God at Work

We can definitely see God at work in the world, drawing people to Himself and holding all things together. Yet, I think God also wants us to know that He is working in the little things, giving us glimpses of His grace in the minute details of our lives.

I had such an experience this week. It seems minor, but in the midst of the craziness it was a wonderful encouragement. This week we are preparing for our May board of directors meeting. At our old office, on the door to the conference room we had a copy of our Mission and Vision on 11 x 17 paper as a reminder of why we were doing what we were doing. Kent asked if we could get that reprinted and framed to go in our new conference room in time for the board meeting. I wasn't sure what would be available for frames, so I readjusted the document to fit in an 8 x 10 frame, although not liking how small the font became. When I uploaded the document to get it printed, the company didn't accept that paper size and I had to choose either a standard sheet of paper or the 11 x 17. I decided to go with the latter and hope I could find a frame. I did some quick checking online but it seemed that the only way to get it was to have to order the frames online and have them shipped. We didn't really have time for that, but I figured if nothing else the paper could again go up by itself on the wall.

I picked up the documents and was very pleased with how they had turned out. The font size on the 11 x 17 paper was really the best for being able to easily read it. I decided to run by Michael's just up the road and see if they had anything on hand. I really just wanted something black and simple.

When I walked in the door, at the very front of the store they had a bin of 11 x 17 frames, exactly what I was looking for. They were inexpensive but sturdy and the black really looked sharp with our logo. I was so excited that I had been able to find exactly what I needed and I didn't even have to roam up and down the picture frame aisles in order to find it. I knew that God was giving me a little break in the midst of the craziness to show me that He was in control and taking care of things! Although it was really minor, it was a huge blessing to me and it was cool to see God at work!

Think About It...

Here's a quote to chew on:


"I have found that there are three stages in every great work of God: first it is impossible, then it is difficult, then it is done".
~Hudson Taylor

Stepping In

It has been a busy last few weeks (or month since that's how long it's been since I last blogged)! I celebrated twenty-five years of being alive, we got moved in to our new office building and are getting settled and I wrapped up another semester at DBU. In one very short year, in two short semesters, Lord- willing I will be walking down the graduation aisle to receive my Master's degree. I'm excited, but nervous too, because in my mind graduation marks the jumping-off place, the time when I will head off to the next adventure the Lord has in store.

Change happens, that's for sure. As I started to box up my belongings in the church office, I was sad to be leaving that place. Two and a half years ago I pulled up in front of this seemingly massive church building and Erika met me in the parking lot, a welcome site after a 12 hour drive all the way from Nebraska. For the next year and a half, the 3 of us shared the day-to-day aspects of a remote office, and then we began to welcome a whole staff from the Seattle office as they moved to Plano. Finally, we have settled in to a spot that we can call our own. While I have so many amazing memories from the church office, I'm so excited for this new place and the opportunities that are opening up to our organization because of this. I'm ready to move on to new things here, and to look forward to what changes might be coming in the next year.

In order to be ready for what changes God might bring, we have to be willing to step out in faith. When the Israelites were ready to follow Joshua into the Promised Land, they encountered the flooded Jordan River. God told Joshua that the priests carrying the Ark were to go down into the river and remain in the middle while the rest of the people walked across. Just as God had parted the Red Sea for the Israelites to leave Egypt, God promised that He would make a way for the people to go across on dry ground. But, the waters would not part until the feet of the priests touched the river. The purpose of all of this was to show the greatness of the Lord, and to help the people trust Him. I was really challenged by this story (found in Joshua 3) in thinking about change. Sometimes God gives us instruction, but then says "Take a step" without giving us all the details. We can't often see how things will turn out, yet this is an opportunity to hold fast to God and really lean on Him. When we do, He has the opportunity to work through us and help us grow, as well as proving how amazing and faithful He is.

I am sure that in the coming months God will have the chance to grow me as I learn to trust Him more completely. It's a little scary but so exciting to believe that He will be at work!

Lives Given, Not Taken

Tuesday in my Biographies class we talked about missionary martyrs from the last century. My professor told us story after story, some of people who have made the news as they gave their life, and others who were friends of his that most people probably wouldn't have heard about. Some of the people went through great torture before they were killed by rebels or terrorists. Others stayed behind instead of evacuating the country when violence or unrest erupted. I have always known that being killed is a very real possibility for missionaries. All of us will die at some point, though, and so I had never been discouraged or overwhelmed by it before. But as my professor listed each story I just kept wondering if it is worth it.

I was thankful that Dr. Garrett ended with some verses that helped put things in perspective for me. He talked about the two witnesses that appeared in Revelation 11. They are to preach and prophesy in the streets of the city for 3 years and during this time no one will be able to harm them because God will protect them. It is not until they have finished their testimony that they will be killed. I am trusting that if God has our days numbered, then we will not die until we have completed the work here on earth to which He has called us. Even in our death, God can be glorified and his Kingdom advanced.

One verse I read while I was in Cambodia also came to mind and it was encouraging as well.
Revelation 12:11: "They overcame him (Satan) by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death".

As believers, we have eternity to spend with God and so we should not fear death. Rather, we must be willing to put our lives on the line in order to share the hope of eternity with those who have not heard.

Musings on the Quarter life Crisis

You've probably heard of the midlife crisis. This often hits people as they see their kids off to college and experience the empty nest, causing them to reevaluate their careers and goals for the latter part of their lives.

A rather new term is the quarter life crisis, which hits young adults as reach their 20s and enter into the real world. I am about a month away from my golden birthday- 25 on the 25th of April- and suddenly I have been feeling old. A friend had mentioned the term quarter life crisis last year, so I decided to do some research this week. Here a few of the characteristics I found:
- Confronting one's own mortality
- Insecurity concerning ability to love oneself, let alone another person
- Insecurity regarding present accomplishments
- Disappointment with one's job
- Nostalgia for college or high school
- Loss of closeness to high school and college friends
- Financially-rooted stress

Many college students and high schoolers are not prepared for all of the responsibilities that hit them as they enter the adult world. It makes sense that this would cause some anxiety and questioning. We haven't done much to prepare young people, protecting them and allowing them to enjoy freedoms without the responsibility. While I felt fairly prepared for life as an adult, even I have paused to look at the last 25 years of life rather critically. I think it's good to evaluate in order to avoid growing stagnate, but we shouldn't dwell on our "failures" as compared to other people.

My professor reminded us today of Jeremiah's picture of clay in the hands of our Potter. He is molding and shaping us, if we allow ourselves to be pliable and soft, willing to go where He wants us. Sometimes God has to smash down the pot only to rebuild it again to be more in line with what He wants. I was struck with how this fits in with our "crises" moments. These are times when God can smash down the pot and help us seek new direction, new passion, new excitement for what He wants to do. He can show us what needs to improve in our character. No matter what stage in life we are in, we must be continually open to what God wants to teach us!

Roots

Often when I go home to Nebraska I am reminded about the legacy that has been left for me, and also the huge part of who I am that has been shaped by growing up in the rural Midwest. I love Texas and enjoy seeing new places and often feel settled when I am in a new place for any decent amount of time. But there is nothing quite like going home. During this last visit, my grandpa showed us some old pictures of his family growing up and his siblings and their wedding pictures. He came from a family of 11 kids so there were plenty of pictures! After the visit, my dad drove my siblings and I around to see the farmland that belonged to my great-grandpa Hilkemann. He was pretty well-off for his day and a good manager. During the Great Depression he was able to buy up quite a bit of land surrounding their home place, and as each son grew up they were given a piece of land to call their own. The brothers did a lot of their farm work together. Most of the land is no longer in the family, but there is still evidence of the hard work that has gone into those acres. All of the land is just a few miles from where my family currently lives. It might not seem important to most people, but for me the fact that my family's history is deep in the soil of Pierce County, Nebraska is amazing. This is part of me, part of where I come from and who I am. Even if my immediate family were to move off the farm or even out of Nebraska, our legacy is still there. I think that having roots like this is important for being able to go on and do new things, explore new areas. There have definitely been challenges, but I wouldn't trade my heritage for anything.

Not Forgotten by God

Isaiah 49:14-16 (NIV)
But Zion said, "The Lord has forsaken me, the Lord has forgotten me."

"Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you! See I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are ever before me".

In our daily office prayer time, we focus on a particular unreached people group. Most often these groups of people have no missionary working among them, and because they do not have local believers there, they do not have a way to hear the gospel in a culturally relevant way. It might seem like they have been forgotten by the rest of the world.

Yet, God still cares about each of these people groups and longs for them to know Him personally. Just as he does not abandon us, He has not forgotten these people around the world. Through His miraculous means, God reveals Himself to these peoples who do not have a witness. He also stirs on the hearts of His children to go and reach out to these groups of people who need to know that Jesus saves. Our job is to respond, and to pray for more workers to listen to God's voice calling to go to those the Church has forgotten.

Rainstorm in Cambodia

Check out this video of the rainstorm that Gayle and I got caught in one evening while we were in Cambodia. Dusty dirt roads quickly turned into muddy streams! You can also view the video on You Tube by going to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AM-qsrxXkls.

A Heart for China

Lottie Moon was a pretty amazing lady. You may have heard of the Lottie Moon Christmas offering that Baptists collect annually to support their missions efforts. Honestly, before I had to do a presentation for my Biographies class, this was all I knew about Lottie Moon. That, and she worked in China and was single her whole life.

There is so much more to her than a Christmas offering. She was born in 1840 to Christian parents in Virginia, but it wasn't until she was in college that she really began to think about the condition of her soul. She went to an evangelistic meeting to scoff at those who were there, but she came back to her room later a changed women and she began to be very involved in church and prayer meetings on her college campus. Lottie was feisty, spirited and determined, and she did not lose these qualities when she accepted Christ.

Her younger sister went to China as a missionary in 1871, in a time when single women missionaries were frowned upon and often not allowed to go unless they went to work with another already-established missionary family. Lottie began to be convicted about her own call to China, and she sailed in 1873. Her sister didn't last much longer, and had to return home because of poor health and overwork. In those days missionaries were often not allowed to come home on a furlough except in extreme cases, and there was frequently no funding to send them back. In China, Lottie worked in the schools teaching girls. She also traveled out into rural areas, teaching and bringing the gospel to the women and children there. She was creative and determined, not letting anyone stand in her way when she had a plan. There were many issues with the other missionaries in her area who had antiquated and often negative ideas about how best to reach the local people. Lottie stood her ground, putting into practice methods for especially rural ministry that are still in practice today. She did suggest in 1887 that a collection be taken before Christmas and that same time be set aside for prayer for missionaries, and in 1888 the first Christmas offering was taken.

Lottie died of starvation in 1912, because she gave away her own food during the famine in China rather than taking care of herself. She has left a wonderful legacy for all of us who have come behind her. Although she remained single, she was engaged to a man prior to her leaving for China and then almost came home later on to marry him. He could not commit to coming to China, and she could not give up the people that God had called her love. Later on in her life, she was asked if she had ever been in love with someone, and she answered, "Yes, but God had first claim on my life, and since the two conflicted, there could be no question about the result". I so enjoyed getting to learn more about Lottie Moon and her life and legacy!

Make Me An Instrument

My professor used the Prayer of St. Francis (below) in one of devotions before the lecture in my online class. I had seen parts of this before, but was really struck reading the whole thing. It was a great reminder that we as Christians are to be a light to the world, which is often in stark contrast to the darkness and hopelessness of the world. I really loved the devotional words that my professor added after the prayer. I hope that you will read and be encouraged by this prayer and devotional.

~Sarah

The Prayer of Saint Francis

"O Lord, make me an instrument of Thy Peace!
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
Where there is injury, pardon;
Where there is discord, harmony;
Where there is doubt, faith;
Where there is despair, hope;
Where there is darkness, light, and
Where there is sorrow, joy.
Oh Divine Master, grant that I may not
so much seek to be consoled as to console;
to be understood as to understand; to be loved
as to love; for it is in giving that we receive;
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
and it is in dying that we are born to Eternal Life."

Francis of Assisi, the presumed author of the above prayer, challenged his generation to a life of complete submission to Christ. Following the lead of the humble, mendicant from Assisi, Franciscan friars fanned out across Europe proclaiming a simple Gospel and calling Christians to a deeper walk with Christ. Francis espoused a lifestyle of trust, submission, humility, love, and peace in a violent era. His life stood in stark contrast to the force of the Crusades and coercion of the emerging Inquisition.

Francis' prayer calls to my mind Paul's admonition in Colossians 3:12-17.

¹²Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, ¹³bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. ¹⁴And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. ¹⁵And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. ¹⁶Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. ¹⁷And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

―Colossians 3: 12-17 (English Standard Version)

Like Francis, we live in a fractured, contentious world where compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, patience, and peace are in short supply. As disciples of Christ, we are called to be witnesses to His grace, His love, and His peace in word and deed.

May the words of the Apostle Paul and the prayer of a wandering beggar for Christ challenge you and me to demonstrate Christ-likeness in all we do, in word or deed.