Hopefully this makes you all chuckle. I posted it back when I got home, but here's a refresher for you. Thanks for praying for Lino and the Acker family!!
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Here and There
I woke up this morning, thought about the day ahead, and then abandoned all plans. Today I wasn't ready to face the world and all that comes with it. On a normal Sunday I get up, go to church, go to sunday school, hang out with friends, watch Da Bears, and hang with family. Of course I still plan on some of that (Da Bears, da bears, da bears, da bears!), but I needed a break this morning.
See, I'm trusting the Lord in all things... and I'm trying to wait patiently so I go about my daily life and wait. But there's something that's been on my mind for the last few days. I don't want to just go about my daily life! I want to move. I want to experience. I DO NOT want to be stuck in a routine with no way out and yet that's how I find myself this morning.
I can't smell Uganda anymore. I can't remember the smell of Lake Victoria in the morning or the feel of the moisture coming off of it. I can't hear the hundreds of different birds chirpping daily or the bats going crazy at night. I don't get to hear random cows, goats, roosters, chickens, and wild dogs. The sound of children's laughter as they play with a plastic bottle or push a tire down the broken, torn, and beat up orange path called a road is slowly fading from my memory. The brilliant colors that burst in the warmth of the equatorial sun are becoming dull and dim in the monotany of my everyday life.
Why is that? Everyday that I'm gone from there it's as though I'm settling more and more here. "Here" is not bad by any means. But "there" is where my heart beats freely. I had no idea that my life would be totally changed by an 11 month experience. How can I ache for a place as much as I do when I've spent so little time there? And how can I explain to others my passion for the place when I struggled so much when I was there the first time? These are all things that I don't know and don't understand.
What I do know is that I'm called and when God is ready for me to go, I'll go. Until then I'm clinging to these verses: "I would have lost heart, unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait on the Lord, be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart; wait, I say, on the Lord!" -Psalm 27:13-14
Here's a song that I've fallen in love with over the last couple of weeks.
"If You Say Go" by Vineyard
If You say go, we will go
If You say wait, we will wait
If You say step out on the water
And they say it can't be done
We'll fix our eyes on You and we will come
Your ways are higher than our ways
And the plans that You have laid
Are good and true
If You call us to thefire
You will not withdraw Your hand
We'll gaze into theflames and look for You
See, I'm trusting the Lord in all things... and I'm trying to wait patiently so I go about my daily life and wait. But there's something that's been on my mind for the last few days. I don't want to just go about my daily life! I want to move. I want to experience. I DO NOT want to be stuck in a routine with no way out and yet that's how I find myself this morning.
I can't smell Uganda anymore. I can't remember the smell of Lake Victoria in the morning or the feel of the moisture coming off of it. I can't hear the hundreds of different birds chirpping daily or the bats going crazy at night. I don't get to hear random cows, goats, roosters, chickens, and wild dogs. The sound of children's laughter as they play with a plastic bottle or push a tire down the broken, torn, and beat up orange path called a road is slowly fading from my memory. The brilliant colors that burst in the warmth of the equatorial sun are becoming dull and dim in the monotany of my everyday life.
Why is that? Everyday that I'm gone from there it's as though I'm settling more and more here. "Here" is not bad by any means. But "there" is where my heart beats freely. I had no idea that my life would be totally changed by an 11 month experience. How can I ache for a place as much as I do when I've spent so little time there? And how can I explain to others my passion for the place when I struggled so much when I was there the first time? These are all things that I don't know and don't understand.
What I do know is that I'm called and when God is ready for me to go, I'll go. Until then I'm clinging to these verses: "I would have lost heart, unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait on the Lord, be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart; wait, I say, on the Lord!" -Psalm 27:13-14
Here's a song that I've fallen in love with over the last couple of weeks.
"If You Say Go" by Vineyard
If You say go, we will go
If You say wait, we will wait
If You say step out on the water
And they say it can't be done
We'll fix our eyes on You and we will come
Your ways are higher than our ways
And the plans that You have laid
Are good and true
If You call us to thefire
You will not withdraw Your hand
We'll gaze into theflames and look for You
Monday, October 12, 2009
God's Little Helper
It's been back to work for me on a consistent basis for over a week now. Amazing, I know! I've actually been staying quite busy which is nice for a change. It gets boring doing the same old thing all the time so I've been working on changing that up a bit. I'm going to start substitute teaching again to make some extra money as my cash flow is critically dissipated these days. I'm honestly not sure where my money goes anymore. I've done a lot of traveling since I've been back and so understandably much of my money has gone to that, I'm sure.
Anyways here's the deal. Money is a huge source of stress for me. It always has been. I don't always stress because I don't have it though... when I was younger it was stressful because I DID have it. I don't like money. It's not important to me. I don't like having it and I don't like how people can be so driven by it. I like to be able to do what I want, when I want. I'm not a fan of being restricted by something like money. I'm a bit of a hippie in this way, I know. Obviously the economy is bad and everyone is struggling these days, but it really seems like when it rains, it pours!
My car has multiple things that need to be fixed totaling about $1,500. I have school loans that are just piling up because I haven't had money to pay. I need a crown on my tooth. I just had surgery and haven't seen a bill yet, but can't begin to imagine what to expect. My car demands gasoline quite often, not to mention the law demands insurance. People are having babies and baby showers. People are getting married. AND on top of all that... I just want to get back to Uganda (which means I should be saving every penny). Dang it.
However(thankfully), God is a provider. Not just a provider, but THE Provider. Learning how to relax and trust God as the Great Provider has always been a bit of a challenge. But more and more through God's word and prayer I'm learning to chill. It's so nice to rest in knowing that Jesus is in control. Clearly I have to work on this everyday as more stuff keeps coming up. :)
God's movement is so evident to me lately. Maybe it's because I'm taking the time to listen and maybe it's because I'm learning how to be still. Is being still and listening easy for you? It's not for me. I am always wanting to DO something. I love to help God. Silly me, God doesn't need my help. Aren't I conceited, thinking that the Creator of the universe would NEED me? I just heard a sermon yesterday about God needing help. The pastor used many passages from Genesis, using the lives of Abraham and Sarah to illustrate how little God NEEDS us. It's always very humbling to hear things like that because it becomes very easy to think that the work Jesus has called us to do will not happen if we don't do it. Like the world will end or something. It will get done and the world won't end... simply because God is God. He can do it without the help of me or anyone. Luckily God is willing to use tools. I love being a tool that He chooses to use. Sometimes we are called to do things that we can't imagine doing... why is that? I've quoted Oswald Chambers a lot lately, but I love this one: "God does not call the equipped, He equips the called." God is glorified when a task is done that would have proved impossible without His help. How cool is that? I love being a part of things like that. To God alone be the glory.
Anyways here's the deal. Money is a huge source of stress for me. It always has been. I don't always stress because I don't have it though... when I was younger it was stressful because I DID have it. I don't like money. It's not important to me. I don't like having it and I don't like how people can be so driven by it. I like to be able to do what I want, when I want. I'm not a fan of being restricted by something like money. I'm a bit of a hippie in this way, I know. Obviously the economy is bad and everyone is struggling these days, but it really seems like when it rains, it pours!
My car has multiple things that need to be fixed totaling about $1,500. I have school loans that are just piling up because I haven't had money to pay. I need a crown on my tooth. I just had surgery and haven't seen a bill yet, but can't begin to imagine what to expect. My car demands gasoline quite often, not to mention the law demands insurance. People are having babies and baby showers. People are getting married. AND on top of all that... I just want to get back to Uganda (which means I should be saving every penny). Dang it.
However(thankfully), God is a provider. Not just a provider, but THE Provider. Learning how to relax and trust God as the Great Provider has always been a bit of a challenge. But more and more through God's word and prayer I'm learning to chill. It's so nice to rest in knowing that Jesus is in control. Clearly I have to work on this everyday as more stuff keeps coming up. :)
God's movement is so evident to me lately. Maybe it's because I'm taking the time to listen and maybe it's because I'm learning how to be still. Is being still and listening easy for you? It's not for me. I am always wanting to DO something. I love to help God. Silly me, God doesn't need my help. Aren't I conceited, thinking that the Creator of the universe would NEED me? I just heard a sermon yesterday about God needing help. The pastor used many passages from Genesis, using the lives of Abraham and Sarah to illustrate how little God NEEDS us. It's always very humbling to hear things like that because it becomes very easy to think that the work Jesus has called us to do will not happen if we don't do it. Like the world will end or something. It will get done and the world won't end... simply because God is God. He can do it without the help of me or anyone. Luckily God is willing to use tools. I love being a tool that He chooses to use. Sometimes we are called to do things that we can't imagine doing... why is that? I've quoted Oswald Chambers a lot lately, but I love this one: "God does not call the equipped, He equips the called." God is glorified when a task is done that would have proved impossible without His help. How cool is that? I love being a part of things like that. To God alone be the glory.
Thursday, October 1, 2009
The Program of Our Lives
Have you ever noticed how almost nothing goes according to our plans? This isn't the first time I've noticed it, but somehow it stands out in a new way to me right now. Humans are funny creatures, run by the programs of their lives. We are people who live by their schedules and rarely do we allow our schedules to change unless something really good comes up. Schedules and routines are comfortable and a lot of times we can go through each day in a brainless state of being. Do I think this is the worst thing in the world? Yes and no.
Well my "slowing schedule" was rocked last week and completely flipped upside down. Without going into much detail on here... I've had some family issues. Things were unsettled enough for me to leave for a week, thus my whole idea of not having to travel for a while was shattered. I ended up driving 3 and half hours to stay with my bff/roomie. Now, it had been about 3 months since I had seen her and my visit was WAY overdue so of course my visit was a blessing, just very unexpected. I'm so thankful to the Lord for friends that I can call and say, "hey I'm coming to stay with you for a while, I'm not sure for how long." (Even when we haven't talked in a while).
I arrived around midnight last thursday night and stayed until wednesday. While I was gone, not only did I have an amazing time with my bff and her family, but I spent a lot of time in the Word and in prayer. Jesus and I had plenty of time to talk and plenty of time for me to listen. In the midst of a "mini crisis" I just drew nearer to Him. I have a feeling that satan is not too happy to see me walking so closely with the Lord so he's doing what he can to try to tear me away. He's been using my family, friends, and other situations to discourage me and knock me over. Satan is very real, thankfully God is so much bigger and greater. As I was being brought down on one side, Jesus was on the other side holding me up... how great is our God?! Time and time again God continues to confirm His plans for me, and boy are they plans for good!
Here is a short passage from the September 29th devo out of My Utmost For His Highest:
"If a man or woman is called of God, it doesn’t matter how difficult the circumstances may be. God orchestrates every force at work for His purpose in the end. If you will agree with God’s purpose, He will bring not only your conscious level but also all the deeper levels of your life, which you yourself cannot reach, into perfect harmony."
Praise the Lord. Peeps, I really want to encourage you to walk closely with the Lord every single day. You will be more susceptible to attacks from the evil one... because he will be much more threatened by you, but you will find yourself relying on Jesus for anything and everything. The Creator of the universe will not allow you to be brought down completely, of that I am confident.
Well, I'm home now and so thankful for all the prayers and support. I'm still trying to figure some stuff out here and would appreciate continued prayers for me and the family. Another week off work means that I'm really not gonna be traveling anywhere anytime soon thanks to my lack of a paycheck. The youth worship team I'm directing at Wheatland Salem UMC has been going well and I love being a part of that group. This weekend I'm leading worship for their Confirmation retreat... it's great because the retreat center is only about 15 minutes from my house. I'd love some prayers for that time with the kids.
I would love for you to partner in prayer with me regarding Uganda and my return there. On top of that, would you pray for the country as a whole? Pray for the city of Kampala, the people, the missionaries. Pray for Heritage International School. Pray for my loved ones there. Pray for more rain for East Africa so people can eat again. Pray for peace.
Pray for my family and friends here. Pray for provision.
I'm praying for each of you and thanking God for you today. Amen!
Well my "slowing schedule" was rocked last week and completely flipped upside down. Without going into much detail on here... I've had some family issues. Things were unsettled enough for me to leave for a week, thus my whole idea of not having to travel for a while was shattered. I ended up driving 3 and half hours to stay with my bff/roomie. Now, it had been about 3 months since I had seen her and my visit was WAY overdue so of course my visit was a blessing, just very unexpected. I'm so thankful to the Lord for friends that I can call and say, "hey I'm coming to stay with you for a while, I'm not sure for how long." (Even when we haven't talked in a while).
I arrived around midnight last thursday night and stayed until wednesday. While I was gone, not only did I have an amazing time with my bff and her family, but I spent a lot of time in the Word and in prayer. Jesus and I had plenty of time to talk and plenty of time for me to listen. In the midst of a "mini crisis" I just drew nearer to Him. I have a feeling that satan is not too happy to see me walking so closely with the Lord so he's doing what he can to try to tear me away. He's been using my family, friends, and other situations to discourage me and knock me over. Satan is very real, thankfully God is so much bigger and greater. As I was being brought down on one side, Jesus was on the other side holding me up... how great is our God?! Time and time again God continues to confirm His plans for me, and boy are they plans for good!
Here is a short passage from the September 29th devo out of My Utmost For His Highest:
"If a man or woman is called of God, it doesn’t matter how difficult the circumstances may be. God orchestrates every force at work for His purpose in the end. If you will agree with God’s purpose, He will bring not only your conscious level but also all the deeper levels of your life, which you yourself cannot reach, into perfect harmony."
Praise the Lord. Peeps, I really want to encourage you to walk closely with the Lord every single day. You will be more susceptible to attacks from the evil one... because he will be much more threatened by you, but you will find yourself relying on Jesus for anything and everything. The Creator of the universe will not allow you to be brought down completely, of that I am confident.
Well, I'm home now and so thankful for all the prayers and support. I'm still trying to figure some stuff out here and would appreciate continued prayers for me and the family. Another week off work means that I'm really not gonna be traveling anywhere anytime soon thanks to my lack of a paycheck. The youth worship team I'm directing at Wheatland Salem UMC has been going well and I love being a part of that group. This weekend I'm leading worship for their Confirmation retreat... it's great because the retreat center is only about 15 minutes from my house. I'd love some prayers for that time with the kids.
I would love for you to partner in prayer with me regarding Uganda and my return there. On top of that, would you pray for the country as a whole? Pray for the city of Kampala, the people, the missionaries. Pray for Heritage International School. Pray for my loved ones there. Pray for more rain for East Africa so people can eat again. Pray for peace.
Pray for my family and friends here. Pray for provision.
I'm praying for each of you and thanking God for you today. Amen!
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