A Sweet Supper {With Christ That Night}

It was 1651. An Englishman named Christopher Love was sentenced to death.

He was to be beheaded as a martyr for Christ. On July 14, 1651-- the night before he was to die-- Christopher's wife, Mary Love, wrote this letter to him. At the time, she was eight months pregnant with their third child-- yet if you read the letter, she shows no thought for herself, but an infinitely unselfish love that desired to put Christ ahead of all else.

Lord, make my heart this beautiful.

My Dear Heart,—Before I write a word further, I beseech thee, think not that it is thy wife, but a friend now that writes to thee. I hope thou hast freely given up thy wife and children to that God, who hath said, in Jeremiah 49:11, ‘Leave thy fatherless children, I will preserve them alive, and let thy widow trust in me.’ Thy Maker will be my husband, and a father to thy children. O that the Lord would keep thee from having one troubled thought for thy relations! I desire freely to give thee up into thy Father’s hands, and not only look upon it as a crown of glory for thee to die for Christ, but as an honour to me, that I should have an husband to leave for Christ. I dare not speak to thee, nor have a thought within my own heart, of my unspeakable loss, but wholly keep my eye fixed upon thy inexpressible and inconceivable gain. Thou leavest but a sinful, mortal wife, to be everlastingly married to the Lord of glory: thou leavest but children, brothers and sisters, to go to the Lord Jesus, thy eldest brother: thou leavest friends on earth to go to the enjoyment of saints and angels, and the spirits of just men made perfect in glory: thou dost but leave earth for heaven, and changest a prison for a palace. And if natural affections should begin to arise, I hope that spirit of grace that is within thee will quell them; knowing that all things here below are but dung and dross in comparison of those things that are above. I know thou keepest thine eye fixed on the hope of glory, which makes thy feet trample on the loss of earth.

My dear, I know God hath not only prepared glory for thee, and thee for it; but I am persuaded he will sweeten the way for thee to come to the enjoyment of it. When thou art putting on thy clothes that morning, O think, I am now putting on my wedding garments, to go to be everlastingly married to my Redeemer! And when the messenger of death comes to thee, let him not seem dreadful to thee; but look on him as a messenger that brings thee tidings of eternal life. When thou goest up the scaffold, think (as thou saidst to me) it is but thy fiery chariot, to carry thee up to thy Father’s house. And when thou layest down thy precious head to receive thy father’s stroke, remember what thou saidst to me, though thy head were severed from thy body, yet in a moment thy soul should be united to thy head, the Lord Jesus, in heaven. And though it may seem something bitter, that by the hands of men we are parted a little sooner than otherwise we might have been; yet let us consider, it is the decree and will of our Father; and it will not be long ere we shall enjoy one another in heaven again. Let us comfort one another with these sayings. Be comforted, my dear heart, it is but a little stroke, and thou shalt be there where the weary shall be at rest, and where the wicked shall cease from troubling. Remember, though thou mayst eat thy dinner with bitter herbs, yet thou shalt have a sweet supper with Christ that night. My dear, by what I write unto thee, I do not hereby undertake to teach thee; for these comforts I have received from the Lord by thee. I will write no more, nor trouble thee any further, but commit thee into the arms of that God with whom, ere long, thou and I shall be. Farewell, my dear, I shall never see thy face more, till we both behold the face of the Lord Jesus at the great day.

Mary Love, July 14, 1651.

A Single Candle {Speech on Missions}

Hi friends, this is a speech that I used in the NCFCA (National Christian Forensics Communications Association) this past year. I wanted to post it because I never want to forget the Great Commission, and I thought the more I did to remind myself of it, the harder it would be to forget! I hope it inspires or at least encourages you to keep spreading the gospel and supporting those who do full-time!

Baron Van Welz was a German nobleman; he was privileged and wealthy. Yet when he died, he was little known; little cared for; and filled a mere humble grave in Dutch Guinea. How could this happen to someone of such great wealth, titles, and influence? The Baron deeply wanted people to go to the mission field, yet many of his contemporaries preached that missions should be local rather then international and even taught that it was wrong to bring heathens the gospel. Because he saw the need for missionaries when many other Christians and theologians of his day did not, he renounced his title, land, and money so that he might serve God in Dutch Guinea. He said these words, “What to me is the title 'well-born,' when I am born again in Christ? What to me is the title 'lord,' when I desire to be a servant of Christ? What to me to be called 'your grace,' when I have need of God's grace and help? All these vanities I will away with, and everything besides I will lay at the feet of Jesus, my dearest Lord, that I may have no hindrance in serving him aright.” (Welz)

According to the article “A Signal of Need” by Michael Bronson, about 149,000 people who have never asked for Christ’s forgiveness will die today. (Bronson) God has called us to reach these lost people for His glory; yet all too often we allow trivial things to become hindrances from serving Him. Sometimes I wonder if we allow security and wealth to become poor substitutes for the joy of serving Christ. However, as Baron Van Welz realized, there is no title, nor riches, nor comfort that could ever compare to the precious treasure that comes from serving Christ. Today, I would like to talk about the command to be mission minded, the cry for missionaries, and the call that every Christian has toward missions.

The first reason that we should be concerned with missions is because God has commanded us to be. In Matthew 28:19, Jesus says, “Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” (NIV, Matthew 28:19) Though this verse is well known, most Christians fail to live it out to the radical and life changing extent that Jesus intended it for. Here, Jesus commands all His followers to go and tell others how wonderful it is to be His disciple! But why does God command us to spread the gospel to the rest of the world? I believe God places Christians willing to follow Him on the mission field for two main reasons: to save the lost, and to glorify Him. First, God has called people to the mission field for the unsaved. John Keith Falconer said, “I have but one candle of life to burn, and I would rather burn it out in a land filled with darkness than in a land flooded with light.” (Falconer) You and I, too, have only one candle to burn. Our whole lives will be lived for a purpose. What do you want that purpose to be? Do you want to use your life to show a dying people the gospel? That is one purpose of missions. Another reason for missions is for the glory of God. Because ultimately, missions is about showing people God’s grace so that they will praise God; we should show others the gospel because God so deserves to hear praises from every person that He created in His image. That is why God has commanded missions.

The second reason we should be concerned with missions is because there are millions who are crying for the gospel and perishing without ever having heard it. In fact, according to the Orthodox Christian Mission Center, “It is estimated that 28% of the world’s population has still not heard the Gospel in a way that they can respond to it affirmatively or negatively. In other words, over 1.8 billion people today have not been presented with the Gospel message.” (Orthodox Christian Mission Center) That cry is painful, isn’t it? That cry that takes place every single second from someone who is dying without the love of Christ? That cry that we as Christians just don’t hear because we just don’t care enough. Most of the time we just don’t think about the global spread of the gospel. We’re so concerned with living our own lives here and now that we don’t think about how Christ will be spread among the nations. About six months ago, my family and I returned from Nagoya, Japan after living there for almost a year. We attended an international church. Our pastor there, Michael Oh, missionary and President of the Christ Bible Seminary, said these words that changed how I thought of missions: “Think about it – you could JUST AS EASILY have been born in the slums of New Delhi or as the son of a Shinto priest. If you had, knowing what you know today, would you not have wanted someone to cross oceans, lands, and cultures to bring YOU the Gospel?” (Oh) All too often, people who have never heard the gospel become just a statistic to those of us who have. We forget that they are real people who are crying for the gospel, and we forget to care. About a year and a half ago, my parents and I had the opportunity to go on a mission trip to Haiti. We stayed at God’s Littlest Angels Orphanage, a Christian orphanage that cares for about 170 children. The children there are hungry for attention. Several of them have AIDS or other diseases. While at the orphanage one day, we were upstairs with one of the young American missionaries, and the toilets began to overflow because of a plumbing problem. We were standing there in sewage water when she turned to us and said, “Even after living at the orphanage for six years, I still wake up every morning thinking what a blessing it is that I can be here.” At first, I actually couldn’t believe it when she said that. I mean, I could see realizing that God wanted her there. But she said that she was in awe of the fact that God had allowed her to go to Haiti, the filthiest and dirtiest place I’ve ever seen. How could she say that? I believe it’s because she had her eyes so fixed on Jesus that His love for the children became her love for those children. She had heard the cry of children who needed to hear about God’s love; and she chose to respond to that cry even if it meant giving up earthly comfort and treasures. She knew God had called her to Haiti and she responded to that call willingly. And that leads us to my final point today—the call to missions.

There’s a story of a young girl who shamelessly told her Aunt one day, “I don’t have much interest in missions at all!” Her patient Aunt replied, “No, dear, you can hardly expect to. It is just like getting interest at the bank. You have to put in a little something first before you get any interest. So it is with missions, the more you put into it of your time, or money, or prayer, the more your interest grows. But something you must put in-- or you will never have any interest.” (Elbourne)
If you don’t have any interest in missions, it may be because you haven’t given enough towards it to receive interest, and right now I would like to discuss with you the call that every Christian has towards missions, towards prayer, and towards giving. First of all, I’d like to ask you a question: if God so called you, would you give up everything here in America to be a missionary where few know the true Savior? Another call we have is the wonderful privilege of praying for foreign missions. Please pray every day for missionaries that you know, and for the spread of the gospel all over the world. Praying for foreign missions helps align our hearts with what God wants for missions—the more we pray for missions, the more our hearts desire to spread the gospel the way God’s heart does. Finally, every Christian is called to give to missions. Let us be like the widow in Mark 12:42, who gave her only two copper coins. The point was not how much she gave, but that everything she had she was willing to give up for the Lord. He didn’t need her gifts, and likewise, doesn’t need our gifts. He allows us to give so we can step out in faith and sacrifice. When we give to the point of sacrifice, that’s when we can say, “As much as I want this, it absolutely pales in comparison to how much I love you, Lord.” I would encourage you to give to the point of sacrifice—just like the widow.

Baron Van Welz made a decision that would be considered by many a foolish one. He chose to abandon his wealth, titles, and success to bring the gospel to heathens. Yet he showed no sorrow in doing that—rather, he was joyful that he had rid himself of those “hindrances” from serving Christ. Comfort and security in America are such alluring things. It is so easy to be distracted by them. But as Baron Van Welz realized, the sacrifice of them is so worth it. By all means, I would ask you to pray and give toward missions. But would you also pray and ask the LORD if He is asking you to go? We all have only one candle of life to burn. Would you rather burn your candle in a land already filled with light or a land that is flooded with darkness?

A Lovely Giveaway!

Hi all... there is a lovely giveaway over at Ray of Sunshine blog! (http://theflipflopfarmgirl.blogspot.com/search?updated-max=2011-09-15T13%3A31%3A00-04%3A00&max-results=3)

I'm sorry I haven't posted much lately... I'll try to fix that!

Slow Fade

Do you ever feel strange when God convicts you about something that you used to have strong convictions about, but somewhere along the way... you just lost those convictions? That's happened to me a lot lately. Certain things that I used to feel really passionately about just don't seem as important to me anymore. Let me give you a specific example. Lately, I've been really, really bad about being purposeful about my regular devotion time with the Lord. I do my daily devotions when I'm overly tired or distracted. As if this wasn't bad enough, my devotions are often short and I don't truly challenge myself to be more Christ-like; I just assume that opening my Bible and saying that I did my devotions that will be 'good enough.' I've been going through the motions.

Why do certain convictions just... disappear like that? "Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold." (Matthew 24:12, NIV)

We live in a wicked culture. The world urges us to pursue everything but God: wealth, happiness, fame, boy/girl friends, popularity, anything that makes us 'feel' good. We live in a day and age where our world is much like Ephesus. It's hard to have not even a hint of immorality... because our world is so immoral and it feels like we're being pulled away from God. And sometimes we give in to the world's lies; one seemingly little conviction at a time. I was listening to the song "Slow Fade" last night. It went something like this:

It's a slow fade when you give yourself away...
It's a slow fade when black and white turn to gray...
People never crumble in a day.

Could it be that failing to pursue Christ passionately is something that happens gradually, not because of one drastic choice; but because of a lot of smaller compromises? Because you allow yourself some gray areas where you let go of convictions instead of drawing a firm line between right and wrong?

I can't think of any better way to say it then what John Owen said: "Cease not a day from this work; be killing sin, or it will be killing you." If I don't fight sin with every ounce of my being every moment of my life, then Satan wins. Fighting sin is the hardest struggle in the history of the world. Satan doesn't take breaks; but thankfully God's grace doesn't take breaks either! If Christ is King of your life; not just part of your semi-regular routine, then fight sin. Don't allow little compromises overtake your life. Stand up. Fight the good fight. Kill sin.

Don't give sin a second glance, but keep your gaze fixed on Christ!

So Divine

The last few days, I've been reading the book Crazy Love and thinking about it a lot. It's an amazing book, really. Besides the Bible it's probably one of the most convicting books I've ever read. Probably the most convicting part is an area that talks about being luke-warm; whether or not there is such a thing as a luke warm Christian. This is such a powerful section because our American society has made Christianity into such a religion. We've convinced people and even ourselves that all we need to do is pray the 'sinner's prayer' and 'become Christians' and that's our ticket into Heaven. You know that children's song, "Acts 1, 2, and 3"? It goes something like this:
Act one: Seek Jesus,
Act two: Believe,
Act three: Live for Christ and serve Him faithfully...

But we've entirely left out the second and third steps. We tell people to 'ask Jesus into their hearts' without putting emphasis on the fact that it isn't just the prayer, it's the belief in your heart; and that faith, if real, will manifest itself out in a tangible way that results in godly living.

If you read the gospels, Christ says that we're to go make disciples. He says that anyone who won't take up their cross to follow Him cannot be His disciple. He says not to even waste time burying the dead, but to follow Him as soon as we seek Him and let the dead bury their own dead. He says anyone who is ashamed of Him will not be known by Him when the Father is judging. He says the ones who love Him will obey Him. He says that those who try to look good on the outside without caring what their hearts are truly like are like white-washed tombs that look beautiful but are filled with dead people's bones. He says that if you aren't willing to sell everything you have to follow Him, you can't follow Him at all. He says not to store up treasures on earth, but treasures in Heaven. He says that if you're burdened, you should give it all to Him. He says that when the world opposes you, to remember Him, because they opposed HIM first and HE has overcome the world! He says to love your enemies and pray for those who hurt you. He says that anyone who didn't help the least of these didn't help Him. He says you can't serve money and Him.

How much more radical can you be?

Jesus was radical. He wasn't like anyone else in history. All other teachers and religions have taught that you need to be good enough; He taught that you can never be good enough-- and then He proved it by paying for the sins of those who would follow Him!

But look back over the section of 'He says.' He says all these things to us today. These weren't just things He told people in Scripture; these are commands for today. Yet we're content to just call ourselves Christians because 'that's our relgion' and we go to church for an hour on Sunday mornings. Jesus came to call sinners, of whom I am the worst, yet I'm content to do so little.

I don't want to admit it, but this is the plain honest truth: I often want to still be able to call myself a Christian and have assurance of my salvation without living super radically. I think something along the lines of, "If I don't talk to so and so about Jesus all the time, will He really be ashamed of me when judgment days comes?" When I think about that, I'm saddened because I realize just how bad my heart really is. I'm more concerned about still being a Christian than being totally sold-out for Jesus. I'm not concerned enough with having the same kind of crazy, all-consuming love that He had for me; I'd rather just stick with the comfortable, half-hearted love that I've indulged in for too long.

But we aren't called to be "Christians"; you know, those people who say they love Jesus but won't actually ever serve Him to a point where they have to sacrifice; we're called to let Christ rule our hearts and lives, being "little Christs" (the original meaning of the word "Christian," before it became so distorted by our materialistic, selfish culture).

It's that kind of love that demands my soul, my life, my all. It's a crazy kind of love.

To Die Daily

When you are forgotten, neglected, or purposely set at naught, and you don't sting or hurt with the oversight, but your heart is happy, being counted worthy to suffer for Christ; That is dying to self....When your good is evil spoken of, when your wishes are crossed, your advice disregarded, your opinion ridiculed, and you refuse to let anger rise in your heart or even defend yourself, but take it all in patient, loving silence; That is dying to self.

When you lovingly and patiently bear any disorder, any irregularity, any annoyance; when you can stand face to face with waste, folly, extravagance, spiritual insensibility, and endure it as Jesus did; That is dying to self.

When you are content with any food, and offering, any raiment, any climate, any society, any solitude, any interruption by the will of God; That is dying to self.

When you never care to refer to yourself in conversation or record your own good works or itch after commendation, when you can truly love to be unknown; That is dying to self.

When you can see your brother prosper and have his needs met, and can honestly rejoice with him in spirit and feel no envy, nor question God, while your own needs are far greater and you are in desperate circumstances; That is dying to self.

When you can receive correction and reproof from one of less stature than yourself and can humbly submit, inwardly as well as outwardly, finding no rebellion or resentment rising up within your heart; That is dying to self.
~unknown

Oh, to daily die to self. I don't think there will ever be a more difficult thing to be done. Coming to Christ isn't a one-time commitment, it's a daily commitment to put Christ and others ahead of yourself. It's a commitment to die daily.

Reality Check

There was pounding on the door.

Seconds later, the authorities had broken into my home. They took our Bibles, and now we're left completely without God's word. What is more, all of our friends' Bibles are gone, too, so no one else can share a copy with us. We now have no way to read the Bible; no way to share it with others.

It's gone.

Even thinking about such an experience puts fear in my heart. Yet for much of the world, that nightmare has become a reality.

If you're like me, you take for granted the fact that we are able to read the Bible whenever we want. I mean, honestly, how awesome is that?!? I said, how awesome is that?!?

Seriously? Is that how I usually approach it?

Maybe sometimes. But most of the time, I'm guilty of this:

"Oh. Yah. I need to read my Bible today. That's what every good Christian does, every day. And a good Christian wouldn't ever, ever miss a day. So I have to do it, other wise I'm not giving God the kind of commitment He deserves." Sometimes this results in rummaging the house for my Bible before bed when I left it in a different room earlier that day; or trying to remember if I had read the Bible for "long" enough earlier that day; or reading the Bible when my eyes are closing before bed and checking the clock every minute and eight seconds to see how long I've been reading.



Oh, yah, that's definitely giving God the devotion He deserves.

I kid.

Seriously?!? As I read back over this I cringe at the truth of it. Do I really think that the almighty, sovereign, loving, holy Lord of the universe wants that from me? Is that how I should approach His word-- as an obligation? No. Never.

Seriously? I mean, what on earth is wrong with me?

Of course, I'll admit, as Christians we do have a sense of 'duty' or 'responsiblity' to reading the Word. I'm not one to say, "Well, if you don't feel like reading your Bible, don't!" We should read the Bible every day, whether or not we "feel" like it. But there should be a sense of longing, yearning, and urgency that accompanies that "duty." It should be our highest and first goal to pursue Christ with reckless abandon! Reading Scripture is the first step in glorifying God.

So, I'll go back to the opening. What if that happened to me-- today? Or tomorrow? Or next week? Would I be ready? Would I have His word in my heart so that I might not sin against Him? Or would I simply quote one or two verses that I vaguely remembered off the top of my head? I hate to say it, but I wouldn't be nearly prepared.

So, here lies the bigger question: am I doing anything to change that? I am pleased to announce that as of the day before yesterday, I have a large goal for myself: to memorize all the epistles besides Romans and 1&2 Corinthians before I turn nineteen. Before June 28, 2013, I want to have everything from Galatians to Jude memorized.

Is anyone with me? I could really use some accountability. Please leave a comment if you're in! And then, at least if we fail we fail together!! :) No, but seriously. I think the rewards will be infinitely greater than anything you can imagine.

Behold the greatness of God!

Something Significant

This weekend was amazing. We had a missionary conference at our church, East Cooper Baptist Church, and it was amazing.

During this conference I had the privilege of helping in the children's ministry program where kids ages Kindergarten to 5th grade learned about missions in Thailand. It was a huge blessing to me for a number of reasons, but one in particular. Saturday morning, the second day of the festival, all of us workers for the children's ministry showed up outside the sanctuary. There weren't very many of us; 10 adults or so and a handful of teenagers. I felt minorly excited, but mostly just underwhelmed. For those of you who have seen me on a Backyard VBS high-- trust me, it was nothing like that. During that time I'm enthusiastic, excited, and passionate and ready to tell the children about God. But on Saturday I felt just... normal. I was happy to help out, but that was about it. The night before had been fun, but different than I had expeceted. I guess I felt as if my being there was pointless.

Then Pastor Steve, the children's pastor, said something that shook me. He thanked us all for helping and then remarked about a little girl who had asked him a question; not about Thailand, but about China. She said that she had heard that people in China could only have one child, and she was curious what would happen to the other children. He didn't say how they had answered, but he did say that this little girl was really concerned about that. Who knows how God will use that. He continued on, saying that some of these children may really be impacted by this weekend. Maybe through a craft a child really liked, or through the testimonies, or anything. And maybe the impact might be significant enough to change their lives. And maybe their changed lives will result in the changing of other lives.

That really stuck with me. Later in the day, we were reading 1 Corinthians 15:58, "Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain."

Don't you love it when God just hits you right in the face with something you needed to hear? No one else would know that's how I was feeling. I didn't tell anyone that I felt useless. But God knew. And so, just at the right time, He told me that my labor in Him is not in vain. NOTHING! Nothing I do for Him in vain. It doesn't say 'only the really big things' it says 'your labor in the Lord is not in vain'! Jesus also said, "And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones because he is my disciple, I tell you the truth, he will certainly not lose his reward."

Even the littlest, day to day things, if done in Christ's name, are not done in vain. I think there's something really significant about that. I think it's significant enough that it should change how I live my day-to-day life. Do I seek to do even the smallest tasks for God's glory? Do I desire to point to God's grace when I wash the dishes, do my Chemistry homework, play with my younger siblings, and make lunch? It's one thing to say I'm a Christian. But do I shine with the radiance of Christ, first for Him, and only because of Him-- no matter how small or menial the task before me seems?

You will never know the impact that you will have on someone's life unless you let Christ rule your life.

And I think that's pretty significant.

Today, I Fell in Love

Looking at the title again, it is, admittedly, a bit deceptive.



However, you are reading this, am I not correct?



Okay, so I really didn't fall in love today. It's more that I've been thinking about the love I'm already drowning in. But no, for those of you who are still wondering, I'm not actually in love. At least, not in the traditional sense. But while we're on the topic, why is 'falling in love' so important to us? Have you ever noticed that when someone gets engaged, or even just starts dating, it seems to be the juiciest news?

Why are we (human beings in general) so concerned with people's 'love lives'?
Because we are relational people. We need to love. We need to feel loved. It's the way God made us.

But I look around at so many young people who are already involved in dating relationships, and even at my own heart dreaming about what it'll be like 'some day' after I get married, and I can't help but think that God must have had something better in mind. He must have had a better reason for making us people who need to be loved. Of course, He does. He has given us a 'God-shaped hole' if you will-- a need to be loved by Him. Listen to Romans 5:18-21:

"Consequently, just as the result of one trespass was condemnation for all men, so also the result of one act of righteousness was justification that brings life for all men. For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous. The law was added so that the trespass might increase. But where sin increased, grace increased all the more."

Just to say it now, I love these verses! Just as the result of one trespass was condemnation for all men, so also the result of one act of righteousness was justification that brings life for all men. That's the way God saved us. The same way that we first sinned against Him.

And listen to Ephesians 3:17-19:

So that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

How wide! How long! How high! How deep is His love! In the presence of such love, how could anything else even seem important? John Piper once said, "Following Jesus is first and foremost not heroic!" Following Jesus isn't something that should deserve accolades and awards. I'm often tempted to think that I'm doing something great by simply following Christ; as if I'm so much better than those who don't follow Him. But it's not heroic-- it's the natural and reasonable response to such great love!


I agree with C.S. Lewis when he said, "We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased."

We'd rather have 'true romance' than this eternally wonderful, satisfying love that's right here. We're so easily satisfied!

So, I guess all in all, I didn't fall in love today. Sorry if I disappointed you. :) But I have found the greatest love ever, and I can't wait to worship Him forever and ever. And I pray that I would never think of following Him as heroic. But that instead, I'd follow Him as what I truly am: a sinner, desperately clinging the cross and seeing how deep, how wide, how long, and how high His love is.

Back to the Heart

These last few months, I've been particularly convicted about my motives for doing things.

I mean, it's one thing to do the right thing. Sometimes it almost seems like a lot of disciples of Jesus almost "have that down." Not that most strong Christians I know appear to be perfect, but sometimes it can seem pretty close.

To take it a step further, it seems as if lots of us "good-little-church Christians" who have been raised in homes with the gospel know all the right things to do. We've read the entire Bible. We've memorized Bible verses. We've been involved in the church, Bible studies, mission trips, teaching Sunday School/AWANA/VBS, and tons of other things. We know we're supposed to be holy, because God is holy. We're not supposed to be involved in things that most teenagers are. I mean, God called us Christians to be different! C'mon. We already know that.

But we've become Christians in a little box. We've become immune to the amazing, life-changing power of Christ. It's as if we think that because we've studied the Bible and we're trying to live like Jesus, that's enough.

However, I recently took a trip to Washington (AMAZING!) and I had a blast. A few days after getting there, I spent the night with these incredible girls:



(Me, Hannah, Grace, Sophia)

Now, I can honestly say that these three girls are a few of the most exceptional Christian young ladies I know. (Of course, I do know lots of others!) But these girls are such godly encouragements to me.


And before we went to bed that night, we started talking about some struggles in our Christian walk. One thing that particularly stuck out to me was the aspect of motives.

Sure, you can do all the right things (to an extent). But it's completely different to them simply because you see Christ's love. We say that Jesus is all we want, but don't we sometimes contradict that in the way that we live our lives? I know I do. I say I only want to please Christ, yet I find myself longing for things such as praise, admiration, and even flattery. My heart isn't always right, because I'm longing for the praise to go to myself rather than the ultimate purpose of my life: to glorify God and serve Him only.


The Lord speaks against those who claim to love Him but whose love goes no deeper than lip service in Isaiah 29:13, "The Lord says: 'These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is made up only of rules taught by men.'" (NIV)


Here's a specific example. In His book, I Kissed Dating Goodbye, Joshua Harris wrote about how he and his wife saved their first kiss for marriage. I don't have the book, but he said something to the extent of 'Saving kissing for marriage is another act that, if done without the intention of glorifying God, is completely useless.' It all depends on your motive. Many things, if not done only to glorify God, can become sources of spiritual pride. I mean, I often say "Well, all the glory goes to God," but in my heart I'm congratulating myself for giving God the glory, or, even worse, hoping that some of the glory still goes to me.


Dr. John Piper said,

"There is no doubt that man could perform more evil acts toward his fellow man than he does. But if he is restrained from performing more evil acts by motives that are not owing to his glad submission to God, then even this 'virtue' is evil in the sight of God."

I can try to live like Christ, but the real question is do I let Christ rule my life... and my heart?

Lord, please forgive me for all those times I say it's all about Jesus, but I live as if it's all about me...

Quotables from... What Else? AiO!

I love Adventures in Odyssey. If you're not familiar with them, they are Christian radio dramas produced by Focus on the Family. They are often funny, sometimes mysterious, and always thought-provoking. Here are a few great lines from Adventures in Odyssey, just to whet your appetite if you've never listened to them. I'm going to choose some of my top favorites (mostly) off the top of my head (I haven't gone through and listened to a bunch today or anything. :P) So, here's my not-so-complete list:

"This seems like one serious crush-- in a dangerously obsessive kind of way." ~Connie Kendell (Mystery of the Clock Tower)

"He sacrificed of himself each and every game. In giving us water, he became water." ~the baseball coach, speaking of Matthew Parker, the water boy. (Target of the Week)

"I even wrote you a poem!" ~Curt Stevens
"You don't write poems." ~Lucy Schultz
"Which makes it all the more sweet. Why do birds suddenly appear, every time you are near?" ~Curt
"You stole that!" ~Lucy
"I only had like ten minutes I spent all my time looking for the sporks!" ~Curt (The Triangled Web)

"But I don't think that crime is a result of ignorance or misunderstanding. Crime is a result of sin!" ~Connie
"Oh, there you go being aggressive again!" ~Big Bear *or something like that* (Here Am I)

"Did being a foster child ever make you feel like you were less a part of the family?" ~Mr. Washington
"No. Because I always knew I was in a family that chose me; and it was very nice to be chosen. Perhaps that would make a difference in Kelly's life too-- to just be chosen." ~Eugene Meltsner (The Chosen One)

"We have our first gig!" ~Marvin Washington
"Really? Where?" ~Trent DeWhite
"Aubry Shephard's party." ~Marvin
"She really wants us to play?" ~Trent
"She practically begged me!" ~Marvin
"I think her exact words were 'Fine, Marvin, you can play at the party. Just get up off your knees.'" ~Wooten Bassett (The Coolest Dog)

"Goliath reminds me of myself in my prime when my record was 67 wins, no losses, 138 controversial decisions-- which everyone admits should have gone my way-- and one unfortunate break up with a beautiful woman named Ashley. And if you're listening, I still love ya baby!" ~Some random dude (The Power of One)

"But I'm so confused. How am I supposed to know what God's will is for my life?" ~Connie
"By knowing Him, Connie. You'll understand what His will is as you grow to know Him, and seek Him, and love Him." ~Whit (Here Today, Gone Tomorrow?)

"The girl is smart. She knows a good thing when she sees it. Who wouldn't want to date Mitch?" ~Connie
"Well, I wouldn't want to date Mitch." ~Nick Mulligen
"What GIRL? I mean he's funny, romantic, smart... he does the most thoughtful things!" ~Connie
"You were just having second thoughts a minute ago." ~Nick
"And he started a Bible study. He's a great leader, everyone likes him, kids love him!" ~Connie
"Sounds like my golden retriever. Except, Jake is an atheist." ~Nick
(Secrets)


"It fits! You had it sized!" ~Katrina Shanks-Meltsner (Wrapped around Your Finger)

"Just because things are tough doesn't mean it's not God's will. Giving is hard work, sweetie. But the more you are able to give your life to God, the more of His grace you'll receive." ~Mrs. Mulligen (Just Say Yes)

"I know, Mrs. Clidedale, I'm a terrible salesperson." ~Connie
"Well, you aren't necessarily terrible." ~Mrs. Clidedale
"It's because of the man and his bowling league wife, right?" ~Connie
"That was one incident, yes." ~Mrs. Clidedale
"And the woman with the pink hair?" ~Connie
"I understand she was a bit demanding and I understood why you got annoyed; however, I'm not sure you won any points by suggesting she stop placing cotton candy on hair hair." ~Mrs. Clidedale (What Are You Gonna Do with Your Life?)

"'And as I slept I dreamed a dream.' Well what else would ya dream?" ~Tom Riley

"So, how do you like my show?"~Chad Pearson
"Oh... well, I don't watch your show." ~Connie
"What? You mean you've... never seen it?" ~Chad
"Oh, yah, once. I saw it a few weeks ago, just to see who you were." ~Connie
"To see who I was?"
"I watch your show, Nick!" ~Erica Clarke
"Excuse me, but who are you?" ~Chad
"I'm Erica!" ~Erica
"Great, Erica. Now, would you mind going away and leaving Connie and I alone?" ~Chad
"What?" ~Erica
"Listen, you didn't win the contest, Connie did. Now, to be perfectly honest, I'd like you to leave." ~Chad Pearson
"She can stay if she wants. I told her she could come." ~Connie
"Fine. Stay. I really don't care. Just keep quiet. So... what'd you think of the show you saw?" ~Chad
"What?" ~Connie
"The SHOW." ~Chad
"Oh. Well, I thought it was kind of dumb, since we're being perfectly honest." ~Connie
"You mean you don't even like the show?" ~Chad
(This is Chad Pearson?)

"Does that mean I can count on your support?" ~Curt
"I don't think so, Curt. I'd rather vote for someone with integrity." ~Lucy
"I thought we did it with ballots." ~Curt
"No, Curt, integrity has to do with your character!" ~Whit
"Then I must be dripping with it! All my teachers say I'm the biggest character they know." ~Curt
"No, Curt. To have integrity you'd have to be sincere." ~Lucy
"I'm sincere." ~Curt
"And decent." ~Lucy
"I'm decent." ~Curt
"And honest." ~Lucy
"I'm... decent. Listen, Lucy, I think I have all those qualities." ~Curt
"Get serious!" ~Lucy

"Connie, Connie, call the police." ~Mrs. Kendall
"What, what's wrong Mom?" ~Connie
"We've been vandalized! Someone put bumper stickers all over our car. I mean, it's not like they're obscene, or anything like that. It would make sense if they were... if someone were trying to be rude. But these stickers say things like 'honk if you love Jesus' and 'I break for prayer meets....'" ~Mrs. Kendall
"...And 'Jesus is the real thing,' and 'Jesus saves'" ~Connie
"You know! Yes, why would someone do that to us?" ~Mrs. Kendall
"Well, Someone didn't. I did." ~Connie
"You? My daughter? Off, and not a gum mark to be seen." ~Mrs. Kendall
Connie relating this all to Whit
"Robert said my mom needed a spiritual revival, but I say Robert needs a brain transplant."
(Go Ye Therefore)

"What if you don't know what the right thing to do is?" ~Lucy
"If you pray and believe in your heart that something is wrong, you shouldn't do it. In fact, if you do do it, it's a sin. Even if everyone else thinks or says that it's okay. But, before you make any decision, you should always pray. In fact, that's where being 'in the world but not of it' really starts-- with prayer." ~Whit (Choices)

"Well, that's the way it works. You put in twice the effort to get half the result that you would've gotten, had you just put in half the effort to get twice the result that you ended up getting when you put in twice the effort..." ~Harlow Doyle
"Huh?" ~Connie, Rodney Rathbone, Lucy
"Um, uh.... CRIME DOESN'T PAY. ::whispers:: Phew, got out of that one." ~Harlow
(The Case of the Candid Camera)

"Bart, maybe we should get home too. We ain't done nothin' to protect our house!" ~Doris Rathbone
"There ain't no protecting our house as long as Rodney's around." ~Bart Rathbone
"Thanks pop." ~Rodney
(Tornados)


"Well hello Tamika Washington! Mr. Whitaker told me all about your report for school." ~Sydney Selika
"Well, we're supposed to interview our hero." ~Tamika Washington
"Oh, oh, I haven't been this honored since I one the Children's Choice award! Go ahead then, ask me anything." ~Sydney
"Okay... how have you changed people's lives?" ~Tamika
"Changed lives? Wow, are all your questions gonna be this deep? Um, oh, I'd have to say through my movies. People say that when they're having a bad day, they go see one of my movies and it cheers them up. Isn't that fabulous? I love that my movies appeal to everyone, even people who are poor or still wear tie dye." ~Sydney
"Okay, um. Next question. What do you stand for?" ~Tamika
"Stand for?" ~Sydney
"Yah. What's something that's important to you that you'd be willing to fight for?" ~Tamika
"Oh. Well, I stand against smoking. Never start smoking, Tamika. Smoking kills. And if you're killed, you've lost a very important part of your life!" ~Sydney
"Okay... good advice." ~Tamika
(Stars in Our Eyes)

Ahhh! I know I'm missing a lot-- but that's already pretty long. Leave some comments with your favorites if you listen to the show. :D

Towards home,
Rachel

There is No More Fear

Tonight, we attended our church's Christmas Eve service.

The message was on fear. At first, it seems a strange connection. It seems that Christmas is more of a "peaceful" holiday. Even the birth of the Messiah is something we often picture as more quiet and lovely then it probably was.

The birth of this child was to set us free from fear. Hebrews 2:14-15 says, "Since the children have flesh and blood, He too shared in their humanity so that by His death He might destroy Him who holds the power of death-- that is, the devil-- and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death." How I love these verses! Jesus Christ became a child so that He could set us free from fear. It's hard for me to imagine that the birth of a baby could set so many free from fear.

There is no more fear here.

Romans 8:15 says, "For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the spirit of Sonship. And by Him we cry, 'Abba, Father.'"

There is no more fear here.

Luke 2:10-11 says, "But the angel said to them, 'Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; He is Christ the Lord.'"

There is no more fear here.

I love Christmas Eve, almost more then Christmas Day, because it's the perfect time to pause. Reflect on Christ's birth and remember-- there was a time in my life that I had fear. Everyone, even those who have grown up in Christian homes, have had periods of fear. However, I now have no more fear. Because of that little baby, whom the world did not recognize, my fear is gone.

I love this song we heard in church tonight.



I especially love

You're the Savior we have been praying for
In our humble hearts You will dwell...
You are in us
You are for us
You are with us
Emmanuel

If we were born before the Messiah, would we be praying that God would send Him? I'd like to think we would be. And so imagine the great joy, that He had finally come...

And there is no more fear.

These Are a Few of My Favorite Things!

So so so so so so so so so... It's late fall! Yay!! I love late fall. LOVELOVELOVE. And I'm starting to work more and more on some of my favorite things (speech, VBS, among others). So you all get to look forward to posts about those sorts of favorite things.



{I'm positive you're all thrilled. :P I kid.}



Anyway, I've been praying about ways that we might be able to expand "Doane" Vacation Bible School. So I decided that I'd post this on my blog, and possibly on facebook too. I've been thinking lately... how many people that I know might want to have their own VBS {either in their backyard or a small church that currently or never has offered a VBS program} but simply would not know where to start?

Could there be people who are able and willing to teach God's Word, who love kids, and who want to spread the gospel in their communities but are somewhat intimidated by the task of starting a VBS?
Then I thought of myself several years ago, before we started our own Backyard Bible Club. It was my grandma's idea... I absolutely loved the idea, but if she hadn't suggested it I think I would have been too scared to take the first leap all by myself. I don't think I could have done it without my grandma's excitement, Haley's help, and my parent's encouragement.

So these are the things that made me think of others who might want to go in that direction, but are scared to take the first leap. And I want to help others take that first leap.

So, I am starting a blog (perhaps soon a website) that will chronicle my adventures as I set out to produce a free, interactive curriculum for VBS teacher wanna-be's (haha), as well as as schedule, a place for comments, a question/answer type section, among other things.

If you have ever seriously looked into starting a Vacation Bible School, then you probably know that even if you don't want over-the-top elaborate, curriculum can be pretty expensive. That's why I will be offering a free curriculum of my own (as I said above) that comes with lessons, skits, game ideas, snack planners, craft planners and instructions, and a mission moment. If you want something a little more elaborate, this blog will hopefully also offer (perhaps not right away, but eventually) suggestions for craft kits that may be purchased, as well as "professional" curriculum reviews.

If you would be interested in having a VBS this year, NEVER think that you're too young or too inexperienced. Haley and I started off as thirteen-year-old girls who were only helping at a church VBS for the first time that summer. We had never taught Sunday School, nor anything of that nature. I had never really planned anything like that-- I learned completely from experience. So I would urge you to follow this blog as I attempt to put what God has placed on my heart and what He's taught me so graciously these last few years to you. There are some things that you have to learn by experience-- but there are also some things that you can learn through hearing from the experience's of others! Praying that this blog will encourage YOU!
Here's the link: http://backyardvacationbibleschool.blogspot.com/

Grace,
Rachel

{P.S. Even if you don't follow this blog, please feel free to comment! This ministry is not at all intended to just be for those I know-- I want to be able to meet others who want to serve God through this. Thanks all!}

Pretty First Place

Recently, my friend Hannah wrote something on her blog (http://xian-na.blogspot.com/2010/10/pretty-ball-for-louis.html) in which she talked about "Pretty Things" in our lives that we often don't want to lose or give up to God. She says it so so well that you should probably go read her post before using your valuable time reading this. Anyway, lately, I've realized how many 'pretty' things appeal to me-- how many things I desire other then God. The song "Pretty Things" (which, the most observant of you will have noticed, was recently added to my play list) by Tenth Avenue North says it so well.
Look at all the pretty things
That steal my heart away.
Wow. Not a long section, but so so powerful! The things that I love the most besides God are the things that have the most power in pulling me away from God. The things that look the best on the outside can be the most harmful, because they steal my heart away from my best friend, God.
The strange thing about it is that the things I desire other then God are the things I expect Him to give me! If I'm distracted by other things (and I am), and He is the sovereign of the universe (and He is) then isn't it within His perfect rights and power to take away all those things that don't bring Him the glory He deserves?

Now, I can't even tell you how I've wrestled with this. How many times I've thought (in my wicked, sinful heart) "If I do this right, then God won't have to do this and that and then things can go back to the way they were! So I just need to trust Him in this and then *maybe* He'll reward my trust and make things easier later." Of course that isn't how it works at all! Do I actually think that God would ever, ever be tempted to change His amazing plan because I trusted Him? No, that's what He wanted in the first place. Only He doesn't want me to trust Him out of my selfish motives, but because I really, really do trust and love Him with my own heart.

Do I really, really trust Him?
Do I really, really love Him?
Do I really, really want Him to have everything?
yes.
yes.
yes.

"Therefore, we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are be renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal." Oh, how I love these verses! Oh, how I wish that these verses might be exemplified in my life-- so that I wouldn't fix my eyes on either troubles nor pleasures of this life, but on Christ, Who is my Joy, my Life, my Love.

I think the best thing to sum it up is a story told by Leslie B. Flynn, one of my favorite illustrations of what the gospel is.

"An orphaned boy was living with his grandmother when their house caught fire. The grandmother, trying to get upstairs to rescue the boy, perished in the flames. The boy’s cries for help were finally answered by a man who climbed an iron drainpipe and came back down with the boy hanging tightly to his neck. Several weeks later, a public hearing was held to determine who would receive custody of the child. A farmer, a teacher, and the town’s wealthiest citizen all gave the reasons they felt they should be chosen to give the boy a home. But as they talked, the lad’s eyes remained focused on the floor. Then a stranger walked to the front and slowly took his hands from his pockets, revealing severe scars on them. As the crowd gasped, the boy cried out in recognition. This was the man who had saved his life. His hands had been burned when he climbed the hot pipe. With a leap the boy threw his arms around the man’s neck and held on for dear life. The other men silently walked away, leaving the boy and his rescuer alone. Those marred hands had settled the issue. The boy was convinced of his rescuer’s great love because of the great sacrifice he made."

Today, there are many things that may try to pull us away from God. But there is One whose nail-pierced hands remind us that He did not come to pull us away from God, but to draw us near to Him.

I want no other 'pretty thing' or 'substitute' then Jesus Christ: the One who doesn't steal my heart away, but deserves my whole heart-- and my everything.

Have You?

Have you read this? Do you know what's happening in North Korea?

Would you be willing to go back if you were her? Would you risk everything you had left-- when you had already lost so much-- to gain something for eternity?

Have you read this? Have you?

If not, do. You will be blessed. http://www.desiringgod.org/blog/posts/weeping-for-north-korea

Average Teenagers: They Are, in a Way, Not Good

So on Wednesday when I went to take the PSAT, Matthew was asking me to remember and take note of all the kids who were texting, skateboarding, hanging out with their boyfriend/girlfriend, sitting on a bench with someone of the opposite gender, skating on their heelies, chewing bubblegum, or involved in similiar "unseemly" behavior. (Although I'm still not quite sure why chewing bubblegum is unseemly. Anyway) Finally, Mom said, "Matthew, I'm sure she'll let you know about any average teenagers she sees." But apparently that didn't satisfy him-- he wanted to walk in with us. And today, he wrote something on his blog about average teenagers. Actually, his friend Reid wrote it, but he gave Matthew permission to put it on his blog. You see about a year or so ago, Matthew was on quite the kick about what he as deemed "AVERAGE" teenagers. He wrote to parents, "If you think that you may have an average teenager don't let him hang around other teenagers who may influence him to become average." So now Matthew's friend, Reid, started his own book too. On average teenagers. He says, "Average teenager are in a way, not good." Yep. It's that profound. I love what they're written! So if you want to know what two getting-close-to-teenager boys think of average teenagers, go to: http://everyone-is-upsidedown.blogspot.com/2010/10/chapter-1-average-teenagers-who.html

Things I Learned Summer 2010-- That I Never Want to Forget

My friend Kalahan over at "Be Still" wrote a wonderful a week or two ago about what she learned this summer. In a way, she inspired me to write this post. I learned so much this summer... things that I truly needed to learn, and I never want to forget. God is so great and merciful to teach me now!



Here are three things I learned this summer:

1. "If Christ be God and died for me, then no sacrifice can be too great for me to make for Him." ~C.T. Stubb.
Now, I'm not going to pretend that I made some extraordinary sacrifice for God this summer that changed my life forever and was really difficult. At this point in my life, God hasn't yet asked that I physically die for Him or that I give up my freedom, security, or leave my homeland in order that His gospel could be preached-- although He has told me to be willing to do all those things if He should some day ask! But, even though God isn't asking me to make the "big sacrifices" right now-- shouldn't I make those small ones every single day? You know, the things like holding my tongue when my siblings say something and I want to give a harsh reply, or giving up a few minutes of free time when one of my siblings wants to do something with me or needs to talk, or volunteering to do those 'thankless' jobs that would bless my parents by my doing them, and just serving the way that Christ did when He lived on earth! If these are the things He wants from me, and He was the God that died for me, then is there any sacrifice ever that could possibly be too great for Him?

2. God's plan is infinitely greater than my own. I was so stressed in June and July because I was still living in Nagoya, Japan, while I wanted to be back in Washington state. I was very, very worried that I wouldn't get back in time for our annual Vacation Bible School at my grandparent's house... however, the more I worried, I realized the less I was focusing on Jesus and what He did on the Christ. How ironic... the very reason that we do the VBS every single year-- to remind and teach the children about the cross-- was the very easiest thing for me to lose sight of in planning for it! Fortunately, we serve a God who, despite all my inefficiencies and mistakes, divinely orchestrated everything to work out so much better than I could have every imagined! We ended up having about 20-22 kids every day, the drama worked out well, the helpers were amazing, and I loved, loved, LOVED our curriculum. Also, I was able to get home almost a week early to shop and prepare for VBS. What a fool I was to worry so much! Everything seemed to go so well at VBS-- but the amazing thing about God is that He showed me that it went well in spite of me, NOT because of me.

3. I saved the most convicting, and the hardest, of this summer's lessons for last. It's simply this: I really needed to get over the "childish need" for friends. Now please hear me out. I love my friends! If you're reading this, then I want you to know that I deeply care about you and more than likely I have really enjoyed our conversations, learning from what God has done and taught you in your life, visiting with you, etc. In fact, many, many of the people I call my friends have been great spiritual influences in my life and have taught me a lot about God's blessings and how great He is! God has blessed me with great friends.
*Takes deep breath* That being said, I think that it's important to remember that that's all that friends are-- blessings. Friends are gifts from God, they are NOT meant in any way to "replace" God in our lives or be placed on par with God. Now, to be perfectly honest, I've never really been a girl who's 'obsessed' with her friends. I enjoy going to visit people, and having company over. I love talking with friends-- but I've never been a person who's constantly trying to spend every waking moment with her friends. Even so, I realized these past two or three months that I've found a lot of "SECURITY" in my friends. It's a false security, but it's one that I've been valuing for years now. I've had a "childish need," so to speak, for friends. I realized after I had spent several months in Japan that it was really hard to meet many new friends and to keep in touch with all the old ones. And I realized, to my dismay, that I was far too devastated about this. I was far too concerned over the fact that I wasn't surrounded by friends-- because I had found too much of my 'security' and 'identity' in who my friends are-- but wait, there's something wrong there. My security and identity should be found only in Christ!

Again, there's nothing wrong with having friends. God doesn't want us to hide in a closet our whole lives and never spend time with other people... but there is something very dangerous about placing too high of a priority on friendships-- because, after all, my best friend is always, ALWAYS with me! And He is the same forever and always! And His name is Jesus, and He IS awesome!

And those, my friends, are the things I learned this summer. And painful as it was to learn some of these things, I wouldn't trade them for anything in the world. And I never want to forget them for the rest of my life...

Fun with the Kovachs at Soap Lake!

These past few days have been so much fun! On Friday, I left for Soap Lake with my "second family" the Kovachs. Adventures have abounded since! Some of the highlights are as follows:

Yesterday (Sunday), Haley, her cousin, and myself, were all talking about how babies should be kissed and cuddled a lot, because if they're not, they won't feel very loved. Babies need lots of attention. Anyway, as we were talking about that, Jackson (two years old) came right up to me and gave me two kisses-- one on my cheek and one on the lips. Since then, he's given me lots of kisses and hugs and cuddles. He is so adorable!

We've also been playing a card game called Nerts. It is super fun!! We played today for about two hours....

Haley and I went on a prayer walk today. There is simply nothing better than going on a walk with one's best friend and spending the whole time praying for different things in one's life... there is something so beautiful, serene, and tranquil about praying outside on a walk (especially when one is not in a rush :).

We also went paddleboating yesterday. It was really frustrating for a little while, because the thing would NOT TURN LEFT!!!! Anyway, one by one we all jumped into the lake to direct the boat the way that we wanted it to go. Only, the water was slightly cold. Oh well, we adjusted quickly.

Oh, a side note about the paddleboating: on the way back to shore, Haley lost her flip flop. Thankfully, there was someone there to find it. Yours truly. Haha, I'm just kidding. She completely repaid me and banished any debt she owed me today when she found my best gray sweatshirt. :) Please realize that these last few sentences were a joke.

Well, we still have three days left at the lake! Well, nearly anyway.

Signing off with adventures ahead,
Rachel

Sold out for Jesus

A few months ago, I was thinking about Vacation Bible School. That's not so strange. You think to yourself. She's ALWAYS talking about VBS. Why shouldn't she think about it? But bear with me a moment. This was one of the rare times that I was thinking of VBS in a non-positive way. In fact, you might almost call it a negative way. Why? Well, because, I bought into this lie that you and I both have heard everywhere. I was thinking that the lie was truth. I was thinking one day, that if only someone else would lead this VBS, he or she could do such a better job than I could. For instance, if someone who was really musically talented led the VBS, the kids could sound like a professional choir! Or if someone who was really talented at crafts led the VBS, she could help us save a ton of money on crafts and they would look great! Or if someone who knew his neighbors well led the VBS, we could have more neighbor children join in. These thoughts went on in my mind, and as you can probably imagine, I thought of more and more scenarios in which people who had talents that I don't have led the VBS, which would help it be better.

This, my friends, is not only ridiculous considering I can't really help the fact that I don't live around here and know neighbors here or that I'm not very great with crafts, but it's also one of the worst lies that Christians could ever believe! Think about it. If we believe that God can only use us when we have certain talents or abilities, we'll think twice about volunteering both in the community and in the church body. You'll stop telling people about God if you don't think you're a great evangelist. You'll stop teaching Sunday School if you don't think you're a natural-born teacher. If you're not incredible with toddlers, you'll stop volunteering in the nursery. If you don't have a "passion" for cooking, you might stop setting up snacks after church or for Bible Study. You don't think you're great at traveling, so you stop going on mission trips. Imagine, even, if everyone who didn't think that he was a great listener stopped attending the Sabbath day service!

These may sound like extreme cases, but it's the truth. What if we waited for God to give us the full dose of talent that we would like before serving Him? Listen to the wise words of the apostle Paul, in 1 Corinthians 1:26, "Brothers, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised thing-- and the things that were not-- to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before Him." God has chosen those who are FOOLISH (me) and WEAK (me again) so that He can show His perfect power clearly, if I am only willing to be used by Him. As 2 Corinthians 12:9 says, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness."

If God can delight in using my insufficiency to show His aptitude and sovereignty-- then the least I could ever do is be willing to serve Him.

I don't just want to serve God-- I want to be sold out for Him. I want to be so sold out for the Lord that, no matter what else, my talent doesn't matter, my resources don't matter, my strength doesn't matter-- but that all these things pale in comparison to how great and awesome my God is!

I suppose I made it sound above as if I don't think it's important to have gifts. That's not it at all! God is the giver of all good gifts. He gives us all talents and abilities to SERVE HIM. But. If we're always concerned with waiting for someone with more talent to step up to the plate, we'll stop serving God where He wants us. One of my favorite verses is 1 Corinthians 2:4-5, "My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit's power, so that your faith might not rest on men's wisdom, but on God's power."

I don't think the author is saying that being able to speak well is bad, but rather that it's not where our faith should be. Our faith shouldn't rest on the fact that someone says or does things well, or in our abilities, or even how well we think some ministry opportunity will go.

Where, then, shall we put our faith?

In Christ Alone.

Special Acknowledgments

Hello friends! Well, today marks the third day of non-VBS-- meaning it's the third day since VBS has ended. Since VBS started exactly one week ago, I guess there is no time like the present to thank the people that helped me with this so much. :) Without you all, VBS would have been significantly different (in a bad way. :)

~I guess I'll start off with someone who is dear to my heart-- someone who helped me start the VBS, who has been there every step of the way, who has encouraged me so much in my walk with the LORD and who has helped me every single year with VBS. The kids might know her as "Mackenzie" or the "Song leader" or the "Assistant teacher," because those are just a few of her jobs at VBS. This person, of course, is Miss Haley Kovach. Thank you for teaching about missionaries too! Thank you so much dearie!! And we'll have many good laughs yet over things that happened at VBS!!

~Okay, moving on. Thanks so much to Grandma Bonnie. Thank you for coming up with the pyramid and for everything else you did. Thank you for suggesting VBS all that time ago-- I love doing it and I'm always blessed.

~ Grandpa Ken. Thank you for actually constructing the pyramid!! It was awesome!! Thank you for making that camp site too, I don't know what we'd have done without it.

~ Mom and Dad-- thank you for giving me this opportunity to come back so this VBS could happen. Thank you for the money for snacks, and for your prayers. I love you both!

~"Miss" Anne Rendle. Thank you so, SO, SOOOOOOOO much for being Percy in the skit (you are hilarious and amazing) thank you for helping me with everything I needed help with, and thank you for praying with me and encouraging me! You're a blessing!

~ "Miss" Keely Rendle, thank you for all your help. Thank you for being great with the kids (Remember last year, before you were even a 'helper' Sam wrote on his craft "Sam and Keely".... need I say more?) ;) And thank you for playing Joe Johnson. You are a great "sorta villain" haha.

~ Raymond Dokupil. Thank you for all of your work playing Albert. I think you were the favorite character among the kids!! And thank you for taking the time out of your schedule to stay for the full time many days!

~ Hannah Dokupil-- I'm so sorry you got sick. How are you feeling now? Anyway, thank you for coming at first despite being sick. You are a trooper! And thank you for being Carson. :)

~Grace DeBusschere, I'm so glad you could come, even for a short time!! You are a blessing to me and to everyone.

~Sophia DeBusschere. Thank you for all your great help and for being a lot of fun. :) I had a great time with you and I was blessed to see you with the children.

~Curtis Kovach, you deserve one of the biggest thanks of all, for stepping up to the plate of Carson with only a few hours notice. You're amazing.

~But first and FOREMOST, this whole post really belongs to God. Because He is my very greatest friend, the ONLY source of true peace, and it's only by His will that this VBS ever happened. And as long as "Doane Vacation Bible School" continues, it will be only because of Him and all for Him. I love you, dear Lord, most of all!!


Thanks everyone!!!