'll come in contact with one day. But if these men aren't classified as intellectual, I don't care much to be an intellectual either. I do hope to earn a masters degree some day or maybe even earn a PhD, but I hope to be like these men: Nerds with words who love Jesus.
Thursday, June 13, 2013
A Vision For Missions: A Book Review
This review will be based on Tom Well's A Vision for Missions. You can find this book here on amazon.
I checked this book out of my church library at the advice of my pastors, Bill Glenn and Jerry Dill. I was surprised to see how small a book it was (only 157pp).
The book is based around three things:
1) Tom's first thesis: "God is worthy to be known and proclaimed for who He is, and that fact is an important part of the missionary motive and message." (p 9)
2) Tom's second thesis: "Those who know the most about God are the most responsible and best equipped to tell of Him." (p 9)
3) A quote from Williams Carey: "It's taken from a talk Carey had with a Brahman in 1797. At that time Carey had not yet baptized his first convert. The Brahman was defending the worship of idols. Carey cited Acts 14:16 and 17:30.
God formerly 'suffered all nations to walk in their own ways,' said Carey, 'but now commandeth all men everywhere to repent.'
'Indeed,' said the [Brahman], 'I think God ought to repent for not sending the gospel sooner to us... If what you say is true, why have I not heard of it before?'
In brief, Carey says two things: 1) At one time it pleased God to keep back gospel from India. 2) God has His reasons for doing so." (p 12-13)
After laying these three things before the reader, Tom goes on to explore the character of God in the two-thirds of the book. This was probably the most beneficial and wonderful part of the book for me. Some of the characteristics he talks about are The Graciousness of God (ch 7), God, Self-sufficient (ch 3), and God's Sovereign Power (ch 4). Tom makes it clear that God is God. We do not have to apologize for who our God is. All of these things are tied into God's heart for His created peoples. I had never thought about God being a missional God and what that truly and practically meant.
The last third of the book is about how William Carey, David Brainerd, and Henry Martyn specifically were influenced by the character of God in their missions and their attitudes about God.
I highly encourage you to read this book. Tom is to the point and blunt. His message is clear, strong, and he backs everything up with Scripture. I found it particularly encouraging and refreshing. If you want to understand the heart of God and learn more about His heart for the nations, this book is for you.
I checked this book out of my church library at the advice of my pastors, Bill Glenn and Jerry Dill. I was surprised to see how small a book it was (only 157pp).
The book is based around three things:
1) Tom's first thesis: "God is worthy to be known and proclaimed for who He is, and that fact is an important part of the missionary motive and message." (p 9)
2) Tom's second thesis: "Those who know the most about God are the most responsible and best equipped to tell of Him." (p 9)
3) A quote from Williams Carey: "It's taken from a talk Carey had with a Brahman in 1797. At that time Carey had not yet baptized his first convert. The Brahman was defending the worship of idols. Carey cited Acts 14:16 and 17:30.
God formerly 'suffered all nations to walk in their own ways,' said Carey, 'but now commandeth all men everywhere to repent.'
'Indeed,' said the [Brahman], 'I think God ought to repent for not sending the gospel sooner to us... If what you say is true, why have I not heard of it before?'
In brief, Carey says two things: 1) At one time it pleased God to keep back gospel from India. 2) God has His reasons for doing so." (p 12-13)
After laying these three things before the reader, Tom goes on to explore the character of God in the two-thirds of the book. This was probably the most beneficial and wonderful part of the book for me. Some of the characteristics he talks about are The Graciousness of God (ch 7), God, Self-sufficient (ch 3), and God's Sovereign Power (ch 4). Tom makes it clear that God is God. We do not have to apologize for who our God is. All of these things are tied into God's heart for His created peoples. I had never thought about God being a missional God and what that truly and practically meant.
The last third of the book is about how William Carey, David Brainerd, and Henry Martyn specifically were influenced by the character of God in their missions and their attitudes about God.
I highly encourage you to read this book. Tom is to the point and blunt. His message is clear, strong, and he backs everything up with Scripture. I found it particularly encouraging and refreshing. If you want to understand the heart of God and learn more about His heart for the nations, this book is for you.
Wednesday, June 5, 2013
Weddings, Graduations, Birthdays, Life, and Deaf
I apologize for the delay in my posting. Life has been pretty busy and intense in the last couple or so weeks. I'm never able to accomplish all that I mean to before I leave for the summer and my new job, though I love it, made it that much harder to get things done.
I left West Lafayette on May 30th, drove through the rain and storm, and arrived in Sedalia, MO for the wedding I was to be a part of there. There was more than one crisis leading up to the wedding, but it was beautiful and it honored God. I'm very happy for my SIL roomie, my sister in Chris, my dear friend, and her husband.
I left shortly after the reception. I went through the drive-thru at Hardees, filled up with gas, and headed toward Kansas City where I hopped onto I-29 headed for North Dakota. But the time I reached KC it was around 10:30pm. About an hour or so later I decided that I needed to sleep. I slept at a truck stop for about 3hrs and resumed my journey. I only drove for an hour before I realized I needed more sleep. Rest areas are few and far between on that portion of I-29, but when I found one on the Nebraska border I slept like a beast for another 2hrs. By then, it was 6:30am and the sky was light. I felt a switch in my body flip and I was ready for the rest of the trip.
I pulled into Grand Forks and the University of North Dakota around 2:30 in the afternoon (roughly a 12hr trip excluding sleep), signed into the dorm, unpacked my car, and headed back to Fargo for a graduation open house.
A family of friends were having a graduation open house for their youngest (high school graduation) and their middle child (college graduation). Our families would go camping together when we lived in Minnesota. We've had lots of fun camping and biking times with them and I was glad the open house was on exactly the perfect day for me to make it!
By the time I returned to my dorm, my new roommate had joined my humongous dorm room. Her name is Beth and she's from Texas. I must admit, I was nervous about the roommate I would receive this year. You may recall that London (in the above picture) was my roommate for both previous summers at the Summer Institute of Linguistics (SIL). Beth and I get along splendidly and have had some pretty provoking talks about faith, linguistics, and the deaf community. She's pretty fluent at American Sign Language (ASL) and is evening interpreting chapel meetings as her work assignment. I'm looking forward to getting to know her better.
I'm hoping to reach out more and meet more people this summer. Last year I kind of blocked people out inadvertently and don't want to repeat that. I'm meeting new people and trying new things.
As far as classes go, this summer I am taking 3:
Language Survey
Ethnographic Methods
Sign Language Phonetics
The first two are required for me to do Language Survey with Wycliffe. I plan on telling you more about them when I have a better idea of what they're all about. I wasn't initially planning on taking Sign Language Phonetics, but I thought, "When at SIL, do what the linguists do!" I have no real knowledge of ASL or any other sign language, but sign languages interest me and I won't likely have this opportunity to study the phonetics of signed languages again. Carpe signum = seize the sign. Hopefully, when I start actually producing signs, I can record me signing and post it here.
With all this excitement going on, I forgot that my birthday was on Wednesday until... Monday night. Beth was ecstatic and insisted we go to the Blue Moose to celebrate. The Blue Moose Bar & Grill was my initial plan for birthday shenanigans to begin with, so I did not protest. Two first summer students and a recent acquaintance who is studying her 2nd summer at SIL came with us. We had a lovely, girly time. We ordered dessert since we went after dinner, they sang Happy Birthday obnoxiously loud for me, and a few of us climbed the moose and had our picture taken with him. (pictures to come?)
I hope to be more specific about what's going on in my classes when I have a better understanding of them. I also have another book review for you. :) Stay tuned.
Have a Moosie Day!
<3
I left West Lafayette on May 30th, drove through the rain and storm, and arrived in Sedalia, MO for the wedding I was to be a part of there. There was more than one crisis leading up to the wedding, but it was beautiful and it honored God. I'm very happy for my SIL roomie, my sister in Chris, my dear friend, and her husband.
London & Andrew Brumleve
I left shortly after the reception. I went through the drive-thru at Hardees, filled up with gas, and headed toward Kansas City where I hopped onto I-29 headed for North Dakota. But the time I reached KC it was around 10:30pm. About an hour or so later I decided that I needed to sleep. I slept at a truck stop for about 3hrs and resumed my journey. I only drove for an hour before I realized I needed more sleep. Rest areas are few and far between on that portion of I-29, but when I found one on the Nebraska border I slept like a beast for another 2hrs. By then, it was 6:30am and the sky was light. I felt a switch in my body flip and I was ready for the rest of the trip.
I pulled into Grand Forks and the University of North Dakota around 2:30 in the afternoon (roughly a 12hr trip excluding sleep), signed into the dorm, unpacked my car, and headed back to Fargo for a graduation open house.
A family of friends were having a graduation open house for their youngest (high school graduation) and their middle child (college graduation). Our families would go camping together when we lived in Minnesota. We've had lots of fun camping and biking times with them and I was glad the open house was on exactly the perfect day for me to make it!
By the time I returned to my dorm, my new roommate had joined my humongous dorm room. Her name is Beth and she's from Texas. I must admit, I was nervous about the roommate I would receive this year. You may recall that London (in the above picture) was my roommate for both previous summers at the Summer Institute of Linguistics (SIL). Beth and I get along splendidly and have had some pretty provoking talks about faith, linguistics, and the deaf community. She's pretty fluent at American Sign Language (ASL) and is evening interpreting chapel meetings as her work assignment. I'm looking forward to getting to know her better.
I'm hoping to reach out more and meet more people this summer. Last year I kind of blocked people out inadvertently and don't want to repeat that. I'm meeting new people and trying new things.
As far as classes go, this summer I am taking 3:
Language Survey
Ethnographic Methods
Sign Language Phonetics
The first two are required for me to do Language Survey with Wycliffe. I plan on telling you more about them when I have a better idea of what they're all about. I wasn't initially planning on taking Sign Language Phonetics, but I thought, "When at SIL, do what the linguists do!" I have no real knowledge of ASL or any other sign language, but sign languages interest me and I won't likely have this opportunity to study the phonetics of signed languages again. Carpe signum = seize the sign. Hopefully, when I start actually producing signs, I can record me signing and post it here.
With all this excitement going on, I forgot that my birthday was on Wednesday until... Monday night. Beth was ecstatic and insisted we go to the Blue Moose to celebrate. The Blue Moose Bar & Grill was my initial plan for birthday shenanigans to begin with, so I did not protest. Two first summer students and a recent acquaintance who is studying her 2nd summer at SIL came with us. We had a lovely, girly time. We ordered dessert since we went after dinner, they sang Happy Birthday obnoxiously loud for me, and a few of us climbed the moose and had our picture taken with him. (pictures to come?)
I hope to be more specific about what's going on in my classes when I have a better understanding of them. I also have another book review for you. :) Stay tuned.
Have a Moosie Day!
<3
Tuesday, May 21, 2013
Teach it to your children
In Sunday School yesterday we talked a lot about the authority of Scripture and why it's important. I thought of how I had grown up and how important the Bible was to my own walk with Christ and what that was founded upon.
I never doubted the validity of the Bible. Why was that? Because my parents showed in their words and actions that the Bible had authority and power. To question the Bible or say something in it was untrue was blasphemous. The Bible is how we communicate with God. The Bible gives spiritual food and shows us the way to everlasting life. It is complete. It is good. It endures throughout the generations. It reveals God's character and the Spirit helps us to understand its teachings.
Sitting in Sunday School, I realized that if it wasn't for its stressed importance in my growing-up life, the authority and respect it was given, I never would have pursued Bible translation.
I remembered talking with a friend who told me she felt like passages she read were the same old same old Bible story and that she didn't feel like she was really being spiritually fed. She said she needed a supplement. In horror, I prayed and thought about our conversation on the way home. I asked God to prove to me that His Word was sufficient, that each time I read it, I would find something new every time I spent time in it. Ladies and gentlemen, I'm happy to say that was about four years ago and God is still granting that request.
Without my parents' influence, the Bible would never have been very influential in my life. No, my parents are not 'missionaries' or Bible translators. But they paved the way for me.
Without the Bible, where would YOU be?
I would be lost, scared, and would be lost in sin.
Millions of people around the world don't have God's Word.
This is what pierced my heart for missions. The Gospel is for all.
And they sang a new song, saying, "Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation- Revelation 5:9
Then I saw another angel flying directly overhead, with an eternal gospel to proclaim to those who dwell on earth, to every nation and tribe and language and people. - Revelation 14:6
Who will YOU tell about it?
I never doubted the validity of the Bible. Why was that? Because my parents showed in their words and actions that the Bible had authority and power. To question the Bible or say something in it was untrue was blasphemous. The Bible is how we communicate with God. The Bible gives spiritual food and shows us the way to everlasting life. It is complete. It is good. It endures throughout the generations. It reveals God's character and the Spirit helps us to understand its teachings.
Sitting in Sunday School, I realized that if it wasn't for its stressed importance in my growing-up life, the authority and respect it was given, I never would have pursued Bible translation.
I remembered talking with a friend who told me she felt like passages she read were the same old same old Bible story and that she didn't feel like she was really being spiritually fed. She said she needed a supplement. In horror, I prayed and thought about our conversation on the way home. I asked God to prove to me that His Word was sufficient, that each time I read it, I would find something new every time I spent time in it. Ladies and gentlemen, I'm happy to say that was about four years ago and God is still granting that request.
Without my parents' influence, the Bible would never have been very influential in my life. No, my parents are not 'missionaries' or Bible translators. But they paved the way for me.
Without the Bible, where would YOU be?
I would be lost, scared, and would be lost in sin.
Millions of people around the world don't have God's Word.
This is what pierced my heart for missions. The Gospel is for all.
And they sang a new song, saying, "Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation- Revelation 5:9
Then I saw another angel flying directly overhead, with an eternal gospel to proclaim to those who dwell on earth, to every nation and tribe and language and people. - Revelation 14:6
Who will YOU tell about it?
Saturday, May 4, 2013
Something New
This post is based upon an image I formed in my head around Easter. I've seen other bloggers do this and decided I would give it a shot. Let me know what you think.
I stood crouching. The blade was still in my hand, the body was still at my feet. The blood. It was everywhere. My feet soaked in its pool, my clothes were entirely stained, my hair was drenched, my face, my hands, my arms, dripped of it. What had I done? While He embraced me, I killed Him. Ended His life in the most painful way possible. The one who loved me. I murdered Him.
I fell to my knees and sobbed remorseful tears. They mixed with the blood on my hands and fell on the ground, but it was not enough to wash away what I had done. My body heaved with the guilt and anguish of my actions. My chest contracted so I thought my body would implode. I wailed, but no sound or plea could take back what I did. I deserved retribution. Or worse.
I felt a hand upon my blood-soaked shoulder. A loving, tenderly placed hand. I turned and saw Him. The one I had killed. There were tears in His eyes, but they weren't for Himself; they were for me. "Do you think I couldn't have stopped you?" He asked. We walked away, to a large, strong, running River. He told me the river was called Grace. While He told me the story from His perspective, He bathed my body until there wasn't a trace of blood left. A new garment was placed over me. As I sat at His feet, He told me about love, forgiveness, and faith while He braided my hair. Hope and love filled my heart and a desire to do whatever He wanted.
"I have made you a new creation," He said in His sweet voice. "You are Mine and you are forgiven."
I stood crouching. The blade was still in my hand, the body was still at my feet. The blood. It was everywhere. My feet soaked in its pool, my clothes were entirely stained, my hair was drenched, my face, my hands, my arms, dripped of it. What had I done? While He embraced me, I killed Him. Ended His life in the most painful way possible. The one who loved me. I murdered Him.
I fell to my knees and sobbed remorseful tears. They mixed with the blood on my hands and fell on the ground, but it was not enough to wash away what I had done. My body heaved with the guilt and anguish of my actions. My chest contracted so I thought my body would implode. I wailed, but no sound or plea could take back what I did. I deserved retribution. Or worse.
I felt a hand upon my blood-soaked shoulder. A loving, tenderly placed hand. I turned and saw Him. The one I had killed. There were tears in His eyes, but they weren't for Himself; they were for me. "Do you think I couldn't have stopped you?" He asked. We walked away, to a large, strong, running River. He told me the river was called Grace. While He told me the story from His perspective, He bathed my body until there wasn't a trace of blood left. A new garment was placed over me. As I sat at His feet, He told me about love, forgiveness, and faith while He braided my hair. Hope and love filled my heart and a desire to do whatever He wanted.
"I have made you a new creation," He said in His sweet voice. "You are Mine and you are forgiven."
Monday, April 29, 2013
Our Witchdoctors Are Too Weak: A Book Review
For me, biographies are usually hit 'n' miss. I purchased a little biography of Eric Liddell for a few dollars at the missions conference I went to in St. Louis. It's probably the worst written bio I've ever read. Now, I love learning about missionaries and hearing about their work, but it was very poorly written. So poorly written I gave up reading the book about a third of the way into it.
When I was in high school, I read one called "Peace Child" by Don Richardson that I found amazing. I also remember my mom reading missionary biographies about William Carrey and George Mueller that made us cry or laugh at some points.
Our Witchdoctors Are Too Weak was fantastic. Davey Jank is a missionary/linguist with New Tribes in the Amazon working with the Wilo people.
I found the preface misleading, but the purpose of the book is revealing day to day struggles that Davey had. Things like trying to learn a culture nobody else had studied. Things like trying to figure out how the language's counting system worked. The struggles of a missionary and a linguist (yay!). He presents his linguistic struggles in non-linguist (for the most part) terms but still keeps it interesting and amusing for the trained linguist (or so I thought).
Davey is very witty in his presentation of some of his struggles. For instance, he has an entire chapter about his trouble with a particular suffix. But he presents it metaphorically. I laughed so hard during that particular chapter that I forced my brother to listen while I reread it.
I've never read a missionary biography quite like this one.
By far, the last couple chapters were my favorite. Davey is very honest about his feelings of inadequacy and, well, fear of sharing the Gospel with the Wilo people for the first time. I found it really encouraging. I'm not the only one who's gonna feel like they're in over their head.
2 Corinthians comes to mind: "Such is the confidence that we have through Christ toward God. Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God, who has made us sufficient to be ministers of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit. For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life" (3:4-6).
It's not about us. It's about God. He chooses us for His own reasons. I also think He purposely chooses us because we are inadequate. He uses us to bring knowledge and His Spirit totally takes over from there.
You can purchase this book by following this link.
When I was in high school, I read one called "Peace Child" by Don Richardson that I found amazing. I also remember my mom reading missionary biographies about William Carrey and George Mueller that made us cry or laugh at some points.
Our Witchdoctors Are Too Weak was fantastic. Davey Jank is a missionary/linguist with New Tribes in the Amazon working with the Wilo people.
I found the preface misleading, but the purpose of the book is revealing day to day struggles that Davey had. Things like trying to learn a culture nobody else had studied. Things like trying to figure out how the language's counting system worked. The struggles of a missionary and a linguist (yay!). He presents his linguistic struggles in non-linguist (for the most part) terms but still keeps it interesting and amusing for the trained linguist (or so I thought).
Davey is very witty in his presentation of some of his struggles. For instance, he has an entire chapter about his trouble with a particular suffix. But he presents it metaphorically. I laughed so hard during that particular chapter that I forced my brother to listen while I reread it.
I've never read a missionary biography quite like this one.
By far, the last couple chapters were my favorite. Davey is very honest about his feelings of inadequacy and, well, fear of sharing the Gospel with the Wilo people for the first time. I found it really encouraging. I'm not the only one who's gonna feel like they're in over their head.
2 Corinthians comes to mind: "Such is the confidence that we have through Christ toward God. Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God, who has made us sufficient to be ministers of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit. For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life" (3:4-6).
It's not about us. It's about God. He chooses us for His own reasons. I also think He purposely chooses us because we are inadequate. He uses us to bring knowledge and His Spirit totally takes over from there.
You can purchase this book by following this link.
Friday, April 26, 2013
I'm Adopted
A homeschool family I know recently adopted two little girls from China. I mean they're still in China, recently. You can find their blog here. The joy of the parents, the siblings, and even the families of the siblings (since there's such an age range) is incredible. I started to cry when I saw the pictures of the little girls and how much they already love their new parents and sister but also how scared and confused they are.
It made me think about a conversation I heard between a couple gentlemen from my home church. One of them adopted a baby about five months ago and the other is considering adoption.
"Our society really looks down on adoption," said the latter. "It really stresses blood relation even if those blood relations aren't healthy." The men continued to talk about particular instances where the home situation or extended family home situation weren't safe or those family members weren't as close to the child as a foster family that loved and wanted to adopt the child. They continued to talk about why adoption's stigma is wrong.
"I mean, God has adopted us," said the first gentleman. "We were in that bad situation and God took us out of it to His perfect family. He's made us brothers and co-heirs with Christ *[Romans 8:16-17]. That's profound. He doesn't love us less. I'm not going to love my adopted child any less because he's not biologically my kid."
That's roughly how the conversation went. I began to ponder and turn their words over in my mind. I also chewed on a comment one of the ladies in the church had made during Sunday School. We were reading in **Mark 1 when she spoke up about a verse that really touched her.
"Untying sandals was a job for the lowliest and filthiest of servants," she began. "John's a prophet and a blood relation to Jesus, but he says he's not even worthy to undo his shoes. We put people in the Bible on a pedestal and think they're so great at obeying God, but then what does that make me? If John isn't worthy to undo sandals, where does that leave me? No where near His presence, at the very least. Instead, He bends down and washes my feet."
How is that possible, my friends? Adoption. God has removed you from your sinful situation and given you a new family. A perfect family. Brothers and sisters who have also been adopted, a Brother and friend of Jesus, and, my favorite, a Father. A perfect Father who knows your every need and holds your every tear. You give Him joy.
Seeing pictures of the Chinese little girls who are being adopted makes me think of what God has done for me. A representation of my adoption. He chose me and picked me up even when I was confused and scared. The family rejoiced when all the papers were signed and I was officially His. He loves me as His own Son.
I'm adopted.
*Romans 8:16-17 The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs--heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.
**Mark 1:7 And he preached, saying, "After me comes he who is mightier than I, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie.
It made me think about a conversation I heard between a couple gentlemen from my home church. One of them adopted a baby about five months ago and the other is considering adoption.
"Our society really looks down on adoption," said the latter. "It really stresses blood relation even if those blood relations aren't healthy." The men continued to talk about particular instances where the home situation or extended family home situation weren't safe or those family members weren't as close to the child as a foster family that loved and wanted to adopt the child. They continued to talk about why adoption's stigma is wrong.
"I mean, God has adopted us," said the first gentleman. "We were in that bad situation and God took us out of it to His perfect family. He's made us brothers and co-heirs with Christ *[Romans 8:16-17]. That's profound. He doesn't love us less. I'm not going to love my adopted child any less because he's not biologically my kid."
That's roughly how the conversation went. I began to ponder and turn their words over in my mind. I also chewed on a comment one of the ladies in the church had made during Sunday School. We were reading in **Mark 1 when she spoke up about a verse that really touched her.
"Untying sandals was a job for the lowliest and filthiest of servants," she began. "John's a prophet and a blood relation to Jesus, but he says he's not even worthy to undo his shoes. We put people in the Bible on a pedestal and think they're so great at obeying God, but then what does that make me? If John isn't worthy to undo sandals, where does that leave me? No where near His presence, at the very least. Instead, He bends down and washes my feet."
How is that possible, my friends? Adoption. God has removed you from your sinful situation and given you a new family. A perfect family. Brothers and sisters who have also been adopted, a Brother and friend of Jesus, and, my favorite, a Father. A perfect Father who knows your every need and holds your every tear. You give Him joy.
Seeing pictures of the Chinese little girls who are being adopted makes me think of what God has done for me. A representation of my adoption. He chose me and picked me up even when I was confused and scared. The family rejoiced when all the papers were signed and I was officially His. He loves me as His own Son.
I'm adopted.
*Romans 8:16-17 The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs--heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.
**Mark 1:7 And he preached, saying, "After me comes he who is mightier than I, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie.
Thursday, April 18, 2013
Not Quite 2am, But Feels Something Like It
Once again, I returned home from closing at the Lafayette Chick-fil-A FSU. I parked into a spot no where near close to my front door, juggled the multiple things I was carrying inside until I found my key to unlock the door, looked for Bekah. When I didn't see her, I turned off the kitchen light and went upstairs to my room. The milkshake spattered belt was the first to go, the lemonade and tea stained pants, the chocolate smudged shirt, the gucky black socks were tossed off with disgust. All was replaced with bedtime attire including fuzzy coffee themed pajama bottoms.
I told myself more than once that my next step was to go to bed. Yet here I am, talking to you, because my mind is still working and because I might have something I want to say or express. I'm currently reading The Great Gatsby. I'm enjoying it, it's well written, but its element of mystery isn't fit for this mind this evening. Er, morning.
Life will drastically going to be changing within the next couple weeks. Martha, a wonderful young woman from my InterVarsity chapter, will be moving into my room with me. She'll be taking my place while I'm away at SIL. We'll be here together for about three weeks before I leave. I'm very much looking forward to living with her.
SIL. I cannot wait to go. I will certainly miss home and my loved ones, but God has done great things in my heart there in the past and I look forward to what He has in store for me there this summer. It'll have new and different challenges as well as new and different blessings. I really look forward to seeing my nephews and sister again. Journey is going to be performing at the North Dakota State Fair this year. Maybe I can convince one of them to go with me. :)
After I return from SIL, I'm moving back into the ole Riepe homestead. Mom and Dad are lamenting their loss of a room for storage purposes. I've already insisted that I don't mind a few boxes here and there, but if they're storing it, do they really need it. ;) It will be an adjusting after living away for a couple years. However, I think it will give me the opportunity I've wanted to grow closer to my sister Becca and help out my mom with her motherly duties.
Either today or yesterday, I was reading in John 11. To familiarize you with the passage, it's when Lazarus gets sick and Mary and Martha send for Jesus. Jesus stays away doing his Jesus thing and Lazarus dies. Jesus finally gets there after Lazarus has been buried in the tomb for four days. When Martha sees Him coming, she runs to meet Him, falls at His feet and says, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died" (11:21). Even in her hurt, Martha confesses to Jesus that she knows He has the power to resurrect her brother, yet she mourns. Martha returns to her sister Mary and prompts her to go to Jesus. Mary runs to Jesus, falls at His feet and says, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died" (11:32). Jesus weeps at the grief both sisters have expressed to Him. But then He does the impossible and brings Lazarus back to life. Guess what! We were given a hint this would happen in verse 4 when Jesus said, "This illness does not lead to death. It is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it."
Now, I'm not saying that Lazarus didn't really die. The passage removes all doubt of that. When Jesus is talking about 'death' in verse 4, I think he's talking about Mary and Martha. The death of their brother was difficult, heartbreaking (especially when they both believed Jesus could have prevented it), and traumatic. They probably felt abandoned, let down, ignored, and rejected just to name a few of the possibilities. Mary is so hurt that she needs to be prodded by Martha to go to Jesus. Martha tells Jesus she's trying so hard to understand, but she doesn't. The miracle that Jesus did in Lazarus brought Mary and Martha even closer to Him than before. He proved that they could in fact trust Him, even when it seemed like He was powerless. Because HIS plan was better. The more I read Scripture, the more I'm convinced that we only see the little bit we're involved in. We don't see the big picture like God does.
I don't know why my dear friend's daughter is terribly ill and can't seem to catch a break. But she and her family have brought hope, comfort, and joy to so many other people and entire families through their struggles. I don't know why my mother's close friend has endured decades of financial struggles. But she's encouraged my mom and myself (at the very least) that God does provide and that you can trust Him with your finances even when your income is small. I don't know why I grew so close in my relationship to a young man for him to be taken away. But it has taught me to understand how others can hurt so deeply, it's helped me understand how I pretty frequently make God feel, it has humbled me and shown me just how weak and frail I am. I hope I am able to bless someone else with the lessons I've learned and love the unlovable who needs to know Jesus in a real way...
This leads me to wonder: what part of me spiritually, emotionally, is dead and needs resurrection?
What part of you needs resurrection?
Have you rolled the stone from the entrance to the tomb of your heart for Jesus to bring to life?
I told myself more than once that my next step was to go to bed. Yet here I am, talking to you, because my mind is still working and because I might have something I want to say or express. I'm currently reading The Great Gatsby. I'm enjoying it, it's well written, but its element of mystery isn't fit for this mind this evening. Er, morning.
Life will drastically going to be changing within the next couple weeks. Martha, a wonderful young woman from my InterVarsity chapter, will be moving into my room with me. She'll be taking my place while I'm away at SIL. We'll be here together for about three weeks before I leave. I'm very much looking forward to living with her.
SIL. I cannot wait to go. I will certainly miss home and my loved ones, but God has done great things in my heart there in the past and I look forward to what He has in store for me there this summer. It'll have new and different challenges as well as new and different blessings. I really look forward to seeing my nephews and sister again. Journey is going to be performing at the North Dakota State Fair this year. Maybe I can convince one of them to go with me. :)
After I return from SIL, I'm moving back into the ole Riepe homestead. Mom and Dad are lamenting their loss of a room for storage purposes. I've already insisted that I don't mind a few boxes here and there, but if they're storing it, do they really need it. ;) It will be an adjusting after living away for a couple years. However, I think it will give me the opportunity I've wanted to grow closer to my sister Becca and help out my mom with her motherly duties.
Either today or yesterday, I was reading in John 11. To familiarize you with the passage, it's when Lazarus gets sick and Mary and Martha send for Jesus. Jesus stays away doing his Jesus thing and Lazarus dies. Jesus finally gets there after Lazarus has been buried in the tomb for four days. When Martha sees Him coming, she runs to meet Him, falls at His feet and says, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died" (11:21). Even in her hurt, Martha confesses to Jesus that she knows He has the power to resurrect her brother, yet she mourns. Martha returns to her sister Mary and prompts her to go to Jesus. Mary runs to Jesus, falls at His feet and says, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died" (11:32). Jesus weeps at the grief both sisters have expressed to Him. But then He does the impossible and brings Lazarus back to life. Guess what! We were given a hint this would happen in verse 4 when Jesus said, "This illness does not lead to death. It is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it."
Now, I'm not saying that Lazarus didn't really die. The passage removes all doubt of that. When Jesus is talking about 'death' in verse 4, I think he's talking about Mary and Martha. The death of their brother was difficult, heartbreaking (especially when they both believed Jesus could have prevented it), and traumatic. They probably felt abandoned, let down, ignored, and rejected just to name a few of the possibilities. Mary is so hurt that she needs to be prodded by Martha to go to Jesus. Martha tells Jesus she's trying so hard to understand, but she doesn't. The miracle that Jesus did in Lazarus brought Mary and Martha even closer to Him than before. He proved that they could in fact trust Him, even when it seemed like He was powerless. Because HIS plan was better. The more I read Scripture, the more I'm convinced that we only see the little bit we're involved in. We don't see the big picture like God does.
I don't know why my dear friend's daughter is terribly ill and can't seem to catch a break. But she and her family have brought hope, comfort, and joy to so many other people and entire families through their struggles. I don't know why my mother's close friend has endured decades of financial struggles. But she's encouraged my mom and myself (at the very least) that God does provide and that you can trust Him with your finances even when your income is small. I don't know why I grew so close in my relationship to a young man for him to be taken away. But it has taught me to understand how others can hurt so deeply, it's helped me understand how I pretty frequently make God feel, it has humbled me and shown me just how weak and frail I am. I hope I am able to bless someone else with the lessons I've learned and love the unlovable who needs to know Jesus in a real way...
This leads me to wonder: what part of me spiritually, emotionally, is dead and needs resurrection?
What part of you needs resurrection?
Have you rolled the stone from the entrance to the tomb of your heart for Jesus to bring to life?
Friday, April 12, 2013
Definitions
justice. noun. \ˈjəs-təs\
the maintenance or administration of what is just especially by the impartial adjustment of conflicting claims or the assignment of merited rewards or punishments
righteous. adjective. \ˈrī-chəs\
1. acting in accord with divine or moral law : free from guilt or sin
2. morally right or justifiable
good. adjective. \ˈgu̇d\
(1) : virtuous, right, commendable <a good person> <good conduct> (2) : kind, benevolent <good intentions>
[All definitions from Merriam-Webster Dictionary]
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity into man's heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end. --Ecclesiastes 3:10
Then the LORD said to him, "Who has made man's mouth? Who makes him mute, or deaf, or seeing, or blind? Is it not I, the LORD? --Exodus 4:11
But when Jesus heard it he said, "This illness does not lead to death. It is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it." --John 11:4
Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope. --Romans 5:3-4
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Through God's wonderful sovereignty, I was able to comfort a dear friend yesterday. As we rested, hand in hand, and shared the sorrows of our hearts, we began to ponder the character of God. Why is a God who is just allowing this trial to happen? We know He can take it away with a breath from his mouth or a touch of His hand.
As the tears fell and our hands clasped tighter, we began to share verses where the Lord had revealed Himself to us. Some of the verses we talked about are shared above. God is in control. He always has been. He always will be. Has He not made us who we are? Is He not making us into who we will be?
When we come across struggles and trials in our lives and we see them as unjust or not right or not good, could the problem really be that our definitions of what is 'just' or 'righteous' or 'good' isn't in line with God's definition? Isn't our own understanding clouding by our human nature that is both finite and sinful?
Beloved, we are God's children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. --I John 3:2
Saying goodbye to my second mother, I pondered what God's definition of 'just' and 'righteous' and 'good' are as I walked away. In all things, no matter what my definition of these words are, God will still bring glory to Himself, He will still makes things beautiful-- in His time.
The God who heals infirmities, who is in the business of transforming hearts and lives, who is faithful, Just, Righteous, Good, who delivered a nation from slavery and oppression, will continue to be exactly who He is and will continue to work in me.
I may never know why my loved one had to endure all this pain, but I know that one day I will understand and know why. When that happens, I 'shall see him as he is.' Until then, I will be His faithful servant.
the maintenance or administration of what is just especially by the impartial adjustment of conflicting claims or the assignment of merited rewards or punishments
righteous. adjective. \ˈrī-chəs\
1. acting in accord with divine or moral law : free from guilt or sin
2. morally right or justifiable
good. adjective. \ˈgu̇d\
(1) : virtuous, right, commendable <a good person> <good conduct> (2) : kind, benevolent <good intentions>
[All definitions from Merriam-Webster Dictionary]
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity into man's heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end. --Ecclesiastes 3:10
Then the LORD said to him, "Who has made man's mouth? Who makes him mute, or deaf, or seeing, or blind? Is it not I, the LORD? --Exodus 4:11
But when Jesus heard it he said, "This illness does not lead to death. It is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it." --John 11:4
Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope. --Romans 5:3-4
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Through God's wonderful sovereignty, I was able to comfort a dear friend yesterday. As we rested, hand in hand, and shared the sorrows of our hearts, we began to ponder the character of God. Why is a God who is just allowing this trial to happen? We know He can take it away with a breath from his mouth or a touch of His hand.
As the tears fell and our hands clasped tighter, we began to share verses where the Lord had revealed Himself to us. Some of the verses we talked about are shared above. God is in control. He always has been. He always will be. Has He not made us who we are? Is He not making us into who we will be?
When we come across struggles and trials in our lives and we see them as unjust or not right or not good, could the problem really be that our definitions of what is 'just' or 'righteous' or 'good' isn't in line with God's definition? Isn't our own understanding clouding by our human nature that is both finite and sinful?
Beloved, we are God's children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. --I John 3:2
Saying goodbye to my second mother, I pondered what God's definition of 'just' and 'righteous' and 'good' are as I walked away. In all things, no matter what my definition of these words are, God will still bring glory to Himself, He will still makes things beautiful-- in His time.
The God who heals infirmities, who is in the business of transforming hearts and lives, who is faithful, Just, Righteous, Good, who delivered a nation from slavery and oppression, will continue to be exactly who He is and will continue to work in me.
I may never know why my loved one had to endure all this pain, but I know that one day I will understand and know why. When that happens, I 'shall see him as he is.' Until then, I will be His faithful servant.
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