4 - "For I know the plans I have for you..."

Oh my…

It has been a while!

So much in my life has changed in the recent past… and it is only continuing to escalate. Let me just catch you up on the main points.

Although I was raised in a Christian home, I strayed from God for a long time. It wasn't until a month before I turned 18 that I decided to start living for Him. That was September 14, 2012. Oh, glorious day! Christ is the BIGGEST and most wonderful undeserved gift that I could ever receive. All glory to Jesus.

During the winter months at the end of 2012 and beginning of 2013, I tried (unsuccessfully) to join the Army National Guard. And then, probably around March, my very dear sweet friend, R Joy, invited me to participate in a summer ministry for children. She had been working with this organisation for years, and inviting me frequently, but I had obstinately and thoughtlessly declined. Something called Child Evangelism Fellowship....

I attended the two week training, Christian Youth In Action (CYIA), and heard about an internship opportunity at the CEF International Headquarters. As soon as I got home from CYIA, I applied. From June to August 2013, I told kids about Jesus at 5-Day Clubs all across the state of Michigan. Finally, August 13, I got my acceptance call!! I immediately began raising support and preparing to move to Warrenton, Missouri for a whole 14 months!

On my 19th birthday, October 10, 2013, my dad drove me down with the backseat full of my worldly possessions. I had no idea at the time of the tremendous life-changing adventure I was about to have.

The internship lasted from October when I arrived to mid August 2014. There are not enough words to explain the magnitude to which I was blessed by the people that God used to help me grow in knowledge and grace. I am eternally thankful and overwhelmingly amazed at how much He has blessed me with - all of which I do NOT deserve. 

The other Interns from across the country - all incredible friends!

(Me, AS, BT, TK, KA, JL, JM, HO)

From August to November 2014, I attended the Children's Ministries Institute at Headquarters. Five of us Interns were able to attend together. I got to learn all about how to be a better children's worker, missionary, and teacher.

Here we are at graduation. Such marvelous friends!
(AS, JM, BT, TK, Myself, IO, HO, BM)

Oh, so sweet. :)

What an amazing two years. I am so enchanted with the story that my God is including me in! He is everything to me, and I want to live that His Word is constant and true, regardless of circumstances, emotions, or cultural trends. This is my small faith that is, by His unending Grace, growing daily. Oh, how awesome is our God! All glory to Him!

And now I'm about to head off on brand new adventure! But that's a whole different story.....

3 - Absolutely Nothing

I discovered this journal entry from September yesterday. Take a moment to enjoy my overzealous imagery and (most importantly) focus on what is truly essential for your walk.

Absolutely nothing compares to the poetry of a late afternoon in September. The sunlight pushes through the leaves to hover gently within the small, cloudy ground-plants. Swarms of gnats find soothing warmth in the middle of the slices of sun as they spin and twirl and dance to the sound of absolutely nothing.

This sound is made up of faraway birds: crows making mournful statements, overachieving geese beginning their long journey, and even the occasional droning, buzzing, grating sound of a cicada, singing its life song. Squirrels squabble over mysterious petty offenses and can often be heard trying to squeak their teeth through a still-green hickory husk.

The smells that fill the air are warmed from a summer full of sun. A deep, complex, woody smell comes from bark that has reached maturity. The magic of this time cannot be called summer or autumn, but simply an in-between season. It is not still the vivacious era of work and frolic and not yet the serious, romantic time of drawing together what is most important in preparation for the harsh weather ahead.

It is in this time, dearest reader, that one can feel blissfully or irritably suspended in absolutely nothing, unsure of which duties to carry out. In the season between what was and what may be, there is only one thing to do.

Make it your utmost purpose to do absolutely nothing but praise the Lord.

He is the one who fashioned the exciting and vivid summer season, with all of its ups and downs. He is the one who holds the definition of the future in a secret, safe place.

Jesus is the one who died so that you could live. In every season, prove to Him that you are thankful for his unrepayable gift. Live your life with His best interests in mind and He will make your worries and fears absolutely nothing.

2 - Not As It Was Intended

I have never broken a bone. It is one of my greatest woes, because among other ailments that I’ve avoided, the absences of them all render me medically boring. But on the topic of bones, have you ever broken a bone?

My brothers have each broken a few, and I can remember the look of sheer agony on M’s face as he was leaving for the hospital with a snapped ulna. When E had broken a bone in his hand, (because he had been play-fighting and punched another kid too hard {the other kid was fine}) he was told that the doctor would have to re-set the bone if it was to heal properly. The procedure was to be anesthesia-free and therefore painful. E was young at the time and chose not to go through with it. The only lasting result is that he no longer has a visible knuckle on his right pinky finger.

Part of Philippians 2:15 says, “…children of God in a crooked and depraved generation…” Why do you think Paul had this opinion of how this generation would be? Let me tell you my theory.

We are born broken.

The sin in this world shatters our bones and causes us to be extremely disfigured; nothing like what God wanted us to be. Over time we heal into mangled, twisted, crooked, and depraved versions of what we were originally created to be. Our bones have mended themselves in a way that is slowly restricting our ability to breathe, to move, to live. We will eventually be choked to death by our injured and damaged bodies.

When we allow Christ to rescue us from this looming fatality, He takes to us like a surgeon to a patient. He soothes our souls and regenerates our bodies. He heals us from the inside out. Hebrews 10:10 says, “…we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.”

Jesus saves our lives.

But we still resist His offer of healing our bones. “It would be painful! It would take more time than I’m willing to give!” When we relent to the Holy Spirit’s loving hand, He heals us through a painful process. He re-breaks our bones and sets them in the way they should have been all along. By letting God take our sin and asking for His help, He is able to restore our bones more and more each day.

Faith can be illustrated by this doctor-patient relationship. Our Great Physician is dedicated to and desperate to heal us of our terminal illness. When will His patient become humble enough to be cured?

I know that He has promised to heal me, but have I asked Jesus to break my incorrectly set bones today?

There is a circular garden near where I live that I like to go to when I pray. I have affectionately dubbed it ‘Jericho,’ because I will walk in circles while I talk to God. While I was there earlier this evening, I began thinking about this bone illustration. 

It is not my bones that need fixing, it’s my heart. 

It’s my motives, my drive, my passion, my thoughts, and my desires. I want my Jesus to break my heart for what truly matters! To change my direction completely if that is what is best!

I can do nothing without Christ giving me strength. I couldn’t even begin. I cannot ever keep from crying when I think of how He loves me and gave Himself for me. He has so overly abundantly provided for me, time after time. When I think of Abba, my Father, I am overcome with the desire to serve Him in even more of every aspect of my life.

My prayer as I write this is that you will also be overwhelmed by God’s grace and love for you.

1 - Isaiah 12

Today is a wonderful day.

Jesus has taken away my death sentence.

My flesh fails and my soul despairs.

Abba, my Father fills me, even until I overflow.

In that day you will say:

“I will praise you, O LORD.

Although you were angry with me,

your anger has turned away

and you have comforted me.

Surely God is my salvation;

I will trust and not be afraid.

The LORD, the LORD, is my strength

and my song;

He has become my salvation.”

With joy you will draw water

from the wells of salvation.

In that day you will say:

“Give thanks to the LORD, call on His

name;

make known among the nations what he has done,

and proclaim that his name is exalted.

Sing to the Lord, for he has done

glorious things;

let this be known to all the world.

Shout aloud and sing for joy, people of

Zion,

for great is the Holy One of Israel 

among you.”