Life Update

I realize it’s been quite some time since my last post. I have no excuses other than to say, when you are asked to juggle too many balls it is inevitable that some of those balls will get dropped. Unfortunately, this blog has been one of them. I am hoping that I can begin to place this juggling ball back into the rotation of things once again, but please extend some grace in this area as our family embarks on a new chapter of our lives that will be full of the unexpected. Please continue reading to learn more about the changes that have happened and are continuing to take place.

I did a post awhile back called “Dodging Bullets.” In this post, I shared that we had an interview for a position that would enable us to raise funds for Liberia more on a full-time basis. We received word that we got the full-time position as “Missionary Ambassadors.” From the instant we received this news, we were hurled into a full steam ahead no turning back whirlwind. Within 7 days of that news we had a verbal agreement on the selling of our house and three days later we signed the paperwork. We never advertised, nor did we even put a sign in the front yard. We spoke with one person and that is who ended up purchasing the property. We did not even have to negotiate price. They offered us the exact amount that we wanted without us ever telling them what that price was, they were the ones who spoke of price first. The people who moved in, even purchased some of our furniture from us, right down to the bed I slept in. No one other than the Lord is able to work out those minute details. Things have been pretty much falling into place, but at a pace faster than I can keep up with!

If you don’t already know that when the Lord moves, so does satan. Satan will try to dig deep into his bag of arsenals in order to keep the plans and purposes of the Lord coming to pass. One of the many weapons satan so quickly hit us with had to do with our rental property. We own a duplex and one of our units were not paying rent. So this meant beginning the eviction process. Now, if any of you know anything about evicting anyone, it can easily turn into a long drawn out process with no guarantee that you as the landlord will see a penny of any of the money that they owe. We had tried as best we could to be gracious and patient, but when there are bills to pay and income not coming in that you have a contract stating that it will come, it begins to create a bit of an issue. From the day we were legally allowed to take possession of the property to do any work, we had just one weekend to turn it around, and even then the tenant's things were not off the premises, just simply moved to the garage. With the help of friends and family, we were able to get the apartment ready to turn it over to property management.

As if a marathon of work on a rental unit was not enough, we also got word that my grandfather had passed away. My family had asked my husband to perform the service. In that very instant I realized that all my struggling to move was so graciously postponed by a loving Heavenly Father who not only wanted me to be with my family in their time of grief but who also had a divine appointment scheduled that He did not want my husband and I to miss. At my grandfather’s viewing, we were introduced to a family member who had spent 52 years ministering on the continent of Africa. We sat and listened to sweet testimony after sweet testimony of the Lord’s provision and protection over his life. I thank God so deeply for that divine appointment. We were able to exchange contact information and I am looking forward to developing a precious relationship with this retired missionary. I look forward to gleaning the words of wisdom that are stored up in his heart.

We had tried for a week to physically move and every time we thought we were ready to go the Lord kept allowing things to keep us from going before He intended us to go. When we finally did load the moving truck and pulled out, it was pretty much the last possible day we could because we had a flight to catch for California within a couple days of moving from the new city we were moving to. Did I mention that our move was not a town or two over, but rather a couple states over? We moved 9 hours away!

Our move went well, but we hit the ground running as soon as we got there. We have the blessing of living with family in order to ease the financial obligations of owning a house while we pursue the call of missionary work. But when you go from having your own space with your own routines and then move in with another household that has their own routines it does make for some challenges. All in all, it has worked out well. We are still in the throngs of adjusting and settling, but I have a feeling our life will become nothing more than one big adjustment after the next.

Our next major adventure is fundraising. Our family will spend two sessions on the road each being about three months in lengths. We will be traveling to various churches sharing our story and our hearts for Liberia. We place our faith in our heavenly father who is the provider of all our needs (Philippians:19) that He who has begun a good work will see it through to completion (Philippians 1:6).

Father, we thank you for your grace and provision over our lives in the chaos of this move. I pray that as we continue to step out of our comfort zone and walk in faith that we keep our hearts and minds steadfast upon you. Help us not to get distracted by all of the wind and the waves that will inevitably crop up, but to keep our eyes focused on the one and only author and perfecter of our faith.

7 Encouraging Verses

Sometimes it seems like when it rains, it pours! I have been through many of those seasons in my life and still continue to trudge through the flood waters of the overwhelming far more than I care to admit. In the midst of these overwhelming circumstances I find that my only sense of grounding inevitably comes directly from the word of God. Today I would like to share seven verses that have encouraged my heart over the many times of torrential downpours. These are in no particular order, but rather a small and somewhat random selection of encouraging verses. I hope that you may find encouragement in the power behind these precious words.

“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” Galatians 6:9

Oh, how many times I have wanted to throw in the towel and tell the Lord, “That’s it, I can’t take anymore of this.” And then along comes the gentle reminder to simply “hang in there just a bit longer. The harvest is just around the corner. You have almost made it. Don’t give up yet.” This verse has saved me countless times from prematurely throwing in the towel  it’s not even funny!

“Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.” 1 Peter 5:7

To cast, to hurl, to throw with all your might because he cares for you! To read more on this particular verse visit my post entitled “Casting Our Cares.”

“You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.”1 John 4:4

When I feel as if i have been defeated by the enemy this verse has been the one that comes to my  rescue. I don’t have to feel defeated at all because my God has already overcome the enemy. I can stand and remind him of this. My God is greater than my enemy!

“So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” Isaiah 41:10

How wonderful it is to be reminded that I don’t have to live in a place of fear because I am actually being held in the center of the Lord’s hand. That is such an overwhelmingly comforting thought!

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” Romans 8:28

This verse has helped me through some incredibly painful and trying times. This verse has helped me to see that no matter what the situation I find myself in God is going to use it for His honor and His glory. God can bring beautiful things from some of the ugliest circumstances. This does not mean that things will end up the way we think they should. In fact, most of the time it ends up going in a completely different direction and we could not have imagined it that way even if we tried. I love this because it shows us that God is God and we are not!

“And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.”

Philippians 4:19

I have battled with this verse in those moments of financial need. Never once has the Lord let me slip through the cracks. He has always provided! It was not usually the way I thought He would provide. It was almost always much better than I had even dared to ask the Lord for. God gives according to his riches and glory, not according to our narrow minded limitations.

“Jesus replied, “What is impossible with man is possible with God.” Luke 18:27

I have watched the Lord perform literal miracles in the lives of those around me. I’m talking about supernatural, miraculous, no other explanation but the power of the Lord Jesus Christ Himself kind of stuff, so yes, NOTHING is impossible with God.

I share these verses with you today to encourage your heart. If you needed something to wage war with then I hope you will find some of these verses helpful. If you needed something to uplift your hurting heart, than I hope you found something in this short list today. These are just a small spattering of the many verses over the years that have brought healing and comfort to my heart.

For more posts like this visit “My Battle Verses,” and “Claiming Philippians 4:13”

Lord, I thank you that your word is filled with so many words to encourage our hearts. I thank you that we can go to your word to fill up our hearts in our moments of need. Help us to write your word on the tablets of our hearts so that when we find ourselves in difficult situations we can remember what your word says. Help us to continue to fight the good fight of faith with the sword of the spirit. We pray this in the precious name of Jesus Christ.

The Underrated Things

There are so many underrated jobs for us to be doing in this life. In fact, most of these jobs we may never even hear a simple “thank you” for our time and efforts in doing them. Are we willing to pour ourselves out in serving others in such a way that if we never hear a simple “thank you” that we will continue serving in love and kindness? How many of us start out serving others only to quit partway through because we feel as if no no one notices us? If we are serving to get noticed, for someone to say “thank you” or to be appreciated, well then, we have totally and utterly missed the point of loving Jesus entirely! When was the last time we said “thank you” to Jesus for the sacrifice that he made on Calvary? How many accolades did He get when His blood was poured out for the remission of our sins? If Christ had died on the cross only to get our praises, then surely He would have stayed in the grave and the curse of sin would never have been broken over our lives. Christ does not love us to get our praises and our accolades. He loves us even though we forget to give Him honor, glory and praise. He loves us because He is the very core and definition of love. There is nothing we can do to earn that love. But there are things we can do to express that love.

Scripture does promise that we will live a life where people notice our good deeds and honor us for them. Nor does it promise that we will receive great accolades and praises for the things we do on this earth. In fact, whatever good that we do in this life the honor is not nor was it ever meant for us to lay hold of. That honor and glory should only go to the Lord himself.

“In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” Matthew 5:16

Our “good deeds” are not a measure of who we are, but rather a tangible evidence of Christ’s love flowing through us to the recipient on the other side. It is in the showing of Christ's love that we can catch the attentions of God. We can be the physical expression of God’s love to the world! What a beautiful responsibility that is placed before us as Christians. What makes this even more beautiful is that Christ’s tangible evidence does not have to be shown by a select group of people. In other words, we don’t have to go to seminary, bible college, be an evangelist, pastor or teacher in order to show the world who Christ is. Christ is not limited to a select  group. He is available to a world who needs Him. Christ will use the simplest deeds in order to make His love evident to a lost and dying world. I want us to look at a couple verses today and see the types “underrated things” Christ uses to bring glory and honor to his name.

“And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones who is my disciple, truly I tell you, that person will certainly not lose their reward.” Matthew 10:42

Giving a cup of cold water is not that hard of a thing to do. In fact, it might seem so insignificant why even bother? I want us to think about a time we were so thirsty we would have given anything to get rid of the sandpaper feeling we had in our mouths. Now, think about how an ice cold glass of water would feel on our sandpaper tongues. It would be like a piece of heaven in that moment. Christ views giving a glass of cold water, something that seems so insignificant to us in the natural, as a measurement of our love for Him. When we pour out in kindness and love we reap so much more than we could ever imagine. These little things are significant in the eyes of God. By taking care of the underrated things we are investing in the kingdom.

“Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.” James 1:27

When I think of orphans and widows, I often think of individuals who have been left defenseless, unable to care for themselves and desperately needing the loving arms of those around them to come to their aid. I had the blessing of watching family members pitch in and come alongside when grandpa went home to be with the Lord leaving grandma behind. Family did not hesitate to take care of grandma’s every need. They loved her, honored her and served her until the day she joined grandpa with Jesus. They saw her through some of the darkest days of her life on earth. Many of those days were thankless for the family members who held her hands through it all. But I saw the love of Christ poured out on grandma in abundance. The family brought a very real and tangible evidence to grandma in her last days. It was a blessing not only to grandma's heart, but a blessing to all those who got the opportunity to see what the servanthood of Jesus really looks like.

“For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’ ‘When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.” Matthew 25:35-40

We never know who is going to come along our path and need a healthy dose of Christ’s love in their lives. We should always be ready willing and able to give to the best of our ability, to meet needs and to show the love of Christ. Jesus himself listed a number of things in Matthew 25:35-40 that we can do that are underrated yet that can bring blessing and honor to the Lord. We can feed the hungry, satisfy the thirsty, invite in the stranger, clothe the naked, look after the sick, and visit the prisoners. I’m quite sure this is not a comprehensive list, so it is equally important to listen to what God is laying on our hearts to do. He will direct our steps in taking care of the underrated things each and every day.

Lord, thank you for making this walk of faith such a simple concept. Thank you that we don’t have to have a fancy degree, or be a preacher or evangelist in order to show your love to the world. Thank you for using the very simple, very underrated things of this life in order to make a profound impact on the earth. Help us to remain sensitive to the spirit’s leading so that we don’t miss the little things you are calling us to be doing. We love you Lord and desire to show your love to this very lost and dying world. In your precious and holy name we pray.

Dodging Bullets

I had shared in previous posts about our trip to Liberia, Africa. This trip has hurled us into a much larger plan that God has faithfully been revealing to us little bits and pieces at a time. We recently  found ourselves packing our bags for a whirlwind trip to Florida for an interview that would directly affect our ability to raise funds more on a full time bases for Liberia. I can only figure that satan felt directly threatened by this because he desperately tried all he could to distract us from the greater picture. He was shooting bullets at us left and right and all we could do was dodge them as they came and try to keep a good attitude while it was all happening. I wanted to share with you the events that took place surrounding trip so that you could see just how hard satan will work in our lives in hopes that things will go his way, as well as share with you a heart lesson that was learned in the process of being shot at.

The attack begins

Two days before our flight my husband was in a car accident. Praise God it was nothing too serious, but enough that caused us to recognize the attacks of the enemy when we saw them. That same night someone smashed our mailbox with a baseball bat, while this may seem unimportant and unrelated, we recognized that satan was kicking into high gear in hopes to distract us from the plans and purposes of the Lord. Unfortunately for him, we had already made up our minds, so we towed the car to our mechanic and straightened up the mailbox and headed for Florida. Once we got there, the attacks did not stop. I ended up leaving my purse on a chair in the airport, of which we quickly had to run back and snatch up before someone else did. By this point I was starting to get weary in the attempts to derail what God has already orchestrated. Once we landed in Florida we got a taxi from the airport to our hotel. While in the taxi, my purse fell off the seat onto the floor and I did not realize until several hours later that my phone had fallen out and was riding around in the taxi for the remainder of the afternoon. Upon discovery, we called my mother in law who was able to locate my phone using a simple app. We were even able to set an alarm off on my phone which then alerted the driver to call my husband's cell phone. We were able to reconnect with the driver and my phone was back in my hands by the next morning.

Round two

The interview came and went and you would think that by now satan would have given up. Nope, he was stubborn enough to keep shooting the bullets right at us. Our return flight was canceled due of a major snowstorm on the east coast. This forced us to reschedule our return flight and stay another night in Florida. But instead of being able to stay in the hotel that we were currently staying in, we were forced to find other accommodations because along with our flight, over 1,000 other flights were also grounded, so needless to say we were in a race with many other passengers to find a place to stay. We decided to book a room closer to the airport. Now, we just so happened to be in Florida over spring break, and the closer we got to the airport, the closer we got to the beach. And the closer we got to the beach the closer we were to unsupervised college students who were foot loose and fancy free to say it kindly. Now, I was a college student at one time. I did not enjoy the party scene then, and I have found that I enjoy it a whole lot less now that I am older. However, our new accommodations found us smack dab in the middle of a party we did not want to be in. I guess satan figured that by now, the interview was over and decisions had been made so now he was just going to torture us. We lay in bed listening to screaming and yelling college kids until about 3:00 a.m. At 1:30 a.m. one guy actually tried quite vigorously to get in our room, by pounding on the door and yanking on the door handle. I guess he thought it was his room. My husband forcibly reminded him without opening the door that he had the wrong room. (My hero).

The REAL Battle

As I laid in bed that night, all I could do was think about all of the emptiness that these young people were more than likely experiencing. They probably would not be able to remember what they had done that night or whom they had done it with. One guy walked past our room yelling “I don’t know where in the world I’m at. I don’t know how I got here.” That young man had drank himself right out of his cognizant mind and was left wondering around unable to navigate life in the slightest. My heart hurt for these young people who will more than likely spend eternity separated from the saving grace of our loving heavenly father. I prayed earnestly for their eyes to be open, for their hearts to be broken and for their lives to be transformed in the name of Jesus. As I lay there, I knew there was nothing I could do to save them from the choices they were making. My heart ached for them. I wondered if this is how our heavenly father must feel as He looks upon us when we make the conscious choice to choose sin over Him. Oh, how his heart must break as He watches his creation choosing the worldly idols to worship over their own loving creator. Yet, despite the scorn, rejection, and scrutiny the Lord still loves and desires that one day each one will look at Him with adoring eyes rather than eyes of disdain. I can’t even begin to imagine how bad that must hurt Him.

Our battles truly are not against flesh and blood, but the battles we face are in the spirit realm. We are called to battle for the hearts and souls of this generation, for a lost and dying world, a world that does not even realize they are lost and ding.  Our Lord does not want any to perish, but all to come to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ (2 Peter 3:9). We are to stand in the gap in prayer for these people!

While this trip started out causing me to dodge one bullet after another, it ended up with me learning so much more about the heart of my Heavenly Father. This trip allowed me to see a world full of brokenness, hurt, and emptiness, a world desperate for the saving grace of the Lord Jesus Christ. My heart will forever be impacted by the faces that I saw bowing the knee to their own selfish ambitions. My heart was broken as I realized that the path these young people were on will never satisfy them, in fact it will do just the opposite. It will leave them more tormented than ever before.

Father God, I am so thankful that you allow us to have trials and hurdles come into our lives so  we can see the things of your heart. Thank you for showing me just how much this world needs you. Please continue to deepen my heart of compassion for those who do not know you.  I pray that each of us learns what it means to have your heart of compassion. Fill us with your love for the lost because we know it is not our desire that anyone should perish. In the precious name of Jesus Christ we pray.

Our Placement

God has each of us where we are at for a very special purpose in mind. Sometimes, we are able to pinpoint the Lord’s reason’s behind us being called to a specific location and then other times we will need to seek out God’s reasons through much prayer and simply being patient in God’s timing to reveal to us His motivations for our placement. We have to keep in the forefront of our minds during the season of waiting that God is not trying to punish us, but to teach us. The Lord does not call us to a place for no reason at all. He calls us to a place for His plans and purposes. We just need to make sure that we are not fighting the placement in the process. I have spent way too much time fighting the placement and it wasn’t until I saw the why behind the placement that I was able to be thankful for where I was placed. God does not make mistakes in His placement of us. Sometimes we just have to be willing to wait for His reasons to be revealed, and trust that He knows exactly what He is doing even when we don’t have a clue. That is why it is called faith. We have to trust that God knows better than we do!

Example of Jonah

If we take a look at the life of Jonah, we can see just how quickly things can go wrong when we fight our placement. (Jonah 1) Jonah was called to go to Nineveh. Nineveh was a city so full of wickedness that Jonah had decided he didn’t like the idea that God would call him to such a place. Jonah had viewed Nineveh as hopeless, and a lost cause, so much so that he decided to fight the placement by running from it. This caused a whole mess for Jonah until he finally realized that God’s way was better then his way.

I’m sure we have all run from the placement of God a time or two, and if we have not run then perhaps we have just fought God about the placement. How does fighting with an omniscient God make any sense? When did we get to the same all foreseeing level as our all knowing creator? Can I get a big NEVER on that one! Yet, we are still willing to say to God “I’m not going there”, or “I’m not doing that.” Thankfully, just like God was patient with Jonah, He will be just as patient with us as well.

Are there going to be times when we question the placement? Absolutely, but that does not mean we should not obey. Just because we do not understand everything that God is doing does not give us the license to say “no way.”,  “not a chance.” or “not me God.” Our Lord is looking for a yielded heart, one that is willing to jump out of the boat and walk on water when He says “Come.” (Matthew 14:28-29) How many of us are willing to do that? How many of us would much rather fight the placement and simply stay in the comfort of our little boat when Christ is out in the water beckoning our name? God will not call us to a place and then abandon us. Just like Jonah, he will go with us to the location He is calling us to go. And while we are there He will teach us a few things (sometimes even a lot of things). The Lord is faithful to work in each of us His character through our circumstances and placement, but we must be willing to let Him do the work. When we fight the placement we inevitably end up fighting the very hand of God working out His character in our lives. All this does is prolong our journey around the mountain. It simply means that instead of taking the direct route to where we are called, we just might get swallowed up by a whale until we have learned to trust and obey that God is God and we are not.

Envying others

Not only do we have to make sure we are not fighting the Lord on the specific area He has placed us, but we also must make sure we are not looking at others around us and wishing that we were placed where God has them. God has wired each of us so very differently! I was not designed to function in your placement, and you were not designed to function  in mine. Actually, if we would try to switch places we would find ourselves more frustrated and exasperated then if we had simply learned to flourish where God had originally placed us. It’s kind of like plants. God designed certain plants to flourish in certain environments and if we take that plant and put it in a different environment it inevitably dies because it was only designed for one specific environment. If we put a rainforest plant and place it in the middle of the Sierra Dessert, it will be dead within weeks. God has designed each of us to grow and thrive in a specific placement. Embrace where God has placed you!

Keep in mind too, that sometimes God will call us out of one placement and take us to another. Be willing to not only accept the one you are currently in, but to also look forward to the one you are called to as well. The Lord called the Hebrew children out of Egypt and to the Promise land, but before they could get there, they had to go through the desert. They did not embrace the desert in the least bit. In fact, all they did for 40 years was fight with God about their placement. That 40 years could have been drastically cut down if they had accepted where the Lord had them for the season and looked forward to where the Lord was taking them. Embrace your placement.

Thank you Lord that you work all things together for the good for those who love you (Romans 8:28). Thank you that you know the plans and purposes you have for us (Jeremiah 29:11). Father, I pray that we remember these things in those moments when you beckon us to come to a placement we are uncertain of. Help us to put our trust and our faith in you and to keep it there! You know all and see all and therefore know what is best for us.Thank you for being willing to place us in specific places to build your character in our lives. Help us not to run from or fight the placement you have specifically hand chosen for us. Help us not to envy the placement of others. Lord you have the very best for us in mind. Help us to recall that in those moments of second guessing. In the precious name of Jesus Christ