Happy Easter! What a beautiful cold, cloudy, and rainy day yesterday was!
We got to celebrate and share in the baptisms of 5 friends. As one of them told her story before going into the water, God whispered...no, that isn’t the right term. God shouted at me (that’s better) through her words.
Remember in John 14 when 5 Thomas said to Jesus, “Lord, we do not know where you are going; so how can we know the way to get there?”
6 Jesus answered him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life; no one goes to the Father except by me.7 Now that you have known me,” he said to them, “you will know my Father also, and from now on you do know him and you have seen him.”
8 Philip said to him, “Lord, show us the Father; that is all we need.”
I listened as my friend spoke the truth about her life including pain, loneliness and unforgiveness, as well as her meeting Jesus only months ago. She proclaimed the huge change that is taking place in her heart because of Jesus. How healing and love, forgiveness and hope are replacing those previous feelings of brokenness. I sat there humbled as God brought to my memory many friends I’ve recently had the privilege of seeing God transforming for the best.
Right after Jesus says to Philip (basically), “You know me! You’ve spent all this time with me. You’ve seen me perform miracles, you’ve heard me speak only Truth, you’ve gone on this great journey with me and have experienced my love. You know me, therefore, you know God and have seen him!” Philip says, “Lord, show us God. Then we can know for sure.” I always read this and think, Seriously Philip? Were you listening at all?! Oh Philip, you’re so slow. Poor, silly Philip.
[Insert great big sigh] I am so much like Philip. I say it too, and often. “God! Show me God so that I can believe.”
As I listened to my friend, and as God reminded me of person after person after person I’ve gotten to watch meet Jesus, get to know him, and literally see God transforming them for the best, I was greatly humbled. “Open your eyes, Sydni,” He seemed to be saying.
God never stops working. When we miss him, it’s only because we aren’t looking.
Friday, April 12, 2013
Trust... (From October 24, 2011)
“Trust in the LORD with all your heart,
and do not lean on your own understanding.
In all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make straight your paths.”
(Proverbs 3:5-6 ESV)
I have found that learning (or living) the definition of the word ‘trust’ is somewhat tricky. Some days I feel like I’ve finally figured it out, and other days it feels like it’s lost in the wash.
Trust: Reliance. Hope. Confidence in the certainty of......(thank you dictionary.com) Do I really trust God with all my heart everyday, all the time? Oh, I can answer that question quite simply. Nope.
Some days I go out in the morning with gusto. I talk about God all day, and I share what He’s doing in my life with others. I read the Bible with someone, and I do my best to explain it when they have questions, and then I go home feeling so exhausted...no, more than exhausted. I feel beat up. I kick my shoes off, sit down, and without a smile on my face I think, “What is wrong with me? Why do I feel like I’ve just run a marathon in the wrong shoes?” It’s usually then that I realize that I didn’t trust God at all today. It’s not because I didn’t want to. It was because I was too busy trusting myself to even ask for His guidance or opinion in the matters I faced. No wonder I feel so tired. I’ve been trusting myself all day and leaning on my own understanding as I went. Thank goodness these days are becoming fewer and far between. It seems I’m slowly learning this verse that I’ve been hearing and reading since I could hear and read. God wants me to trust him in every moment. He wants me to ask his opinion and listen to his leading all the time. God wants me to not worry about what I can’t even get my own head around, he just wants me to trust him. God wants me. Yes! That’s what it is I think. He’s not a mean father that wants us to ‘do what you’re told and don’t ask questions!’ No, I’m certain that He wants us to trust in him and acknowledge him and not lean on our own understanding of things because he wants to see us on a straight path. Because that path leads to joy even on a rainy day. That path leads to hope even when all seems lost. That path leads to God himself. He wants us. He loves us. So, now I’m sitting here wondering why I’ve just written this post. It isn’t flowery or that nice to read, is it? (please keep your answer to yourself) Oh well. There it was. Perhaps you’ve been struggling with days like I’ve had, and that’s why I wrote this all for everyone to read? God wants you to trust him. Because he’s the only one who knows how to make your path straight.
--Sydni
and do not lean on your own understanding.
In all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make straight your paths.”
(Proverbs 3:5-6 ESV)
I have found that learning (or living) the definition of the word ‘trust’ is somewhat tricky. Some days I feel like I’ve finally figured it out, and other days it feels like it’s lost in the wash.
Trust: Reliance. Hope. Confidence in the certainty of......(thank you dictionary.com) Do I really trust God with all my heart everyday, all the time? Oh, I can answer that question quite simply. Nope.
Some days I go out in the morning with gusto. I talk about God all day, and I share what He’s doing in my life with others. I read the Bible with someone, and I do my best to explain it when they have questions, and then I go home feeling so exhausted...no, more than exhausted. I feel beat up. I kick my shoes off, sit down, and without a smile on my face I think, “What is wrong with me? Why do I feel like I’ve just run a marathon in the wrong shoes?” It’s usually then that I realize that I didn’t trust God at all today. It’s not because I didn’t want to. It was because I was too busy trusting myself to even ask for His guidance or opinion in the matters I faced. No wonder I feel so tired. I’ve been trusting myself all day and leaning on my own understanding as I went. Thank goodness these days are becoming fewer and far between. It seems I’m slowly learning this verse that I’ve been hearing and reading since I could hear and read. God wants me to trust him in every moment. He wants me to ask his opinion and listen to his leading all the time. God wants me to not worry about what I can’t even get my own head around, he just wants me to trust him. God wants me. Yes! That’s what it is I think. He’s not a mean father that wants us to ‘do what you’re told and don’t ask questions!’ No, I’m certain that He wants us to trust in him and acknowledge him and not lean on our own understanding of things because he wants to see us on a straight path. Because that path leads to joy even on a rainy day. That path leads to hope even when all seems lost. That path leads to God himself. He wants us. He loves us. So, now I’m sitting here wondering why I’ve just written this post. It isn’t flowery or that nice to read, is it? (please keep your answer to yourself) Oh well. There it was. Perhaps you’ve been struggling with days like I’ve had, and that’s why I wrote this all for everyone to read? God wants you to trust him. Because he’s the only one who knows how to make your path straight.
--Sydni
Scotland and N.T. Wright (From September 29, 2011)
At the end of August I, Nick, in part of The History Maker Foundation, took four lads to Scotland. THMF gives "disadvantaged" young people the opportunity to experience outdoor adventure. Here's a bit of background before I tell you about the trip itself: Joel, the ginger-headed kid on the left in the picture above, was best-mates with a young man named Joey. Joey loved both Jesus and the outdoors and was able to share both of his passions with a lot of young people while working at an outdoor retreat called Compass Christian Centre in Scotland. Joey's life was cut tragically short in a climbing accident a few years ago. Shortly after we moved here, Joel said he would like to get a group of guys together and take them to Compass. So over the past several months, Joey’s family, the founders of THMF, worked very hard to make Joel’s goal happen. But it was up to us to find the right guys to take on the trip. While all this was beginning to take shape, another charity called Go4 Enterprises started with the goal to help employ these same "disadvantaged" young people. It made perfect sense that these two charities work together. Go4 provides the lads and THMF provides the funding.
I’m worried that the term "disadvantaged" young person may not be clear. This is often a term used to describe young men and women who have grown up in an unstable environment, or had very limited family structure. Many of them get addicted to drugs, develop alcohol problems, and often times into legal troubles. So you can imagine how hard it would be to find a job in a country where 1 in 5 are unemployed and your background is less than stellar. You can also imagine how difficult it would be to stop the destructive lifestyle without both family and hope.
Ok, on with the story of the trip. At 5 a.m on a Monday we loaded up in the mini bus and began our 9 hour trek towards the middle of nowhere Scotland. In a one day trip, I was able to drive about 2/3 of the length of the U.K. When we arrived the lads were surprised to learn that there would be no cell phone service, internet, or t.v. It was only us in the hills with a bunch of cows, goats, and sheep. Our first day there, we were led on a full day hike up three munros (a munro is a class of mountain peaks). It was a great way to start our week. It put us to the test which revealed our true personalities. None of us really knew each other all that well before the trip, which added another challenge. During the first two days, we all kind of stuck close to the ones we felt most comfortable with. Joel stuck with me, Liam and Chris stayed together, and Alfie floated between the two. It was difficult to break the ice, and I was beginning to fear it was never going to happen. After a nine hour drive, two days of hiking countless miles, and being stuck together in the lodge with only ourselves to entertain us, we decided to go do something familiar to us all, go to the pub.
The most important thing we can do as Christians who are concerned about sharing the love of Christ with others is not to invite them to church, but to meet them on neutral ground. It wasn’t until our night at the pub that the ice finally broke. I got to learn about their upbringing, their goals, and their beliefs. After that night, during the remainder of the trip we all clicked. The next day we did some rock climbing and abseiling (repelling) and there was plenty of joking and teasing each other. A sign that we were beginning to not only feel comfortable with one another we actually liked each other enough to put one another down. I’m convinced that none of that would have happened had we not gone to our neutral ground. Since returning home, I have been able to stay in touch with these guys. Although, there is no way they would go to church with me, just yet, they are more than happy to meet me at the pub.
Now, for the N.T. Wright bit.......
A couple nights ago, I got to hear two lectures and meet N.T. Wright. I don’t think I’ve ever been more intimidated to meet someone before. If you’re not familiar with his work, he is one of the the intellectual elites in theology,and one of my heroes. Although he seems to be a very nice man, I couldn’t help but think that every word that was coming out of my mouth must sound so stupid to this guy. So thanks again to my insecurities, I really didn’t get to enjoy meeting him. He was very gracious and signed a couple of books for me, and as far as I could tell, never once rolled his eyes at me or gave me any impression that he thought I was a waste of space. After all, I’m sure that’s what I would have done if I were as smart as he is.
I’m worried that the term "disadvantaged" young person may not be clear. This is often a term used to describe young men and women who have grown up in an unstable environment, or had very limited family structure. Many of them get addicted to drugs, develop alcohol problems, and often times into legal troubles. So you can imagine how hard it would be to find a job in a country where 1 in 5 are unemployed and your background is less than stellar. You can also imagine how difficult it would be to stop the destructive lifestyle without both family and hope.
Ok, on with the story of the trip. At 5 a.m on a Monday we loaded up in the mini bus and began our 9 hour trek towards the middle of nowhere Scotland. In a one day trip, I was able to drive about 2/3 of the length of the U.K. When we arrived the lads were surprised to learn that there would be no cell phone service, internet, or t.v. It was only us in the hills with a bunch of cows, goats, and sheep. Our first day there, we were led on a full day hike up three munros (a munro is a class of mountain peaks). It was a great way to start our week. It put us to the test which revealed our true personalities. None of us really knew each other all that well before the trip, which added another challenge. During the first two days, we all kind of stuck close to the ones we felt most comfortable with. Joel stuck with me, Liam and Chris stayed together, and Alfie floated between the two. It was difficult to break the ice, and I was beginning to fear it was never going to happen. After a nine hour drive, two days of hiking countless miles, and being stuck together in the lodge with only ourselves to entertain us, we decided to go do something familiar to us all, go to the pub.
The most important thing we can do as Christians who are concerned about sharing the love of Christ with others is not to invite them to church, but to meet them on neutral ground. It wasn’t until our night at the pub that the ice finally broke. I got to learn about their upbringing, their goals, and their beliefs. After that night, during the remainder of the trip we all clicked. The next day we did some rock climbing and abseiling (repelling) and there was plenty of joking and teasing each other. A sign that we were beginning to not only feel comfortable with one another we actually liked each other enough to put one another down. I’m convinced that none of that would have happened had we not gone to our neutral ground. Since returning home, I have been able to stay in touch with these guys. Although, there is no way they would go to church with me, just yet, they are more than happy to meet me at the pub.
Now, for the N.T. Wright bit.......
A couple nights ago, I got to hear two lectures and meet N.T. Wright. I don’t think I’ve ever been more intimidated to meet someone before. If you’re not familiar with his work, he is one of the the intellectual elites in theology,and one of my heroes. Although he seems to be a very nice man, I couldn’t help but think that every word that was coming out of my mouth must sound so stupid to this guy. So thanks again to my insecurities, I really didn’t get to enjoy meeting him. He was very gracious and signed a couple of books for me, and as far as I could tell, never once rolled his eyes at me or gave me any impression that he thought I was a waste of space. After all, I’m sure that’s what I would have done if I were as smart as he is.
Jesus said, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die.“ (John 11: 25-26) (From April 26, 2011)
This past week marked two great events in history: Easter of course, and the other, my mom’s birthday. God did something brilliant. And my mom knew it.
Just now, I stood looking out the window, squinting into the sun. After shaking the hair from my face as the wind from the open windows blew it gently into my eyes, I saw something amazing. There’s a tree across the street that has been staring towards our window all winter long, just like a corpse hopelessly seems to stare without seeing. Since we moved in, this tree, naked and lifeless, has stood there protesting against the gray sky as if quietly waiting. Today, as I look out, the tree is dancing. It’s branches are swaying to the music of the wind. Covered in a snow of white blossoms amidst a sea of new green leaves, it’s dancing. And as it does, it’s sending petals on the wind down the street. It seems to be sharing its beauty with the whole of Victoria Road as petals glide down the gutters and cover the ground around it.
Why do I celebrate Easter? Nope, not for the Cadbury eggs...(but that doesn’t mean I don’t take full advantage of them as they sit next to the cash register each spring). I celebrate Easter because more than 2,000 years ago my God, as flesh, took my place. As cause demands effect and as sin demands justice, Jesus accepts the worst death imaginable as punishment for the hurt and wrong I’ve done. Then, if that wasn’t enough, (and no, it wasn’t enough) Jesus defeated death! He shook off his mummy wrap and left his tomb. And if that wasn’t enough, (that’s right we’re still going here) my God did this so that I may have this same life that He now lives. A life that never dies! His living body ascended to heaven, but he sent his spirit to live within me. He offered and I accepted. I celebrate because He lives. He lives in me.
I (Jesus) came that you may have life and have it abundantly. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. (John 10:10-11)
Why do I celebrate my mom’s birthday? Because my mommy taught me this historic story. She didn’t teach it to me with just words, but with her life. Sometimes when she would talk about Jesus it sounded so corny and silly to me, but she had something, she lived and breathed something...I couldn’t put my finger on it...but I knew that it was something undeniably different and very much real. My mother had the abundant life that Jesus spoke about. She shared it with everyone she knew. It overflowed out of her. You could say that she introduced me to Jesus and I was very shy for a while and unsure of Him, but I couldn’t deny that He was absolutely real. She spoke to me about Him and I had to squint and push my hair out of my eyes. I could feel Him as she danced through life dropping petals even at the hardest of times.
This tree outside our front window reminded me of the life that Jesus gave me when I asked Him for it. It hangs on me like millions of pure white flower petals. It is whispered with every beat of my heart, and it dances with each windy breath. I must let the petals fall. There is an abundance for a reason. It comes from the giver of life Himself. Full life without end. I must share it too.
Just now, I stood looking out the window, squinting into the sun. After shaking the hair from my face as the wind from the open windows blew it gently into my eyes, I saw something amazing. There’s a tree across the street that has been staring towards our window all winter long, just like a corpse hopelessly seems to stare without seeing. Since we moved in, this tree, naked and lifeless, has stood there protesting against the gray sky as if quietly waiting. Today, as I look out, the tree is dancing. It’s branches are swaying to the music of the wind. Covered in a snow of white blossoms amidst a sea of new green leaves, it’s dancing. And as it does, it’s sending petals on the wind down the street. It seems to be sharing its beauty with the whole of Victoria Road as petals glide down the gutters and cover the ground around it.
Why do I celebrate Easter? Nope, not for the Cadbury eggs...(but that doesn’t mean I don’t take full advantage of them as they sit next to the cash register each spring). I celebrate Easter because more than 2,000 years ago my God, as flesh, took my place. As cause demands effect and as sin demands justice, Jesus accepts the worst death imaginable as punishment for the hurt and wrong I’ve done. Then, if that wasn’t enough, (and no, it wasn’t enough) Jesus defeated death! He shook off his mummy wrap and left his tomb. And if that wasn’t enough, (that’s right we’re still going here) my God did this so that I may have this same life that He now lives. A life that never dies! His living body ascended to heaven, but he sent his spirit to live within me. He offered and I accepted. I celebrate because He lives. He lives in me.
I (Jesus) came that you may have life and have it abundantly. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. (John 10:10-11)
Why do I celebrate my mom’s birthday? Because my mommy taught me this historic story. She didn’t teach it to me with just words, but with her life. Sometimes when she would talk about Jesus it sounded so corny and silly to me, but she had something, she lived and breathed something...I couldn’t put my finger on it...but I knew that it was something undeniably different and very much real. My mother had the abundant life that Jesus spoke about. She shared it with everyone she knew. It overflowed out of her. You could say that she introduced me to Jesus and I was very shy for a while and unsure of Him, but I couldn’t deny that He was absolutely real. She spoke to me about Him and I had to squint and push my hair out of my eyes. I could feel Him as she danced through life dropping petals even at the hardest of times.
This tree outside our front window reminded me of the life that Jesus gave me when I asked Him for it. It hangs on me like millions of pure white flower petals. It is whispered with every beat of my heart, and it dances with each windy breath. I must let the petals fall. There is an abundance for a reason. It comes from the giver of life Himself. Full life without end. I must share it too.
Send in the clouds... (from February 1, 2011)
I’m finding it hard to put into words how it feels to be in the transition stage of living in a new culture. When the newness wares off, and you’re left with life as usual...but it’s not as usual at all! I suppose only others who have gone through this will understand what I’m going to try to explain. These feelings are all very new to me so I’m only just beginning to work them out. Bear with me.
The past few days have been...different. Not bad, please don’t get me wrong, just different. Hmm...
I don’t know if you remember the feeling of your first roller coaster ride? Do you remember moments before getting on, you’re simply excited. Some friends have told you how much fun you’re about to have, and some have warned you against how terrifying your experience will be, telling you it’s not too late to turn back. But since you’re not quite on the ride yet, you’re just thrilled at what lies ahead! You hop on next to a mate who has been on the ride countless times. You get on the ride and you’re smiling, plumb happy, not a care in the world. The straps are locked around you, you see the ride operators signal to each other, and then you suddenly realize the coaster beginning to move. It’s this moment that you realize you’re in a different sort of position. Your emotions have, sort of, washed through your body and are all settling in a jumbled mess in your stomach. You’re in between. You’re locked in. You see the massive climb in front of you, and you get a rush of excitement about that first great hill. But you are not up there yet. You have no idea what this experience will be like. You look down as you slowly click away from your friends who are below, waving and smiling at you. You can’t communicate with them because you’re too far away. You look at your mate next to you. She’s looking straight ahead with confidence, knowing and relaxed in the seat next to you. You look up as you climb, but you haven’t yet reached the top. You are in between.
I was laying in bed last night. Somewhere around 3am. I was worrying about things back home, in America, that I have absolutely no control over. Going over through my mind everything that now seems to be “missing” in my life. Things and people I’ve always had, and conveniences I never thought twice about. I, then, started thinking about all the things here in England that I have no control over and began worrying about them as well. I agonized over my longing for old friends, and for new ones. I prayed for my family. I distracted myself by trying to understand and put into words why I felt the way I did. Explaining to myself that it was a “transitional phase” just as we learned in our intercultural training, and I had an excuse for feeling this way. I was tossing and turning when suddenly God gave me a vision. I have been experiencing this same vision over the past week, but it was only now that I caught it’s completeness.
I am suddenly standing at the very top of a mountain. I see below me the amazing beauty of the vast landscape below. There are rivers and buildings of every color. There are familiar areas and dark areas. Places I’ve been and places I haven’t. I stand there, searching every street with my eyes laid out like a map below, when, quite suddenly, clouds begin to move in from every direction. Clouds cover from far and wide right down to my feet. They cover every color, river, and street below with their gray blanket. For the first time, I look up. A comfort and an amazing weight lifts from me as I gaze into the stillness. At this moment, God speaks to me. He says simply, “I am the same yesterday, today, and forever.”
By saying these words to me, words I’ve read countlessly, God gave me an indescribable sense of relief. I can’t even describe how profound and incredible this moment was! I have been grasping for a feeling of “home” or “belonging” (I don’t know how else to describe it because it’s so much more). Feeling too far from familiar in every direction. Overwhelmed by the sense that I am painstakingly “between” and everything in life keeps changing, God gave me this beautiful reminder. This absolute reality.
When life changes, when your heart breaks, when you lose someone, when the world seems to fall apart, when you’re just grasping for something to hold you up, you have a Father who is always present, a Daddy who will never leave you, a perfect Love that never changes.
The past few days have been...different. Not bad, please don’t get me wrong, just different. Hmm...
I don’t know if you remember the feeling of your first roller coaster ride? Do you remember moments before getting on, you’re simply excited. Some friends have told you how much fun you’re about to have, and some have warned you against how terrifying your experience will be, telling you it’s not too late to turn back. But since you’re not quite on the ride yet, you’re just thrilled at what lies ahead! You hop on next to a mate who has been on the ride countless times. You get on the ride and you’re smiling, plumb happy, not a care in the world. The straps are locked around you, you see the ride operators signal to each other, and then you suddenly realize the coaster beginning to move. It’s this moment that you realize you’re in a different sort of position. Your emotions have, sort of, washed through your body and are all settling in a jumbled mess in your stomach. You’re in between. You’re locked in. You see the massive climb in front of you, and you get a rush of excitement about that first great hill. But you are not up there yet. You have no idea what this experience will be like. You look down as you slowly click away from your friends who are below, waving and smiling at you. You can’t communicate with them because you’re too far away. You look at your mate next to you. She’s looking straight ahead with confidence, knowing and relaxed in the seat next to you. You look up as you climb, but you haven’t yet reached the top. You are in between.
I was laying in bed last night. Somewhere around 3am. I was worrying about things back home, in America, that I have absolutely no control over. Going over through my mind everything that now seems to be “missing” in my life. Things and people I’ve always had, and conveniences I never thought twice about. I, then, started thinking about all the things here in England that I have no control over and began worrying about them as well. I agonized over my longing for old friends, and for new ones. I prayed for my family. I distracted myself by trying to understand and put into words why I felt the way I did. Explaining to myself that it was a “transitional phase” just as we learned in our intercultural training, and I had an excuse for feeling this way. I was tossing and turning when suddenly God gave me a vision. I have been experiencing this same vision over the past week, but it was only now that I caught it’s completeness.
I am suddenly standing at the very top of a mountain. I see below me the amazing beauty of the vast landscape below. There are rivers and buildings of every color. There are familiar areas and dark areas. Places I’ve been and places I haven’t. I stand there, searching every street with my eyes laid out like a map below, when, quite suddenly, clouds begin to move in from every direction. Clouds cover from far and wide right down to my feet. They cover every color, river, and street below with their gray blanket. For the first time, I look up. A comfort and an amazing weight lifts from me as I gaze into the stillness. At this moment, God speaks to me. He says simply, “I am the same yesterday, today, and forever.”
By saying these words to me, words I’ve read countlessly, God gave me an indescribable sense of relief. I can’t even describe how profound and incredible this moment was! I have been grasping for a feeling of “home” or “belonging” (I don’t know how else to describe it because it’s so much more). Feeling too far from familiar in every direction. Overwhelmed by the sense that I am painstakingly “between” and everything in life keeps changing, God gave me this beautiful reminder. This absolute reality.
When life changes, when your heart breaks, when you lose someone, when the world seems to fall apart, when you’re just grasping for something to hold you up, you have a Father who is always present, a Daddy who will never leave you, a perfect Love that never changes.
By faith, he went out... (from January 3, 2011)
“And he went out, not knowing where he was going.” (Matt 11:8)
I just want to share with you what I read today that pertains to the verse above by Oswald Chambers:
“Have you been “out” in this way? If so, there is no logical statement possible when anyone asks you what you are doing. One of the difficulties in Christian work is the question--”What do you expect to do?” You do not know what you are going to do; the only thing you know is that God knows what He is doing. Continually revise your attitude towards God and see if it is a going out of everything, trusting in God entirely.”
(My Utmost for His Highest)
By faith, knowing that God knew what he was doing, “Noah built a ship in the middle of dry land” and “Abraham said yes to God’s call to travel to an unknown place that would become his home. When he left he had no idea where he was going.” and “Barren Sarah was able to become pregnant, old woman as she was at the time, because she believed the One who made a promise would do what he said.” (Now, I love this part) “That’s how it happened that from one man’s dead and shriveled loins there are now people numbering into the millions.” Hebrews 11:8-12
We have all these examples where people “went out” without anything but their faith in God’s plan fueling their steps. One of the most amazing things to me is that...well, instead of putting it in my own words,
“Each one of these people of faith died not yet having in hand what was promised, but still believing. How did they do it? they saw it way off in the distance, waved their greeting, and accepted the fact that they were transients in this world. People who live this way make it plain that they are looking for their true home. If they were homesick for the old country, they could have gone back any time they wanted. But they were after a far better country than that--heaven country. You can see why God is so proud of them, and has a City waiting for them.”
Hebrews 11:13-16
I don’t know about you, but reading these people’s stories makes my spirit stir within me. We all have “going out” to do. God is calling each of us to move forward with complete trust in Him and nothing else. Who knows where your faith could take you, who cares? The one thing is sure, it will take you deeply into His care.
We are excited to see what unfolds in this new year. We are ready to trust God to be our grand tour-guide through England. We are expecting to see more clearly through His eyes as we peer more deeply into His message.
I just want to share with you what I read today that pertains to the verse above by Oswald Chambers:
“Have you been “out” in this way? If so, there is no logical statement possible when anyone asks you what you are doing. One of the difficulties in Christian work is the question--”What do you expect to do?” You do not know what you are going to do; the only thing you know is that God knows what He is doing. Continually revise your attitude towards God and see if it is a going out of everything, trusting in God entirely.”
(My Utmost for His Highest)
By faith, knowing that God knew what he was doing, “Noah built a ship in the middle of dry land” and “Abraham said yes to God’s call to travel to an unknown place that would become his home. When he left he had no idea where he was going.” and “Barren Sarah was able to become pregnant, old woman as she was at the time, because she believed the One who made a promise would do what he said.” (Now, I love this part) “That’s how it happened that from one man’s dead and shriveled loins there are now people numbering into the millions.” Hebrews 11:8-12
We have all these examples where people “went out” without anything but their faith in God’s plan fueling their steps. One of the most amazing things to me is that...well, instead of putting it in my own words,
“Each one of these people of faith died not yet having in hand what was promised, but still believing. How did they do it? they saw it way off in the distance, waved their greeting, and accepted the fact that they were transients in this world. People who live this way make it plain that they are looking for their true home. If they were homesick for the old country, they could have gone back any time they wanted. But they were after a far better country than that--heaven country. You can see why God is so proud of them, and has a City waiting for them.”
Hebrews 11:13-16
I don’t know about you, but reading these people’s stories makes my spirit stir within me. We all have “going out” to do. God is calling each of us to move forward with complete trust in Him and nothing else. Who knows where your faith could take you, who cares? The one thing is sure, it will take you deeply into His care.
We are excited to see what unfolds in this new year. We are ready to trust God to be our grand tour-guide through England. We are expecting to see more clearly through His eyes as we peer more deeply into His message.
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace (from December 29, 2010)
I just finished watching the “The Nativity” put on by the BBC this year, and I have to admit, I’m a little shaken up. I started watching it a few nights ago (it’s 4 episodes long), and to be brutally honest, I really hated it. It drove me crazy that Mary’s parents practically offered Joseph a cup of tea and a biscuit upon inviting him in to talk about his and Mary’s betrothal. I thought, oh come on, what a joke! This isn’t even close to what it must have been like! I had a hard time with everyone being very white and British. A blue eyed Joseph with an American playing the angel, Gabriel. But somewhere God must have softened my heart a little because I began to get lost in the story. I began seeing the people in a completely different light. This young girl, barely a woman, is told that she will give birth to the Son of God after the Holy Spirit comes upon her, and the power of the Most High overshadows her. Not only that, but she’s a virgin! So, what does she do? She accepts it. She trusts God. Mary, you’re so brave!
And then Joseph, you know the girl that you recently became betrothed to, and who is to stay a virgin until your wedding? Well, she’s pregnant. Oh, don’t worry though, it was by the Holy Spirit. She’s still a virgin. And what did he do when he was told this in a dream? He believes it. He trusts God. Wow, Joseph.
OK, I know what you’re thinking...”Sydni, haven’t you heard this story before?”
I have, but I think that’s the problem. I’ve heard it, and read it so many times. I even appeared to the shepherds myself as an angel 6 years in a row in our church nativity play. I’ve encountered this story so many times that I’ve forgotten to really pay attention to its truth that directly effects me. Be shaken up with me. It directly effects you too, by the way.
I pray that if I ever have a dream or if God speaks to me through an angel, I will believe and not only just believe, but I won’t be afraid to live it out. God changed the whole world when a couple of people said, “Let it be as you’ve said, Lord.”
And then, we get to the part of the story that had me in tears. Jesus’ birth. When Jesus was born, he was wrapped up in stuff from the rag-bag, and then he was put to sleep in a mass of hay in an animal food trough. If you’ve ever been on a hay-ride and just sat on the stuff for a few minutes, you know that wouldn’t be where you’d want to lay a new born. He wasn’t born in a castle, a temple/church, or even a cozy cottage. This is really significant! He wasn’t born surrounded by rich folk or people of authority. Nope, our God, our Saviour was born in a cow shed where shepherds and non-jewish, eastern scholars were his first visitors.
Are you able to begin really thinking about the childhood story you heard over and over growing up? Thinking of it not as a mere story, but as the origin of your very own abundant life if you know Him?
In Luke 2:19, after spending 9 months as an outcast and a “whore,” after probably being shunned by everyone she knew, after traveling miles from her home and away from all comfort and belonging, after laying in the hay and giving birth to Jesus, after foreign wise-men and dirty shepherds were the first to greet and worship her newborn child, the one she knew to be the Son of God, it says,
“But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.”
And then Joseph, you know the girl that you recently became betrothed to, and who is to stay a virgin until your wedding? Well, she’s pregnant. Oh, don’t worry though, it was by the Holy Spirit. She’s still a virgin. And what did he do when he was told this in a dream? He believes it. He trusts God. Wow, Joseph.
OK, I know what you’re thinking...”Sydni, haven’t you heard this story before?”
I have, but I think that’s the problem. I’ve heard it, and read it so many times. I even appeared to the shepherds myself as an angel 6 years in a row in our church nativity play. I’ve encountered this story so many times that I’ve forgotten to really pay attention to its truth that directly effects me. Be shaken up with me. It directly effects you too, by the way.
I pray that if I ever have a dream or if God speaks to me through an angel, I will believe and not only just believe, but I won’t be afraid to live it out. God changed the whole world when a couple of people said, “Let it be as you’ve said, Lord.”
And then, we get to the part of the story that had me in tears. Jesus’ birth. When Jesus was born, he was wrapped up in stuff from the rag-bag, and then he was put to sleep in a mass of hay in an animal food trough. If you’ve ever been on a hay-ride and just sat on the stuff for a few minutes, you know that wouldn’t be where you’d want to lay a new born. He wasn’t born in a castle, a temple/church, or even a cozy cottage. This is really significant! He wasn’t born surrounded by rich folk or people of authority. Nope, our God, our Saviour was born in a cow shed where shepherds and non-jewish, eastern scholars were his first visitors.
Are you able to begin really thinking about the childhood story you heard over and over growing up? Thinking of it not as a mere story, but as the origin of your very own abundant life if you know Him?
In Luke 2:19, after spending 9 months as an outcast and a “whore,” after probably being shunned by everyone she knew, after traveling miles from her home and away from all comfort and belonging, after laying in the hay and giving birth to Jesus, after foreign wise-men and dirty shepherds were the first to greet and worship her newborn child, the one she knew to be the Son of God, it says,
“But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.”
Our new home... (from November 10, 2010)
We found our new home today! It's about a 10 minute walk to the town centre, and it's really close to the schools of the teens that we're going to be involved with. We'll be able to move in the first week of December.
It was really funny how we found it. Let me tell you the story! :) As we were walking through the town today, I was praying over and over that God would guide our steps and lead us to where we should go. We realized that we had forgotten the paper with the information of a place we were supposed to go look at this evening. We called David and Janie who had scheduled the appointment and none of us could remember the letting agency it was with, but David said he thought it was on a certain street. So we found a letting agency on that road, went in, and explained our predicament. The girl was very kind and looked up their schedule, but we weren't on it. It was the wrong letting shop. She asked us if we wanted to see what they had though and we said we'd be happy to see. She asked us a couple of questions, typed our answers into her computer, and said that they had one we might be interested in. As she showed us the pictures it turned out to be one that Nick had really liked on the internet last night. After asking if we could possibly go see it, she rang up the landlord and he said we could come immediately if we wanted. So we did. It's in a beautiful, quiet, neighborhood just outside the town centre. And when we got there the landlord met us and said that if we wanted to take it completely furnished he would be happy to leave anything in it that we wanted. It had really good, clean, quality furniture in it! Including dishes, tables...everything we need! We went back to the agency and talked it over with the letting agent. We asked if they would take 40 pounds less, making it exactly what we planned to pay for a place. He called the landlord and he accepted.
I'm confident to say that it was no accident that we went into the wrong agency. God will lead your steps if you let him!
It was really funny how we found it. Let me tell you the story! :) As we were walking through the town today, I was praying over and over that God would guide our steps and lead us to where we should go. We realized that we had forgotten the paper with the information of a place we were supposed to go look at this evening. We called David and Janie who had scheduled the appointment and none of us could remember the letting agency it was with, but David said he thought it was on a certain street. So we found a letting agency on that road, went in, and explained our predicament. The girl was very kind and looked up their schedule, but we weren't on it. It was the wrong letting shop. She asked us if we wanted to see what they had though and we said we'd be happy to see. She asked us a couple of questions, typed our answers into her computer, and said that they had one we might be interested in. As she showed us the pictures it turned out to be one that Nick had really liked on the internet last night. After asking if we could possibly go see it, she rang up the landlord and he said we could come immediately if we wanted. So we did. It's in a beautiful, quiet, neighborhood just outside the town centre. And when we got there the landlord met us and said that if we wanted to take it completely furnished he would be happy to leave anything in it that we wanted. It had really good, clean, quality furniture in it! Including dishes, tables...everything we need! We went back to the agency and talked it over with the letting agent. We asked if they would take 40 pounds less, making it exactly what we planned to pay for a place. He called the landlord and he accepted.
I'm confident to say that it was no accident that we went into the wrong agency. God will lead your steps if you let him!
Taking the Mickey... (from November 7, 2010)
We had an interesting first night here (in the place we'll be staying in until we find a permanent place. It's attached to a family's home). We got here and it was cold, quite cold. It turns out the heater isn't working, and the family was out of town for a birthday party. There's a reset button on the heating unit so the heat works for a few minutes at a time if you keep pressing it. So we pressed it a couple of times hoping to warm it up a little bit.
Then we left and walked to the grocery store where we found a pizza for a £1 (pound)! Sounded like a good idea at the time. We got it home and after figuring out how to use the double oven we popped it in, and Nick opened the IPA he picked up for a treat. The beer was farty. I don't know how else to put it...haha. It smelled like a poop. We pulled out the pizza, cut it, and began to eat. It tasted like cardboard, and ended up having tiny plastic-looking fibers in it. Don’t eat a pizza that only costs a pound. Noted. Luckily we got some biscuits (cookies) that were quite good, and they had the word NICE stamped into each one which made them even better.
Anyways, after watching some quality UK tele,we went to bed and actually stayed pretty warm with the blankets we had (turned out that one of the bags with our blankets, was left behind at David and Janie's. Woops!)
This morning, as we tried to shower quickly, one of us sat out in front of the heating unit (which also heats water by the way) and hit the reset button every couple of minutes while the other shouted about the icey water coming out. Quite exciting! But we made it out of the house in time to catch the bus into town for DNA Sunday Church. It was really good to see some of the people we met here 2 years ago as well and many new people.
Afterward, we got to go to our American friends' flat. They arrived here about a month ago so we will get to learn together as we work alongside one another. It was wonderful to chat over lunch about the things they've learned while being here. There are a lot of differences!
This evening we went back to David and Janie's where we got to meet the teens we've been Skyping with the past couple of months! We will be helping them in any way we can with a church they have started once a fortnight (every 2 weeks) in a Barn outside of town. It was so great to finally see them face to face. We talked about the upcoming service they will be putting on this coming Sunday.
Now, we're back at our temporary home pushing the reset button every few minutes trying to keep from seeing our breath. The family got home tonight though, and we got to speak to them about it. They are getting someone as soon as they can tomorrow to come fix it. They are really wonderful people and are a blessing to us in so many ways!
Tomorrow, we're looking at a flat in the morning, going to the bank to open an account so we can get a mobile phone, and stopping at a few letting (renting) agencies to find more leads. We can’t wait to have a phone. We never know what time it is!
Goodnight....more to come.
Then we left and walked to the grocery store where we found a pizza for a £1 (pound)! Sounded like a good idea at the time. We got it home and after figuring out how to use the double oven we popped it in, and Nick opened the IPA he picked up for a treat. The beer was farty. I don't know how else to put it...haha. It smelled like a poop. We pulled out the pizza, cut it, and began to eat. It tasted like cardboard, and ended up having tiny plastic-looking fibers in it. Don’t eat a pizza that only costs a pound. Noted. Luckily we got some biscuits (cookies) that were quite good, and they had the word NICE stamped into each one which made them even better.
Anyways, after watching some quality UK tele,we went to bed and actually stayed pretty warm with the blankets we had (turned out that one of the bags with our blankets, was left behind at David and Janie's. Woops!)
This morning, as we tried to shower quickly, one of us sat out in front of the heating unit (which also heats water by the way) and hit the reset button every couple of minutes while the other shouted about the icey water coming out. Quite exciting! But we made it out of the house in time to catch the bus into town for DNA Sunday Church. It was really good to see some of the people we met here 2 years ago as well and many new people.
Afterward, we got to go to our American friends' flat. They arrived here about a month ago so we will get to learn together as we work alongside one another. It was wonderful to chat over lunch about the things they've learned while being here. There are a lot of differences!
This evening we went back to David and Janie's where we got to meet the teens we've been Skyping with the past couple of months! We will be helping them in any way we can with a church they have started once a fortnight (every 2 weeks) in a Barn outside of town. It was so great to finally see them face to face. We talked about the upcoming service they will be putting on this coming Sunday.
Now, we're back at our temporary home pushing the reset button every few minutes trying to keep from seeing our breath. The family got home tonight though, and we got to speak to them about it. They are getting someone as soon as they can tomorrow to come fix it. They are really wonderful people and are a blessing to us in so many ways!
Tomorrow, we're looking at a flat in the morning, going to the bank to open an account so we can get a mobile phone, and stopping at a few letting (renting) agencies to find more leads. We can’t wait to have a phone. We never know what time it is!
Goodnight....more to come.
A daily refreshment... (from July 26, 2010)
The heat has been so heavy these past few weeks. I can’t help but drink water constantly for relief. Just so, with the weight of fund raising and the constant whisper of “will we ever leave for England?” squeezing it’s way into the back of my mind, God’s words from Matthew 6 ring in my ears to drown out my selfish discomfort, “seek first my kingdom and my righteousness, and all these things will be added.” Jesus, I’m so thankful your mercies are new every morning! Every day I’m reminded of and am so thankful for the living water that flows through my being.
I wanted to share with you this refreshment God reminds me of each day.
Do you know that feeling when you’re so hungry, and what you begin eating is so good that you can hardly keep yourself from swallowing it before you’ve completely chewed it? That’s how I feel about writing these blog posts sometimes. God’s word and Holy Spirit revelation can be so good at times that I can hardly get a thought clear enough to type it out before I want to take another bite. So I’m going to try really hard to be clear about what I’m about to write by breaking it into smaller bites because I don’t want it to be hard to digest.
When I was little, maybe in 2nd grade or so, my class was learning about habitats. We were told to write down the basic essentials, absolutely necessary, for a creature, such as ourselves, to live. After a little discussion, we concluded that water was at the very top of the list. How interesting then it is that Jesus refers to the Salvation and The Holy Spirit as living water. “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him.” (Jn 7:37-38) This is a pretty beefy announcement. Let’s chew on this for a second. (Yes, I did. :) )
“If anyone is thirsty...” When Jesus stood and proclaimed this, it was the last day of The Feast of Tabernacles, a seven day feast. There is no doubt in my mind that he caught the attention of everyone present. I mean, come on, feasting for 7 days straight would make any person quite thirsty! But he wasn’t exactly talking about a physical thirst, but the dry desert within that knows life is more than this world offers. We long for inner refreshment. The weight of carrying our sins causes us to feel so spiritually thirsty for relief. But Jesus is explaining that there is complete freedom from our burdens of sin! He longs to take the weight if we will just choose to let Him have it and to quench our thirst if we just receive what He’s offering.
“...let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me...” Jesus is making it clear that this drink, this gift which is Salvation and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, is only available through Him. The acknowledgment and belief in Jesus as the Christ is absolutely crucial. Jesus sacrifice by the coming (at them time this was written) crucifixion, resurrection and exaltation to the right hand of the Father puts only Him in this position to offer such a gift. Absolutely no one else can give such a gift as this, ever. Nobody else, just Jesus Christ. Did I make that clear? Well, I’m going to talk about it more later anyways.
“...as the Scripture has said...” Jesus is establishing himself to the Jewish people he’s speaking to as the one promised to them by God in their scriptures, the Old Testament. He’s saying look! History shows you I’m Him! He’s the one they’ve all been waiting for. The one you and I have been waiting for. But just like today, there are people who chose not to believe, and thus forfeited the gift of eternal life that’s freely given.
“...streams of living water will flow from within him.” Jesus chose his words carefully. He didn’t say “a still bucket of water will sit quietly inside him,” but water that is moving, alive, that gushes outward from the inside. Those who accept this gift will experience eternal life and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. They will be different from before; changed from the inside out. Abundant life will flow outward from within them. The Holy Spirit will take up residence in death’s old home inside them. This scripture in John is just as relevant today, and Jesus is offering this drink to anyone who hasn’t yet swallowed it.
Nobody else can offer this living water, remember? And why? The gift of salvation is a gift of grace. Not because of anything the people at this feast can do to earn it. Not because of anything you did or can ever do, or anything I did or can ever do, but because of what Jesus did in my place. Jesus was the perfect sacrifice, willingly dying instead of me for my sins. Instead of you for your sins. Jesus was the only perfect sacrifice. Because He was the only man to live completely without sin, but accepted the death penalty required of sin. He was judged in my place, in your place, and in the place of the people He’s speaking to in this scripture. He was judged and found blameless! So death couldn’t have Him and after being stone cold dead for 3 days, He awoke alive! God accepted His sacrifice in our place, thus giving us the opportunity to have this living water! Don’t accept it, then hold it at arms length, bottoms up! Cheers!
Every morning when the worries of today arise and the anxieties of life stand before me, I have to remind myself that living water flows from within me. I must seek Him first.
Please forgive my poor grammar and punctuation. I’ll have my sister edit these from now on. :)
I wanted to share with you this refreshment God reminds me of each day.
Do you know that feeling when you’re so hungry, and what you begin eating is so good that you can hardly keep yourself from swallowing it before you’ve completely chewed it? That’s how I feel about writing these blog posts sometimes. God’s word and Holy Spirit revelation can be so good at times that I can hardly get a thought clear enough to type it out before I want to take another bite. So I’m going to try really hard to be clear about what I’m about to write by breaking it into smaller bites because I don’t want it to be hard to digest.
When I was little, maybe in 2nd grade or so, my class was learning about habitats. We were told to write down the basic essentials, absolutely necessary, for a creature, such as ourselves, to live. After a little discussion, we concluded that water was at the very top of the list. How interesting then it is that Jesus refers to the Salvation and The Holy Spirit as living water. “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him.” (Jn 7:37-38) This is a pretty beefy announcement. Let’s chew on this for a second. (Yes, I did. :) )
“If anyone is thirsty...” When Jesus stood and proclaimed this, it was the last day of The Feast of Tabernacles, a seven day feast. There is no doubt in my mind that he caught the attention of everyone present. I mean, come on, feasting for 7 days straight would make any person quite thirsty! But he wasn’t exactly talking about a physical thirst, but the dry desert within that knows life is more than this world offers. We long for inner refreshment. The weight of carrying our sins causes us to feel so spiritually thirsty for relief. But Jesus is explaining that there is complete freedom from our burdens of sin! He longs to take the weight if we will just choose to let Him have it and to quench our thirst if we just receive what He’s offering.
“...let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me...” Jesus is making it clear that this drink, this gift which is Salvation and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, is only available through Him. The acknowledgment and belief in Jesus as the Christ is absolutely crucial. Jesus sacrifice by the coming (at them time this was written) crucifixion, resurrection and exaltation to the right hand of the Father puts only Him in this position to offer such a gift. Absolutely no one else can give such a gift as this, ever. Nobody else, just Jesus Christ. Did I make that clear? Well, I’m going to talk about it more later anyways.
“...as the Scripture has said...” Jesus is establishing himself to the Jewish people he’s speaking to as the one promised to them by God in their scriptures, the Old Testament. He’s saying look! History shows you I’m Him! He’s the one they’ve all been waiting for. The one you and I have been waiting for. But just like today, there are people who chose not to believe, and thus forfeited the gift of eternal life that’s freely given.
“...streams of living water will flow from within him.” Jesus chose his words carefully. He didn’t say “a still bucket of water will sit quietly inside him,” but water that is moving, alive, that gushes outward from the inside. Those who accept this gift will experience eternal life and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. They will be different from before; changed from the inside out. Abundant life will flow outward from within them. The Holy Spirit will take up residence in death’s old home inside them. This scripture in John is just as relevant today, and Jesus is offering this drink to anyone who hasn’t yet swallowed it.
Nobody else can offer this living water, remember? And why? The gift of salvation is a gift of grace. Not because of anything the people at this feast can do to earn it. Not because of anything you did or can ever do, or anything I did or can ever do, but because of what Jesus did in my place. Jesus was the perfect sacrifice, willingly dying instead of me for my sins. Instead of you for your sins. Jesus was the only perfect sacrifice. Because He was the only man to live completely without sin, but accepted the death penalty required of sin. He was judged in my place, in your place, and in the place of the people He’s speaking to in this scripture. He was judged and found blameless! So death couldn’t have Him and after being stone cold dead for 3 days, He awoke alive! God accepted His sacrifice in our place, thus giving us the opportunity to have this living water! Don’t accept it, then hold it at arms length, bottoms up! Cheers!
Every morning when the worries of today arise and the anxieties of life stand before me, I have to remind myself that living water flows from within me. I must seek Him first.
Please forgive my poor grammar and punctuation. I’ll have my sister edit these from now on. :)
Ready, set...um... (From March 17, 2010)
When Nick and I were in training, we were challenged to give our “histories” (as Nick has talked about before). When given this assignment, my initial thoughts were, I have nothing exciting to talk about...everyone is going to be bored listening to my history. I remembered hearing different testimonies of previous drug dealers, murderers, strippers who had come to the Lord and had their lives radically changed. Awesome! But that wasn’t me. So, reluctantly, I sat down and started thinking through and writing my life story. It wasn’t long before uncontrollable tears began running down my face and snot poured from my nose. God was whispering in my ear, “Look how I’ve changed you.” My past experiences came back to me like semi trucks ripping through a frozen night. I had forgotten, no, I had locked away so many memories. But God helped me unlock them and write them down. He reminded me of beautiful days and of dark days. “I was there too,” He would seem to remind me as I laughed or cried.
Paul strikes a home-run again in Romans 6:19-23 when he says, “I’m using this freedom language because it’s easy to picture. You can readily recall, can’t you, how at one time the more you did just what you felt like doing--not caring about others, not caring about God--the worse your life became and the less freedom you had? And how much different it is now as you live in God’s freedom, your lives healed and expansive in holiness? As long as you did what you felt like doing, ignoring God, you didn’t have to bother with right thinking or right living, or right anything for that matter. But do you call that a free life? What did you get out of it? Nothing you’re proud of now. Where did it get you? A dead end. But now that you’ve found you don’t have to listen to sin tell you what to do, and have discovered the delight of listening to God telling you, what a surprise! A whole, healed, put-together life right now, with more and more life on the way! Work hard for sin your whole life and your pension is death. But God’s gift is real life, eternal life, delivered by Jesus, our Master.”
As Nick and I wrote our histories, God showed us both that He had always been present. From the very beginning of our lives. Even when we didn’t know Him yet or when we pushed him into the closet and chose our own way. One of the greatest things He illuminated as we wrote out our stories was this: His timeline is perfect. After we shared our histories with our other fellow trainees and teachers, we were told many times things like, “God’s timing in your lives is just amazing to see!”
Today was the day Nick and I had set as our goal date to leave for England. We have been praying that we would have 100% of our financial support in so we could leave today. We have dealt with frustration and discouragement. We felt like we were failing and God wasn’t hearing our prayers, but He was. Of course He was! It just turns out that God’s answer is, “Don’t you remember that my timing is perfect!”
A couple weeks ago, when I was feeling nervous (as the support storm raged all around us), God brought me to Luke 8. I read the story many of us remember from childhood. It starts with Jesus saying, “Let’s go over to the other side of the lake.” So, the disciples and Jesus get in the boat and begin crossing the lake when Jesus falls asleep. A great wind comes and blows the water around them up like mad. The disciples get so scared that they wake Jesus up in a hurry thinking they were all going to die. So Jesus gets up and speaks to the storm calming everything around them. Then what did He say to the disciples? “Where is your faith?”
God told Nick and I, “Let’s go over to the other side of the [big] lake.” To England, if you didn’t catch that. :) Right now, we’re in the boat. We’ve gotten scared as our timing clashes with God’s timing and a storm seems to rage around us. But God keeps challenging us, “Where is your faith?” Just as the disciples did when the storm around them picked up and they felt its pressure on the sides of their boat, we forget that promise, “Let’s go over to the other side of the lake.”
His timing is perfect. He’s proven that over and over in our lives. We’re going to “the other side of the lake,” and we can’t let the trip cause us any doubt.
His timing is perfect. Thank you God!
Paul strikes a home-run again in Romans 6:19-23 when he says, “I’m using this freedom language because it’s easy to picture. You can readily recall, can’t you, how at one time the more you did just what you felt like doing--not caring about others, not caring about God--the worse your life became and the less freedom you had? And how much different it is now as you live in God’s freedom, your lives healed and expansive in holiness? As long as you did what you felt like doing, ignoring God, you didn’t have to bother with right thinking or right living, or right anything for that matter. But do you call that a free life? What did you get out of it? Nothing you’re proud of now. Where did it get you? A dead end. But now that you’ve found you don’t have to listen to sin tell you what to do, and have discovered the delight of listening to God telling you, what a surprise! A whole, healed, put-together life right now, with more and more life on the way! Work hard for sin your whole life and your pension is death. But God’s gift is real life, eternal life, delivered by Jesus, our Master.”
As Nick and I wrote our histories, God showed us both that He had always been present. From the very beginning of our lives. Even when we didn’t know Him yet or when we pushed him into the closet and chose our own way. One of the greatest things He illuminated as we wrote out our stories was this: His timeline is perfect. After we shared our histories with our other fellow trainees and teachers, we were told many times things like, “God’s timing in your lives is just amazing to see!”
Today was the day Nick and I had set as our goal date to leave for England. We have been praying that we would have 100% of our financial support in so we could leave today. We have dealt with frustration and discouragement. We felt like we were failing and God wasn’t hearing our prayers, but He was. Of course He was! It just turns out that God’s answer is, “Don’t you remember that my timing is perfect!”
A couple weeks ago, when I was feeling nervous (as the support storm raged all around us), God brought me to Luke 8. I read the story many of us remember from childhood. It starts with Jesus saying, “Let’s go over to the other side of the lake.” So, the disciples and Jesus get in the boat and begin crossing the lake when Jesus falls asleep. A great wind comes and blows the water around them up like mad. The disciples get so scared that they wake Jesus up in a hurry thinking they were all going to die. So Jesus gets up and speaks to the storm calming everything around them. Then what did He say to the disciples? “Where is your faith?”
God told Nick and I, “Let’s go over to the other side of the [big] lake.” To England, if you didn’t catch that. :) Right now, we’re in the boat. We’ve gotten scared as our timing clashes with God’s timing and a storm seems to rage around us. But God keeps challenging us, “Where is your faith?” Just as the disciples did when the storm around them picked up and they felt its pressure on the sides of their boat, we forget that promise, “Let’s go over to the other side of the lake.”
His timing is perfect. He’s proven that over and over in our lives. We’re going to “the other side of the lake,” and we can’t let the trip cause us any doubt.
His timing is perfect. Thank you God!
A new creation... (from February 15, 2010)
Have you ever seen the show on TBN where Kirk Cameron walks up to random people on the street and asks them if they have ever told a lie, or have ever had an impure thought? The usual answer from these poor, unsuspecting strangers is, “of course I have.” Then Kirk tells them, “that makes you a sinner and unless you ask Jesus into your heart and ask for forgiveness, you’re going to hell.” I’ve never tried Mr. Cameron’s approach in street ministry and probably never will. It seems a bit too harsh for me. But is there some truth in what he says? I mean, did Christ have to die because of our lies and impure thoughts? Or was God’s plan for our salvation much bigger than the fact that we’re simply not very good humans? I believe so. I’m convinced, we are all born with an unexplainable, divinely crafted, longing not just to be better humans but a new creation all together.
2 Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.”
When I came to Christ, at the age of 16, I went down to the alter and asked Jesus into my heart fully expecting to be overwhelmed with some life changing, spiritual experience. I was a little disappointed when I finished the salvation prayer and still felt the same. Nothing came over me. No instant relief, no overwhelming sense of joy, no spiritual enlightenment, I still felt very much human. I’ve been a Christian now for 15 years, almost half my life, and I still don’t feel like I’m a new creation. Sure, I’ve had experiences over the years where God has touched me and I know God has made me a better human but I’m still just human, not a new creation. Or have I been a new creation the past 15 years without even realizing it? And what does God mean by “a new creation,” in the first place? Before we can begin to understand this new creation we first need to understand how we were originally created and why we long to be recreated.
Genesis 1:26-28 “Let us make human beings in our image, make them reflecting our nature... God created human beings godlike.”
First, I think it’s important to note when God says, “Let US make human beings in OUR image...reflecting OUR nature.” Our being plural means it was the Father, Jesus, and Holy Spirit all taking part in the creation of the Heavens, Earth, and us. We are created, reflecting the mirror image of God’s nature. Meaning our wants, needs, and desires at their core are the same as God’s wants, needs, and desires. You may be asking, if my desires are the same as God’s than how can God be a good God when my desires seem to be mostly self-centered and perverse? We were created by God from the Earth not created by God from God. (Gen. 2:7) That’s the first major difference, and reason why our desires seem to be a bit skewed compared to our idea of what a good, loving, just, and perfect God’s desires would be. Let’s take a look at the first insight we have into this newly created man, Adam, and maybe it will help explain what I mean.
Genesis 2:18 “It’s not good for man to be alone; I’ll make him a companion comparable to him.”
After Adam is created the next thing God says is, “it’s not good for man to be alone.” Keeping in mind that this story is about God more so than Adam it gives us a good idea of the empathy God shares with man, a longing for companionship. “I’ll make him a companion comparable to him.” God formed all the animals and birds the same way he formed man, from the dust of the Earth and gave Adam the job of naming each one. (:19-:20) Notice how God said he will make Adam a companion comparable to him and not a companion that would be just like him, or one of his kind. Adam spent the first weeks, months, possibly even years of his life with nothing but animals to keep him company. Can you imagine living your life with only animals? We have a dog named Brooke Shields and since Sydni and I don’t have any kids yet we probably treat her too much like she’s our child. She isn’t living with us right now but when she did it was so fun when we would get home from work and she would get so excited to see us that she would make all these weird noises and couldn’t contain herself or her bladder. Coming home to a dog will always beat coming home to an empty house, even if you have to wipe up the dog’s pee every time. However, my relationship with my dog is pretty limited. It’s hard to share life’s meaningful moments with something that only wants her belly rubbed or wants to play tug with a sock. You can only share the things that really matter with someone of your own kind.
Genesis 2:20 “...but he didn’t find a suitable companion.”
From Adam’s rib, not from the dirt in which Adam was formed, God created woman. When Adam saw her he said, “Finally! Bone of my bone flesh of my flesh; she was made from man.” It’s hard to imagine the excitement Adam must have felt when he woke up to find someone that was one of his kind, a woman. (Probably pretty similar to the excitement Brooke Shields feels when we come home and she pees). The moment Adam laid his eyes on Eve he knew she was made from him and for him. That moment put Adam’s deepest desire, of longing for companionship, temporarily at peace. You have to remember while you are reading this story of Adam and Eve you’re not reading a story about Adam and Eve or a story about you or me. This story is ultimately about Jesus, and this story gives us a glimpse at His longing for us to become a suitable companion for Him. It seems clear to me that there is so much more separating us from our creator than our actions alone. In part two I would like to take a look at how Jesus not only forgave us of our poor decisions but radically changed our entire being into a begotten child of God.
I’m sorry if you were wanting another Sydni blog and you came across this and were disappointed. However, if you made it this far I’m taking it that you’re not completely disappointed
2 Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.”
When I came to Christ, at the age of 16, I went down to the alter and asked Jesus into my heart fully expecting to be overwhelmed with some life changing, spiritual experience. I was a little disappointed when I finished the salvation prayer and still felt the same. Nothing came over me. No instant relief, no overwhelming sense of joy, no spiritual enlightenment, I still felt very much human. I’ve been a Christian now for 15 years, almost half my life, and I still don’t feel like I’m a new creation. Sure, I’ve had experiences over the years where God has touched me and I know God has made me a better human but I’m still just human, not a new creation. Or have I been a new creation the past 15 years without even realizing it? And what does God mean by “a new creation,” in the first place? Before we can begin to understand this new creation we first need to understand how we were originally created and why we long to be recreated.
Genesis 1:26-28 “Let us make human beings in our image, make them reflecting our nature... God created human beings godlike.”
First, I think it’s important to note when God says, “Let US make human beings in OUR image...reflecting OUR nature.” Our being plural means it was the Father, Jesus, and Holy Spirit all taking part in the creation of the Heavens, Earth, and us. We are created, reflecting the mirror image of God’s nature. Meaning our wants, needs, and desires at their core are the same as God’s wants, needs, and desires. You may be asking, if my desires are the same as God’s than how can God be a good God when my desires seem to be mostly self-centered and perverse? We were created by God from the Earth not created by God from God. (Gen. 2:7) That’s the first major difference, and reason why our desires seem to be a bit skewed compared to our idea of what a good, loving, just, and perfect God’s desires would be. Let’s take a look at the first insight we have into this newly created man, Adam, and maybe it will help explain what I mean.
Genesis 2:18 “It’s not good for man to be alone; I’ll make him a companion comparable to him.”
After Adam is created the next thing God says is, “it’s not good for man to be alone.” Keeping in mind that this story is about God more so than Adam it gives us a good idea of the empathy God shares with man, a longing for companionship. “I’ll make him a companion comparable to him.” God formed all the animals and birds the same way he formed man, from the dust of the Earth and gave Adam the job of naming each one. (:19-:20) Notice how God said he will make Adam a companion comparable to him and not a companion that would be just like him, or one of his kind. Adam spent the first weeks, months, possibly even years of his life with nothing but animals to keep him company. Can you imagine living your life with only animals? We have a dog named Brooke Shields and since Sydni and I don’t have any kids yet we probably treat her too much like she’s our child. She isn’t living with us right now but when she did it was so fun when we would get home from work and she would get so excited to see us that she would make all these weird noises and couldn’t contain herself or her bladder. Coming home to a dog will always beat coming home to an empty house, even if you have to wipe up the dog’s pee every time. However, my relationship with my dog is pretty limited. It’s hard to share life’s meaningful moments with something that only wants her belly rubbed or wants to play tug with a sock. You can only share the things that really matter with someone of your own kind.
Genesis 2:20 “...but he didn’t find a suitable companion.”
From Adam’s rib, not from the dirt in which Adam was formed, God created woman. When Adam saw her he said, “Finally! Bone of my bone flesh of my flesh; she was made from man.” It’s hard to imagine the excitement Adam must have felt when he woke up to find someone that was one of his kind, a woman. (Probably pretty similar to the excitement Brooke Shields feels when we come home and she pees). The moment Adam laid his eyes on Eve he knew she was made from him and for him. That moment put Adam’s deepest desire, of longing for companionship, temporarily at peace. You have to remember while you are reading this story of Adam and Eve you’re not reading a story about Adam and Eve or a story about you or me. This story is ultimately about Jesus, and this story gives us a glimpse at His longing for us to become a suitable companion for Him. It seems clear to me that there is so much more separating us from our creator than our actions alone. In part two I would like to take a look at how Jesus not only forgave us of our poor decisions but radically changed our entire being into a begotten child of God.
I’m sorry if you were wanting another Sydni blog and you came across this and were disappointed. However, if you made it this far I’m taking it that you’re not completely disappointed
Tap, tap, tap... (from January 22, 2010)
God is really tapping his foot at me today, or at least I just decided to acknowledge it today.
Have you ever sat at home during the week with the T.V. going and noticed the college commercials that come on? “What are you waiting for? Don’t wait another day,” they say, “call now and get your career started today.” Do you believe God can speak to you through a commercial? Well, I guess He did for me.
God has asked Nick and I to relocate, to “go and make disciples” in England (Matt. 28:19), but even before this, He has asked us to live in Springfield and raise our support. For some reason, probably to make it easier on myself, I was separating the two. I thought, ‘right now, I need to focus on raising the support we need to get to England as quick as possible, so that we may begin to “make disciples” of Christ in England.‘ All the while, God has been tapping His foot and waiting for me to remember that He commanded me to “go and make disciples” when I chose to follow Him. His command doesn’t change depending on what I’m doing at the time. It was the same when I was working at a coffee shop in Kansas City just like it was the same in an accounting department here in Springfield. If I claim to be a Christ follower, I must acknowledge his commandment to me. Jesus orders his followers to, “Go and make disciples...” He didn’t say that at certain times of transition to stop and concentrate on other things instead, and he didn’t say go when you’re ready or when you feel fully qualified, but simply go.
I don’t feel very awesome about admitting my neglect of this very important command, but in writing about it, I’m hoping to really challenge myself and even you to remember His commands always.
So, no matter where we are or what our current “job” is, His command is the very same.
Have you ever sat at home during the week with the T.V. going and noticed the college commercials that come on? “What are you waiting for? Don’t wait another day,” they say, “call now and get your career started today.” Do you believe God can speak to you through a commercial? Well, I guess He did for me.
God has asked Nick and I to relocate, to “go and make disciples” in England (Matt. 28:19), but even before this, He has asked us to live in Springfield and raise our support. For some reason, probably to make it easier on myself, I was separating the two. I thought, ‘right now, I need to focus on raising the support we need to get to England as quick as possible, so that we may begin to “make disciples” of Christ in England.‘ All the while, God has been tapping His foot and waiting for me to remember that He commanded me to “go and make disciples” when I chose to follow Him. His command doesn’t change depending on what I’m doing at the time. It was the same when I was working at a coffee shop in Kansas City just like it was the same in an accounting department here in Springfield. If I claim to be a Christ follower, I must acknowledge his commandment to me. Jesus orders his followers to, “Go and make disciples...” He didn’t say that at certain times of transition to stop and concentrate on other things instead, and he didn’t say go when you’re ready or when you feel fully qualified, but simply go.
I don’t feel very awesome about admitting my neglect of this very important command, but in writing about it, I’m hoping to really challenge myself and even you to remember His commands always.
So, no matter where we are or what our current “job” is, His command is the very same.
The great conductor... (from January 20, 2010)
Last weekend Nick and I were invited to St. Louis by a new friend and supporter. It was so encouraging to spend time with her. She is so energized by missions and what God is doing all over the world, that she asked us to come share our hearts and ministry with some people at her own church. We got the opportunity to speak to a few classes there and were excited by their responses. Our support team is growing, and it is by nothing that Nick and I are doing!
As we continue to move forward and “raise support” to do what God has called us to, we are prayerfully seeking those who God has already provided to join our team. It is such an exciting thing to watch as God sends people into our paths and opens doors all around us. It is exciting because it has nothing to with how great we are at it, because honestly...we aren’t that great at it. But it does have everything to do with how great God is and how His hands are conducting it. What I guess I’m trying to say is, what a relief it is to know, to really know, that “when I am weak, He is strong.”
As we continue to move forward and “raise support” to do what God has called us to, we are prayerfully seeking those who God has already provided to join our team. It is such an exciting thing to watch as God sends people into our paths and opens doors all around us. It is exciting because it has nothing to with how great we are at it, because honestly...we aren’t that great at it. But it does have everything to do with how great God is and how His hands are conducting it. What I guess I’m trying to say is, what a relief it is to know, to really know, that “when I am weak, He is strong.”
Letting go... (from January 5, 2010)
When we got married 2 years ago, we got all sorts of incredible wedding gifts. We moved into our new little home, and I decorated the rooms. Everything had a place. I planted flowers in the front and hung pictures on the walls.
Well, I just finished hanging what’s left of those pictures on the walls of this, our 3rd “house” in 7 months. And, hopefully, we’ll be leaving it too behind in only a few short months.
Since we left our first little blue house on Chattanooga Street, goodness how life is changing!
I never thought I would be so excited to say, “Yes, a couch, a chair, and a bed...that is all the furniture we own.” (What a relief to know that if we leave the door unlocked when we leave, the thieves would begin laughing upon entry stating, “This one must have already been wiped out by our rivals the Wacky Bandits.” Perhaps not an exact quote, but you get the point.)
When we first began selling our brand new wedding presents, I’ll be the first to admit, it hurt. Saying goodbye to the table at which Nick proposed to me still brings a tear to my eye. But, seriously, honestly, through this, God has taught me an amazing lesson. This doozy of lesson! Are you ready to hear it?!
...It’s just stuff. Ok, so it doesn’t sound that amazing, but I challenge you the way God is challenging me. -Don’t get attached to stuff or you’ll miss out.- “Don’t hoard treasure down here where it gets eaten by moths and corroded by rust or-worse!- stolen by burglers.” (Matthew 6:19)
My mom always kept stuff for “good”. She would say things like, “Oh, don’t use those towels. I’m saving them for ‘good’.” She would save things so that they would be there when she, someday, finally felt she absolutely needed them. When my mom died, my sister and I laughed and cried when we went through her sock drawer. So many brand new socks she was saving for ‘good’. It’s just stuff...yeah, well I have done much worse.
I have a past shadowed by worry. I worried about money the most. I hung on to money I would get for my birthday for years in a little envelope afraid that if I spent it, immediately The Great Depression would again ensue, and it would be all my fault that I couldn’t feed my family. It sounds silly, but it gave me a sense of security. It gave me a sense of control. I would say, if asked, that “Of course I completely rely on God to supply my needs.” Yeah right I did. Are you kidding me? I have it all under control. I am responsible and very capable to take care of my needs. I work 40+ hours a week...I trust God to supply my needs if ever it becomes necessary because right now I’ve got it under control. My preoccupation, my need to control my own security, had caused me to completely miss out on understanding my simple need for Christ and Him only. I guess I’m finally getting to my point.
For me, these last few months of letting go and allowing God to take control of all of it, has been unimaginable. It has taken me giving up everything I had control over and everything that made me feel secure to begin to understand what it means to trust God. God not only provides when you let Him, but He does it in ways I could have never dreamed up. When I think of my needs I think on an outside flat scale...food, shelter, gas for the car, etc. God sees it differently. When He sees my needs He thinks on an over, under, around and through scale. Since I’ve begun to allow God to strip away my control issue and trust Him, He has provided completely. What better hands to be in than those of my own creator.
❅Recommended readings...Matthew 6, and “Counterfeit Gods” by Tim Keller
Well, I just finished hanging what’s left of those pictures on the walls of this, our 3rd “house” in 7 months. And, hopefully, we’ll be leaving it too behind in only a few short months.
Since we left our first little blue house on Chattanooga Street, goodness how life is changing!
I never thought I would be so excited to say, “Yes, a couch, a chair, and a bed...that is all the furniture we own.” (What a relief to know that if we leave the door unlocked when we leave, the thieves would begin laughing upon entry stating, “This one must have already been wiped out by our rivals the Wacky Bandits.” Perhaps not an exact quote, but you get the point.)
When we first began selling our brand new wedding presents, I’ll be the first to admit, it hurt. Saying goodbye to the table at which Nick proposed to me still brings a tear to my eye. But, seriously, honestly, through this, God has taught me an amazing lesson. This doozy of lesson! Are you ready to hear it?!
...It’s just stuff. Ok, so it doesn’t sound that amazing, but I challenge you the way God is challenging me. -Don’t get attached to stuff or you’ll miss out.- “Don’t hoard treasure down here where it gets eaten by moths and corroded by rust or-worse!- stolen by burglers.” (Matthew 6:19)
My mom always kept stuff for “good”. She would say things like, “Oh, don’t use those towels. I’m saving them for ‘good’.” She would save things so that they would be there when she, someday, finally felt she absolutely needed them. When my mom died, my sister and I laughed and cried when we went through her sock drawer. So many brand new socks she was saving for ‘good’. It’s just stuff...yeah, well I have done much worse.
I have a past shadowed by worry. I worried about money the most. I hung on to money I would get for my birthday for years in a little envelope afraid that if I spent it, immediately The Great Depression would again ensue, and it would be all my fault that I couldn’t feed my family. It sounds silly, but it gave me a sense of security. It gave me a sense of control. I would say, if asked, that “Of course I completely rely on God to supply my needs.” Yeah right I did. Are you kidding me? I have it all under control. I am responsible and very capable to take care of my needs. I work 40+ hours a week...I trust God to supply my needs if ever it becomes necessary because right now I’ve got it under control. My preoccupation, my need to control my own security, had caused me to completely miss out on understanding my simple need for Christ and Him only. I guess I’m finally getting to my point.
For me, these last few months of letting go and allowing God to take control of all of it, has been unimaginable. It has taken me giving up everything I had control over and everything that made me feel secure to begin to understand what it means to trust God. God not only provides when you let Him, but He does it in ways I could have never dreamed up. When I think of my needs I think on an outside flat scale...food, shelter, gas for the car, etc. God sees it differently. When He sees my needs He thinks on an over, under, around and through scale. Since I’ve begun to allow God to strip away my control issue and trust Him, He has provided completely. What better hands to be in than those of my own creator.
❅Recommended readings...Matthew 6, and “Counterfeit Gods” by Tim Keller
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