Yay Christmas!

I just love Christmas! I love the food, the presents, the family time...I love the smells of cinnamon and pine trees....I really do enjoy the hustle and bustle! But most of all, I love how this time of year reminds me of my Savior. How I can't think about Christmas without being overwhelmed by His grace and mercy...how I can't stop singing for months leading up to Christmas--this may be due to the fact that I've had so many songs to learn for our Christmas production at church that I haven't been able to think about not singing! I love the thought of God's love in human flesh, given just for me.

I can't begin to imagine a life without the sheer joy of Christmas, and all that it really means. I'm not talking about Santa and snow, but the true meaning of Christmas....if it was only trees and gifts, I don't think it would be so special and mean so much. There's something to be said for family time and gifts, but what would this wonderful holiday be without the Father's Sacrifice.

For one of the few times in my life I had the opportunity to share the gospel from a pulpit at our church's Christmas concert. It was the best feeling, sharing God's love and his redemption plan. It was one of those "this is what I was made for" moments, when I could feel God's pleasure over me; a true act of worship.

Here's the gist of it: redemption. Christ came to save us from captivity, defeat, death. Although we may not feel like "sinners", we are. And the only way to be cleansed from this sin is to make Christ Lord of our hearts. It's so simple really, but it's a long, hard, rewarding road!

"It is for freedom Christ has set us free!"

Breath of God

Grace is falling
Manna from heaven
Bread for life

Without it there is no living
Only pain
Never healing

Grace I need to live
Grace I need to breathe
Grace I need to know

Know You as I am fully known
Through and through
Uninhibited, naked, true

Pour down over me
Cover every part
Grace, I need you now

Still going...

Well, I just realized it's been over a month since I last wrote! Crazy how quickly time goes by. Our trip to Tanzania came and went, and it seems like I'm just now having time to breathe! The trip was good. We drove to and from Kenya (about 6 hours each way), built a swing set, held a youth conference, prayed for sick people in an "isolation ward" at the hospital, visited a family of Massai, and even had time for a safari! We packed so much into the nine days we spent there it was hard to process most of what I saw and experienced till I got home.

The trip, overall, was fun. It was good to see my friend Melissa again, and see what God has used her to do. She has such a mother-heart; the children at the orphanage cling to her! We actually got to spend the entire time we were in Tanzania with her. We laughed a lot and still managed to work pretty hard.

I learned so much about what living in a third-world country is like, and how God takes care of His children so well. It was amazing to hear testimony after testimony of His provision and grace. It seems as though in America we have little need for God to come through, even our poorest are richer than many of the people that I met. Yet God reminded me how desperately we still need Him, and how He desires to use the blessings He gives us to bless others.

This concept of giving and sharing was one of the biggest things God spoke to me while I was there. I realize how blessed I am...I've never really questioned it...but I saw how important it is for me to give as much as I can, whenever I can, however I can. It's so easy to get wrapped up in my little world that I forget about the big picture. It was a good wake-up call!

The other thing that He kept impressing on me was this idea of being uncomfortable. Even in our "fancy" hotel room, that most of the locals could never afford, I was worried about safety, germs, and everything else you worry about even in American hotels..."are the sheets really clean?" and so on. But not only there, pretty much everywhere we went there was some level of discomfort. I was uncomfortable physically most of the time to be sure, but also emotionally, spiritually, and even in my thoughts...It took everything within me not to cry most of the time simply because of the poverty and need that surrounded.

I know I'm not called to be a missionary. I was sure of this before I left and even more sure as I practically kissed the ground when we got back to the U.S. But God continued to remind me that even in my calling, and in the life He has given me, He never called me to be comfortable. It seems like a "duh" concept, but when you live comfortably, it's rare to question why you're the one who's blessed, or why you are so comfortable. God's desire is always to stretch us, to change us, to make us more like Him...I think that should rarely be comfortable. It doesn't even sound comfortable! I began to think about how I can be less comfortable in my every day life so that someone else might be a little more comfortable. Can I give up that extra pair of shoes, or that lunch out for the second time this week, so I can give a little more...so maybe a house full of street kids won't go hungry again this week or so an orphanage can pay its electricity bill...

It's not about me, or how much I can do...God will get the job done. It is, however, about whether or not I want Him to use me to do it.

We're Going to Africa!

My husband and I will be joining two others on a trip to Moshe, Tanzania, Africa! We are going to build a playground and deliver supplies and fun stuff to Treasures of Africa orphanage. We will be gone for two weeks. I'm sure I'll have plenty of stories to tell when we return! Please keep us in your prayers. THANKS!

A Little of This, A Little of That

I have found the combination of prayer and worship to be so powerful in my life. I love the way I can start with worship and end up praying or vice versa. Even though not every single time is the most amazing encounter I've ever had with God, I find that if I allow myself to get lost in worship or really pour my heart out to God in prayer, I leave His presence changed. Even if it's just that I feel better than when I went in. Or maybe I've got a little more strength for the journey. There's something about God's presence that changes me.

My heart's cry is to dwell in God's presence, to be in constant communication with Him, whether through worship, prayer, or reading my Bible. One of my favorite Psalms is Psalm 27. Verse 4 really sums up what I'm trying to say: "One thing I ask of the LORD, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to seek him in his temple." How amazing would that be! To sit in God's presence constantly, looking at Him in all His beauty and glory! WOAH!

Something that my Bible study talked about last week was the fact that we have to live in this world, but we are not supposed to be like the world, we should be separate unto God. I know this is a common "churchy" way to think, but the context in the Bible study was what got me. We're studying Abram (before he was renamed Abraham). In Genesis 14, he hears that his relative Lot has been taken captive by these four kings who had invaded Sodom. So Abram musters his 300+ fighting men and goes to get Lot. Of course he saves Lot and all his people and goods.

Think about it, these are FOUR kings with their trained army against Abram with his 318 men whom he had trained to fight! That's huge that he won, let alone had the courage in the first place! Beth Moore quotes F.B. Meyer who says that it was only because Abram was separated from the world that he was able to save his nephew and all that belonged to him. He points out that if we are not separated from the world, we will not have the power to overcome the world.

What a thought! Once again God asks us to do something that may seem like a "thou shalt not..." to ruin our fun, when in reality he has only our best interest in mind. He desires to bless us and use us to be a blessing to the "Lots" in our lives. If we choose to live like the world, we may end up being taken captive like Lot. But if we will be found in the presence of Most High God, at His feet, soaking in His strength, then we will be able to be used to our fullest potential.

So you see, if you will choose to separate yourself from the world, and allow your Father to fill you up with Him and His Spirit, then not only will you benefit, but those around you will be lifted up with you too!