The History Behind the History

I've been plugging away at my District School of Ministry course-work.  I wish I could say I have been on top of things better, but life kind of gets in the way sometimes.  My summer has been jam-packed between the new job, lots of Mercy Chefs deployments/trips, and various other outings.  When I attended my last course I was just submitting my test from my May course.  The good news is I have now put a plan in place to get caught up-and so far I have stuck it.  Mostly because I want to graduate on time!

My most recent book I have been studying is Christ in the Synoptic Gospels-actually I just finished reading the last chapter tonight.  I will take the test Saturday, and begin my new book Sunday.

The most intriguing chapter in this book was Chapter 3 "The Historical Background".  I've read the Bible, and studied World History when I was in school, but this chapter put the 2 together in a neat way.  In school, the teachers were not concerned with putting emphasis on how the times were interwoven with biblical times.  And the Bible was written by people who didn't have a need to explain the whole world political situation at that time-it was just understood as its original audience lived in those times.

Greece and Alexander the Great, Ancient Rome, and more.  So many political conquests and empires played their part in preparing the world for Christ's appearance.  The chapter laid out things in such a way that you know it was not by accident that God sent His Son at a time when the world was ready for Him.

Galatians 4:4 says, "But when the set time had fully come, God sent His Son, born of a woman, born under the law."  This chapter filled in my mind what this scripture means when it says the time had fully come.  God didn't pick this time by accident.  I love how my studies are showing me how things fit together so well!

I'll Pray About That

Change is in the air!  A few weeks ago I decided to apply for a part time summer job.  I was drawn to Lakeview for several reasons, but primarily due to proximity to my house.  It didn't really go any further.  A few days later, I was at Lakeview eating lunch for my DSOM class when I saw one of the directors, so I figured I would inquire if they had done all their summer hiring yet.  She mentioned that they had a position available at the fitness center working at the front desk.  That sounded to me like a great summer job!  I turned in my application, and they called a few days later to ask if I could come in for an interview.

I went into the interview thinking about how great the new job would be-it would keep me busy between Mercy Chefs deployments, give a little bit of extra income, and working in an environment I was already familiar with.  Almost as soon as the interview started, though, I was told that they would like me to consider another position they thought I was more suited for-which happened to be a full time, permanent position.  My immediate thought-reaction was "No way!  I just want to work for the summer, and definitely not full time!"  But the more they described the office job to me, my interest piqued.  The position would be using exactly my gifting of administrative abilities and attention to detail.  Still, on the inside I was screaming "No! I don't want a permanent job!"

I believe strongly that if an opportunity arises, it may be for a reason.  While not all opportunities are meant to be taken, they at least deserve some thought and prayer.  I walked away from the interview saying I would pray about it-almost sure that I would come back and let them know that I was not interested.  We agreed to meet again after 5 days.

I went home and immediately talked to my husband, who really encouraged me to think about it seriously.  So I prayed.  Strange-that feeling of non-interest seemed to change a bit.  The next day as I read my devotions, the very first words illuminated themselves to me:  "Are you searching for peace?"  Absolutely I was!  I was searching for peace about the whole situation.  While the entire situation isn't "perfect", I began to realize that God opened this opportunity to me.  Maybe some day I will understand why!  Yes, I will miss being able to go on Mercy Chefs deployments during disasters, as that flexibility just won't be there.  But I have peace in knowing that I will still be able to continue working in the homeless outreaches, and perhaps some local disasters on weekends.  

I met with the Lakeview staff again and accepted the position-and it just felt right!  I definitely had the peace about it that I felt like I needed.   I am excited to start my job training on Monday, and then begin at the beginning of May.

Reaching America

This year I began a new endeavor-I started the process to obtain credentials with the Assemblies of God.  In order to meet the educational requirements, I enrolled in NTDSOM-North Texas District School of Ministry.  Each month this year (minus a one month break in the summer and also in December) I take a new class, which includes mostly personal study times, and once a month I come together with the class to hear lecture and take the exam.

Here is a picture of this month's book-and my blanket as I enjoy being able to study from the comfort of my own bed.

This month we are studying Assemblies of God History, Missions, and Governance.  I found the chapter on U.S Missions (the first part of chapter 12) the most intriguing as my husband and I are U.S. missionaries.

Much of the U.S. Missions material was somewhat of a review for me.  When we attended Candidate Orientation two years ago, we learned about the role of the U.S. Missions (which I usually refer to as AGUSM) as related to being a facilitating and sending agency-the department appoints us as we go through the missions process.  We are a part of the Missionary Church Planters and Developers Department, which is led by Darlene Robison.  She has been an incredible support, advocate, and cheerleader to us and I can't imagine being on this journey without her!  There are 6 other departments that we got to know in our missions process-chaplaincy, Chi Alpha, Intercultural, Teen Challenge, MAPS, and Youth Alive.

There was also some material in the text that I learned from regarding U.S. Missions.  Much of the historical information I had minimal knowledge prior to this course.  The chapter described how the department grew throughout the years.  Starting off in in the early part of 1900's, the "department" was referred to as pioneer evangelism, and then in 1939 it became it's own official department-Home Missions and Education Department, with the first director being Fred Vogler.  At that time emphasis was primarily on church planting and Bible institutes.

Over time, specialized ministries began to pop up as the need arose.  Prisoners, various ethnic groups, Native Americans, and other special needs groups were added to the list of areas receiving missionaries.  (These areas of ministry were the reason the various departments I listed above were created.)  Over time, the department changed names again to the Division of Home Missions in 1971 and to U.S. Missions in 2003.  The current AGUSM director is Zollie Smith.

Names, dates, and places are probably some of the most difficult things I have trouble remembering.  The stories, though, stick with me.  As I read the material about the different departments, my mind went to the missionaries I know in some of those departments within AGUSM and what incredible work they each represent.

Chaplaincy-Nate and Sarah Moore are fellow North Texas missionaries, and friends of ours, to the rock climbing world.  They can relate to the lifestyle of rock climbers because they live that lifestyle day in and day out.  They live out of their van and follow the rock climbing scene around the nation.  I don't know many people who could live the way they do.

Chi Alpha-Lennon and Christal Noland are also North Texas missionaries, and happen to be one of our neighbors, as we both currently live in missions housing.  After serving on the campus through Chi Alpha missions in San Angelo, they went to North Carolina before coming back to Texas to serve as directors to all North Texas Chi Alpha missionaries.  Since his time in this new role, we have seen an influx of Chi Alpha missionaries begin to seek national appointment.  I am excited about the work he is doing for the department, as our work as Youth Pastors has shown us first hand that many students turn away from God in their college years.

Intercultural Ministries-Steve and Sandra Hogue are AGUSM missionaries out of Florida.  They specialize in adoption and foster care-specifically training the church to fill the need as foster, and potentially adoptive parents, and in turn giving kids a chance to hear about God.  Since so many orphans in America come from various ethnic groups, they were placed in this department.  I can't remember how many kids they have-but it is over 10!  This is certainly a calling, and no doubt God has His hand on this family!

Missionary Church Planters and Developers-Josh Holder (and what is his wife's name?  Remember that thing up above where I said I wasn't good with names?  Prime example!)  Josh and his wife moved to New Orleans (I believe from Illinois) to work with the low income in the crescent city.  He sticks out in my mind, as we (Mercy Chefs) had responded to tornadoes in Reserve, Louisiana a couple months ago, and since it was just a few miles away from his city, he came and joined us one day to help out.  He regularly works with the homeless, and in the cold of winter made sure his outdoor friends had plenty of blankets to keep warm.  This type of work is very close to my heart as we work with the homeless regularly in Dallas and Fort Worth.

Teen Challenge-Paul Ecker is one of the first U.S. missionaries I think I ever met.  When John and I first married was when we began attending an A/G church, and our pastor invited him out to our church annually.  He typically brought the Teen/Life Challenge guys out with him, and their music ministry always touched me.  They sang "My God is real..." with such passion-they knew He was real because of the change He had made in their lives.  On a side note, Paul was originally from Philadelphia and I always laughed at his reference and desire for Tastee Cakes-which at the time was a treat reserved only for the east coast, but has since become available in Texas.  But I digress!  Again-this is one of those ministries that you really must have a heart for, and Paul definitely is in his niche!

MAPS-Ken and Peggy McGowen entered my life a few years back.  I worked at the district office at the time, and they had an opening for a part time front desk receptionist.  Ken's current MAPS assignment was at Lakeview Camp as an electrician.  Peggy applied for the receptionist to give her something to do during the day.  She was so sweet to work with and an incredible encourager.  Since their assignment at Lakeview, they have been to many places around the country-California, Maine, and Florida among others, and also out of the country to Senegal through A/G World Missions.  I love to see what God can do through the layperson's abilities to further the Kingdom!

Youth Alive-Kyle and Janelle Embry are North Texas Youth Alive missionaries.  They work so closely with the district youth department, particularly at summer camps, and provide incredible training to teenagers through their Together Trainings (which we have participated in when we were youth pastors) which prepare students to lead Bible clubs on their school campuses.  The thing they are most known for is their Seven Projects-school assemblies where they typically teach on secular topics such as bullying, and then invite the students to a local church later that night and preach a gospel message.  During Candidate Orientation we met another Youth Alive couple who were pioneering a Youth Alive in their district and one of their biggest troubles is churches understanding why this type of ministry is needed.  I was shocked-Youth Alive is such an integral part of district life and camps here in North Texas that I simply cannot imagine not having such a vital ministry. 

While history is not one of my preferred courses of study, there was enough material in this month's book to keep my attention.  Some was stories of real people and what they accomplished.  Other had information that I could relate to for one reason or another.  As this month comes to a close, I am looking forward to my next study on the book of Acts.

Road Trippin' in the Fall

Nothing soothes me more than a road trip.  When I'm stressed and busy, there is nothing quite like a road trip to help me unwind.  Last month, it was almost as if God just placed the perfect opportunity for me to enjoy a road trip.  In the midst of an incredibly busy schedule in multiple areas of life, plus additional stressors flying at me, we had a missions meeting scheduled in St. Louis.  My hubby was at a Mercy Chefs site in Mississippi the full week prior to the event and was going to have to drive to St. Louis directly from his feeding site.  I considered flying to St. Louis and meeting him there, but in the end, decided a road trip was truly what I needed-alone time with God on the road.

I stopped many times along the way; the first stop was in Hulbert, Oklahoma at Sequoyah State Park.  I just enjoyed the beauty of the area for a little while...the changing color of the leaves, the view of the lake, pine straw (we don't have pine trees in our area of Texas), the sound of the leaves crunching under my feet, even the smell of the forest.  As I was leaving town, I saw a tin man that I just had to stop and take a picture of. 

Spavinaw State Park was my next stop.  This was a gorgeous little park...a dam was on the far end of the park, and a huge cliff ran the full length of the campgrounds, with a creek running below the cliff.  The foliage here had lots of colors spread throughout.  Most Oklahoma State Parks are free to visit (camping does have a charge), so it was nice that I was able to stop at several of them without paying an entrance fee.

Once I left the state park, I crossed the bridge, and drove up a small incline on the other side of the lake to this gorgeous view.

Later I stopped in Bernice at Grand Lakes State Park.  It had a nice cement trail along the lake there.  I was very impressed with the parks in Oklahoma.  As you can see, it was starting to get dark, so it was my last stop of the night.

I spent the night in Miami, Oklahoma, one of the stops along Historic Route 66.  I did a quick check on TripAdvisor and Yelp to figure out what unique restaurants were in the area, and came across multiple great reviews for Waylan's Ku-Ku Burger.  I wasn't incredibly hungry, so I ordered the Ku-Ku fries (essentially chili cheese fries) and a drink.  I'm not sure why I forgot tot take a picture of dinner, but this was a great choice that I would love to go to again with my hubby or kids.

The next morning, I decided to drive along Historic Route 66 for a little while.

I stopped briefly in Riverton, Kansas at the Rainbow Bridge.  It is the last surviving Marsh arch bridge along the whole road.  It is only open to one direction of traffic, and a new bridge is just east of it, which most traffic now takes.

After that I stopped in downtown Galena, Kansas just a block or two off Route 66 to catch a glimpse of Tow Mater.

It was at this point that I realized my slow trip was about over, as I had to get on the road to our conference.  I had a wonderful time decompressing, and my road trip with detours was just what I needed to relieve stress.  I got back on the interstate in Missouri to be greeted at the welcome center by this guy.  I thought this might mean I would be experiencing a great deal of road construction, but thankfully the slow-downs were minimal.  

It was great to be reunited with my hubby after about a week.  We had a wonderful conference, and enjoyed a little bit of St. Louis before having to head back home.

Fall is coming

Most people have a favorite season.  Mine is summer.  I love the warmth, the sun, the beach.  I love the ability to go outside barefooted late at night without getting cold.  Taking the top off the Jeep without having to look for a jacket.  Sand between my toes.

These days I am reminded frequently that fall is coming.  Morning dew has arrived back on the scene on a daily basis.  There have been a couple mornings where I didn't dare leave home without a jacket.  Fall allergies are, well, just that.  It is definitely the changing of a season.

And while my favorite season will be gone for a while, I take comfort in knowing some of my favorite things are about to go down in the upcoming months:  hot soups to bring warmth, pumpkin-flavored anything I can think of, cozy evenings by the fire, and the beauty of fall foliage that God created for us to see.  Even today on my walk, I have begun to see the pretty colors, and heard the sound of the leaves dancing in the breeze along the pavement.  Knowing the season is changing isn't always easy, but realizing it is just a season helps put things in perspective.

"To everything there is a season; a time for every purpose under heaven."  Ecclesiastes 3:1

A Day in the Life of a U.S. Missionary

About six years ago I taught a weekly discipleship Sunday School class to teenagers, and one of the things we did each week was pray for one of the missionaries our church supported.  I would email the missionaries in the week before their prayer emphasis to find out what their needs were.  During this time, I frequently found myself wondering, "What exactly does a missionaries day look like?"

Fast forward six years.  My husband, John, and I have now changed roles into U.S. Missionary Candidates with the Assemblies of God.  We work with an organization called Mercy Chefs.  In short, we respond when disaster strikes to feed the victims, volunteers, and first responders a restaurant quality meal in the midst of their hurting.  Today I found myself laughing when I had the same thought, "What exactly does a missionaries day look like?"  No two days are alike.  Today was unique, with its own set of challenges, but God had His own way of blessing us as always.

We have been on Fall Tour the past two weeks-meetings with pastors, where we give a brief explanation of our ministry in hopes that they can help us reach one of our current goals:  becoming fully funded.  We have traveled all over North Texas during these two weeks.  I still have a full time job that I have been juggling-and am very blessed to have a boss who is understanding of our role and love for missions by allowing me to take vacation time!  Ultimately, I will join John full time on the field, but for now, I am working while we are raising our budget.  Today there were no Fall Tour stops, so I got up extra early, made sure to get my devotions in, and then headed to work to get caught up on what I have missed the past few days.  Part of the U.S. Missions process requires we meet with a coach every few weeks, and today happened to be a coaching day as well.  So I took a break from work for a conference call.  During this call I had a realization that I am still not sure how to handle, "Do I have time for my job?"  The one day I was able to work this week, and here I am still doing my missions job.  Please pray with me about this-I absolutely love my job, but I don't want to stay a moment longer than the Lord wants me to work.  Since we are not fully funded and my department is in the midst of a major transition, this decision is a difficult one to make!

After the coaching phone call, John left to pick up the mobile kitchen.  We drive a dually 5th wheel truck which tows the 37 foot mobile kitchen trailer to each disaster site.  It has been in the repair shop getting a new hot water heater, and some other repairs.  While towing it back home, one of the dually tires had a blow out, and hit the tire next to it, causing it to blow out as well.  Did I mention he was in a school zone while school was dismissing?   Praise the Lord, He kept John safe!  Yes, life is always interesting with large equipment involved.  We are no strangers to vehicle issues.  Nearly every trip we have been on we have experienced some sort of truck or trailer trouble.  He called me at work-thankfully I was just a few miles away and was able to bring him a better jack than he had on board.  Again I found myself questioning, "Do I have time for my job?"  Wow, twice in one day I had this thought.  What is going on?  Lord, I need you to provide! Trailer removed from the fifth wheel, two tires taken off the truck, one spare put on, trailer re-attached to the 5th wheel, and driven just a short distance to a local restaurant.  I was grateful today that we live in a small town where I knew the restaurant owner by name, and she had no problem with us leaving it there a while.

My boss happened to be away from the office when I left work for the tire incident, so I had texted him to let him know what was going on.  He asked if we were getting rained on, because where he was, less than 20 miles away, it was pouring rain so hard that he had to pull off the highway.  Wow!  The Lord was really watching over us!  Thank you Lord for holding off on the rain!

Fast forward four hours...all six tires on the truck are replaced, and I head back to work while John heads back to the restaurant to pick up the mobile kitchen.  I spent an hour at work, and meanwhile, John gets a call...there has been severe flooding in Arizona and New Mexico, and we need to respond.  He brings the Mercy Chefs trailer to the house to load it-when it was in the shop, we had pretty well emptied all the equipment out of the kitchen into our garage.  We began by pulling all the equipment out of the garage and into the driveway...speed racks, warmers, coolers, a grill (not usually taken on our trips, but the generator has been acting up, so we need an alternative method to cook in the event it wants to quit, and thus not allow us to use the stove), Cambros, 18 cases of to go boxes, 6 folding tables and chairs, 2 easy up tents, 2 boxes of t-shirts for our volunteers, and lots of other boxes.  John worked on repairing a wheel on one of the warmers, and then...the rain began.  Again, the Lord was watching out for us.  It never rained too hard, mostly just a light sprinkling, but the cool air that came with it was a welcome change.  About that time, our boys, 16 and 18 years old, got home from church.  We wanted to go to church tonight, but had been a little pre-occupied!  They helped us get the mobile kitchen loaded a lot quicker than we could have ourselves.  Again, a little miracle from God that he sent at just the right time!

Partially unloaded from the garage awaiting to be uploaded onto the trailer

The rest of the evening has been spent moving the truck to a large parking lot for deployment, getting necessary laundry done, ironing a chef coat, packing a bag, and making final plans.  Well, there it is..a day in the life of a U.S. Missionary.  A day unique to itself, with its own bit of challenges, but time and again God proving Himself to have it all taken care of.

Would you please pray for the victims of this terrible flood?  Would you please pray for John as he heads towards southwest to respond to this disaster?  Would you please pray for volunteers to help in the relief effort, not just with Mercy Chefs, but also for all the other relief organizations?  Would you please pray for us and we continue to raise funds?  Will you please pray for God to speak to us about His timing for me to be able to join John full time on the field?

Women's Retreat 2012: Day 3

I can't believe the last day of Women's Retreat is already here!  Today was simply just the one session, but it was a good one!  Amber Rhoads and her band led us into worship once again,

and Jan Aldridge brought another message.  After her miraculous healing, she still had obstacles to overcome.

What a blessing this retreat has been to me!  It was good to spend time with friends, and to hear an evangelist bring the Word!  Now-I need sleep!

Women's Retreat 2012: Day 2

This morning's service started off with some worship, followed by the worship leader, Amber Rhoads, telling her story, and how God had restored her.

It led to an altar call time that touched so many in the service.

After lunch, we headed over to some workshops.  The first workshop was titled "Love is a Verb".  

The second session we attended was "Marriage Revolution".  They were both great sessions-you could tell the speakers were well prepared.

Next we enjoyed a little free time before dinner.

Then we headed back to the auditorium a little early to guarantee us some good seats.  While we waited we went to the stage for some group pictures.

Isn't the stage design cool?  This year's theme is "First Love".

Amber Rhoads and her band led us once again into worship, 

and then the keynote speaker, Jan Aldridge, was announced.  She told her story of being born with a birth defect and how that shaped her life.  She gave words of encouragement, and so many responded to the altar call.  She is such an anointed speaker!

What a great day!  I can't wait to hear her speak again tomorrow!

Get Out Of There

This year our pastor is doing a series on how to build the church.  Each month he breaks it down even further-one month he talked about how to build a family.  Today's message was about manners, and the important role manners play in building a church.

He used the scripture from 1 Corinthians 15:33, "Be not deceived; evil communications corrupt good manners."  I am used to hearing this verse from another version that goes more along these lines, "Do not be misled: Bad company corrupts good character."

He used that passage, and then (in reference to manners), he made the statement:  "If you can be a good leader, lead them out of it.  If you can't, get out of there."  That statement he made really spoke to me.  One of the questions I hear again and again about Christianity is "Jesus hung out with the crooks, so why can't I?"  Or worded a different way, "How can I help the people that hang out in bars if I'm not willing to go in there with them?"

The answer lies in his statement-if you are a leader (not by title, but by personality), and you have the ability to compel a person to see Christ in you, then it will be easier for you to "hang out with sinners".  If you are not a leader (again by nature-not by title), then being in that negative environment will quickly corrupt you.  You need to learn to recognize the signs of when you are picking up the bad habits of those you are witnessing to, so you know when you need to draw closer to him, and to flee the negative situation before it further corrupts you (not just manners-but anything).

I am blogging this because it spoke to me, but for anyone who might be reading this that thinks I am trying to say it's okay to go in bars-that is not at all what I am saying.  There is a time to witness, but you must also have a time to be fed.  The Bible also says to flee the very appearance of evil (1 Thess. 5:22)-and I feel hanging out in bars fits into this category.  Learn to recognize when negativity is starting to affect you-and when it does-get into your prayer closet, and make an effort to draw closer to Him.

Wordless Wednesday: When The Odds Are Against You

Clean Stables=Unfulfilled Lives

My hubby has a blog-I don't really mention it often because he doesn't blog nearly as often as me-which, to be completely honest-I probably do a little too much.  Oh, well.  As I've stated before, this blog is more for me than it is anything else.  But, I digress.

My hubby's blog is acoustically speaking.  He posted about a week ago, and what he had to say has just stuck with me.  Maybe it just struck a chord because of how busy I/we have been lately.  Maybe it made me feel a little better about my dirty house.  I want you to read the blog yourself, so I intentionally am not copying and pasting what he had to say, but I just can't resist the "Ctrl C" and "Ctrl V" for this one final statement: Don't fear change! Let God lead you as you take right risks and seize the life He created just for you!

Leaders Breakaway

Like I mentioned yesterday, I worked this weekend at a Leaders Breakaway.  It has been a great weekend full of training, and with fun games, and relationship building.  I think the ladies that attended had a great time.  In one of the sessions, the speaker, Mary Smith said, "Unless you stretch yourself beyond what you already know and can do, you will never grow." That really stuck with me all day, and is pushing me to never stop and just be content with where I'm at. It was a great weekend, but I am exhausted now! It was a lot of work, but so worth it!

A Gentle Stretch

God has been tugging at my heart a lot lately-telling me it is time to stretch myself.  Just like when I was invited to speak to 170 girls a few weeks back to teach them how to make scarves.  No, it wasn't a spiritual thing-but it was getting me used to being out of my comfort zone.  He has been showing me times in the past when I have said "no" to things because I didn't want to do them for the sheer fact that it makes me uncomfortable.  Remember that movie "Yes Man"?  In it, the main character can't say no to anything-and it takes him places he never thought possible.  What if I lived my life that way?  I think about things that I used to say no to (Pray in front of people?  No way!  I love God and I pray to Him all the time, but not in front of people.  What if I say the wrong thing?)  (Teach a class?  Are you kidding me?  I'll fumble my words and say something accidentally that is contrary to scripture.)  God has surely stretched me over the years, and I have felt Him doing it again-preparing me for it.


Tonight my hubby was at a conference, and so we had a speaker lined up, but she had a family emergency and had to cancel last minute.  We had the worship team do a few extra songs to extend worship longer, and one of our young adults was going to speak briefly.  I asked God what He wanted me to do.  I told Him that whatever it was I didn't want it to be about me, but for it to be about Him.   I only wanted to speak the words that He gave me-depending solely on Him.  The past few weeks since I had attended a chapel service, I have been continuing to meditate on the words the speaker spoke.  That is what God gave me tonight.  Between a couple worship songs, I got the microphone and read the scripture from that message: Isaiah 48:17..."who teaches you what is best for you"...I went on to explain to the students that our view of "best" has to change.  Realistically, broccoli is best for us, as opposed to chocolate.  Even though we would prefer the chocolate-what is best isn't always what we would choose.  We have to realize that God knows what is best for us, and we have to trust Him-despite the negative things we have to deal with in life-we go through situations to help us become better.  All that I spoke was very short-but i didn't feel the nervousness-in fact, I wasn't thinking about what I would say-He was just giving me the words.


Yes, He certainly stretched me tonight.  And I am growing because of it.  And I am exited about what is next-even though I really don't know what that might be. :)

Italian with Friends

Some friends called earlier today and asked if we could catch dinner with them tonight since they just happened to be driving through at dinner time.  They were in the mood for soup, so we decided on Olive Garden, which had a good variety of soups.  I have learned (even without having to check the website anymore), that when I want pasta, the thing to order at Olive Garden is the Capellini Pomodoro-which is thin spaghetti noodles with a fresh tomato-based sauce.  It is one of the lower calorie options on the menu.  The downside is the lack of protein, but at least it tastes good!  The dinner portion is enormous-I barely touched it-but that is good since I had a bread stick and salad with that yummy dressing.

It was good to visit with friends we hadn't seen in a while.  They are in the midst of transition, and I was glad that we could be there for them when they needed us-just as they have been there for us when we needed them.  I was reminded of Ecclesiastes 3 after dinner.  Our friends are normally upbeat, but at this time they needed comfort.

Ecclesiastes 3

New King James Version (NKJV)

Everything Has Its Time

3 To everything there is a season,
A time for every purpose under heaven:

² A time to be born,
    And a time to die;
A time to plant,
    And a time to pluck what is planted;
³ A time to kill,
    And a time to heal;
A time to break down,
    And a time to build up;
⁴ A time to weep,
    And a time to laugh;
A time to mourn,
    And a time to dance;
⁵ A time to cast away stones,
    And a time to gather stones;
A time to embrace,
    And a time to refrain from embracing;
⁶ A time to gain,
    And a time to lose;
A time to keep,
    And a time to throw away;
⁷ A time to tear,
    And a time to sew;
A time to keep silence,
    And a time to speak;
⁸ A time to love,
    And a time to hate;
A time of war,
    And a time of peace.

I am thankful that God could use us to be helpful in their time of need for fellowship and comfort.  I pray that their time of happiness returns soon.

Mardi Gras

I had always heard of Mardi Gras or Fat Tuesday, but never really knew what it was.  I heard about the beads, drunken parties, girls flashing, and transvestites.  But I had no idea what the celebration was all about.  A few years ago, I learned that it actually had a Christian beginning.  Tomorrow is Ash Wednesday-the first day of Lent for the Catholic church-the season of giving up something (usually food of some sort) in preparation for Easter.  Fat Tuesday is the day before this season, and it is viewed as the last day to indulge before a time of doing without.


I don't typically give up food for the Lent season, but if I did, I can understand wanting to indulge one last steak or something like that.  But I don't understand the over-indulgence.  In Romans 13, the Bible calls us to:


¹³So behave properly, as people do in the day. Don't go to wild parties or get drunk or be vulgar or indecent. Don't quarrel or be jealous. ¹⁴Let the Lord Jesus Christ be as near to you as the clothes you wear. Then you won't try to satisfy your selfish desires.


My prayer for myself is that I not allow any time of indulgence to become a time of over-indulgence.  My prayer is that I not feel like I have to wear a mask to cover up my sinning, and that I have nothing to be ashamed of to feel the need to cover my identity.  This prayer is not just for Mardi Gras, but for all year long.

   

Pictures of Lost & Found

I attended a chapel service this morning, and Dave McNaughton spoke.  He works to help prepare pastors to plant churches on the national level.  He had an excellent message on the lost and the found.

In Luke 15, there are 3 pictures of the lost and found:  -the shepherd that left the 99 sheep to go after the one that was lost; -the lost coin that was searched for; and -the  prodigal son who came home.  Dave explained that God is not obsessed with the lost, but rather He is obsessed with the lost being found.


Faithfulness is awesome; but He is also looking for fruitfulness.  Dave asked us to consider the story from Luke 5 of the 4 men carrying their friend to see Jesus on a mat.  These men were both faithful and fruitful.  These men followed 4 main things:
1-They understood and embraced their mission.
2-They understood their role.
3-They executed their task.
4-They trusted that the other men in their group were going to hold up their end of the bargain.


This message was a good reminder for me to not just be faithful, but to strive to be fruitful as well, and seek out to find those who are lost.

CFNI Night of Worship

Tonight we took our students to CFNI's Night of Worship in Dallas.  CFNI is known as one of the best colleges world wide for Worship Pastors to attend to get their training at.  The Night of Worship runs from 7:30 until around 10:00, and is high energy.  The Holy Spirit really showed up tonight, and there were miraculous healings.  I love to be in the presence of the Lord, and His Sweet Spirit filled the place in an amazing way.  I am so glad our students could experience so many worshipers seeking God with their whole hearts.  I think that through this experience, lives are changing.  I am so excited to be a part of how our students experience God on their journeys.

Crippled By The Past

I keep hearing and reading about people who are so plagued by their past, they can't function normally in the present.  We are watching A Christmas Carol, and I'm noticing how Scrooge was the bitter old man he was because of how his past hurt him.  I am reading The Shack-Mack is so paralyzed by his daughters violent death that he has a darkness that keeps him in a depression.  I've been watching Monk-a detective so weakened by his wife's murder that he can no longer function normally in society, brilliant as he his.

I see these, and extreme as the premise in these fictional works seem, I can see a bit of truth to their coping mechanisms in my life.  I have been hurt by people time and again over the course of my life-people that I should have been able to trust.  My personality is characteristically introverted.  I enjoy the company of others, but I tend to deal with things internally, and being around groups of people frequently without any alone time tends to wear me out.  The combination of my already introverted personality coupled with having trouble trusting people, means that if I don't intentionally keep putting myself out there, I am at risk of becoming bitter, depressed, or unable to function normally just like those in the fictional works that I have been reading and watching recently.

So how can I be intentional about not allowing bitterness to seep into my life?  I need to forgive those in my past in order to move forward.  I need to make sure I am spending time with God each day.  And I need to be intentional about showing love to others.  1 Corinthians 13:4-7 says:  "Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres."  I need to be intentional about living out these verses.  Today I am thankful for how God speaks to me even through fictional works. 

Just Do What's Right

I get a daily devotional from Our Daily Bread in my email.  It is written by a variety of authors, so each day I enjoy getting different perspectives.  Today's devotional is titled "Just Do What's Right" by Joe Stowell, and it really spoke to me. Here is a (rather large) excerpt from today's devotional:

On a trip out of the country, I happened to meet an attorney who was from my hometown in New Jersey. We were surprised at how much we had in common. In the course of the conversation, he asked, “Did you say your name was Stillwell?” I said, “No, it’s Stowell.” He then mentioned that he had a client named Stillwell. “Is it Art Stillwell?” I asked, and, to my surprise, he said yes. Art Stillwell attended my church and was an influential businessman in the community.
The attorney admitted that he had no client quite like Art. He explained that most of his clients want him to do whatever it takes to get them out of their problems, but Art was different. Whenever he asked Art what to do in any given situation, Art always replied, “Just do what’s right!” Obviously it had made an impression on the attorney.

This is such a great reminder to me that while it may be easier to do certain things, I should always do what is right in God's eyes.  The scripture reference was from Philippians 2:15:  That you may become . . . children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation.

Thanksgiving Reflection

Over the past few weeks, there has been much to read on thankfulness in preparation for the Thanksgiving season.  The blog I have enjoyed the most was written by Jimmy White, a pastor I worked for a few years ago. Dr J's Blog titled "A Sane Question From An Insane Man". 

Here is an excerpt:

• Thank God for the children who ran away from home and returned, but don’t forget to thank God for the ones who didn’t.
• Thank God for the people whom God has healed of debilitating and death dealing diseases, but thank also God for the many who have never been diagnoses with such diseases.
• Thank God for marriages that have fallen apart and been put back together again, but don’t forget to thank God for the marriages that have stood the test of time and continue triumphantly and happily.
• Thank God for families who have suffered from horrible car wrecks and walked away with little or no permanent injuries, but don’t forget to thank God for sparing most of us from such tragedies.
• Thank God for people who have miraculous provisions to feed them when their pantry was empty, but let us never fail to be constantly thankful who have never known the panic of having nothing to eat.
• Thank God for missionaries who span the globe carrying the glorious Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, but do not fail to express gratitude to the pastors everywhere who stay at home and feed the flock week after week.
• Thank God for the times when people have found employment when they had no job at all, but we must equally thank God for the jobs that was never lost at all.
• Thank God for orphans who have found a home, but we should also thank God that our children have never known what it would be like to have no home to call their own.
• Thank God for drug addicts that have been set free by Divine deliverance, but never fail to thank God for those who have never been made captive of illegal drugs.