May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Romans 15:13
This verse just really speaks to where I want to be right now. I'm thinking about Christmas cards, and man, joy is where it's at.
So I'm thankful for hope. And that hope gives us joy and peace as we trust in Him. And that no matter what else happens, that claim is ours by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Having faith
Last night I had my standard Saturday night "I wanna church home...but I just don't see it happening" pity party. This morning Hope was sleeping when it was time to go to church, so I stayed home with her. God reminded me of Hebrews 11:1: Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.
I have Hope...now I just need to have faith. So I'm working on being certain of what I cannot see.
I have Hope...now I just need to have faith. So I'm working on being certain of what I cannot see.
Sunday, October 4, 2009
Homeless and wandering
I've never been homeless. But I've volunteered at a homeless shelter on a regular basis when I was in grad school, and I've felt spiritually homeless before.
One of the things about being homeless is that you're limited in how much stuff you can bring with you. You have to haul it around, using what you need each night and praying you don't forget something important before you leave the next morning.
So we're still church homeless. While we've got a rotation of church "couches" to crash on and even have figured out ways to use our gifts, we can't exactly unpack our luggage or get "comfortable" in a congregation.
It feels a little like we're the Israelites, wandering in the desert. I know God is bringing us somewhere, and I'm trying to not complain on the the way...but it's really hard. It's especially hard with kids in tow. We still haven't formally dedicated Hope, and Henry is probably ready to be baptised...if we had a place to do such things.
Sigh. Hopefully it won't take us 40 years to reach the promised land...
One of the things about being homeless is that you're limited in how much stuff you can bring with you. You have to haul it around, using what you need each night and praying you don't forget something important before you leave the next morning.
So we're still church homeless. While we've got a rotation of church "couches" to crash on and even have figured out ways to use our gifts, we can't exactly unpack our luggage or get "comfortable" in a congregation.
It feels a little like we're the Israelites, wandering in the desert. I know God is bringing us somewhere, and I'm trying to not complain on the the way...but it's really hard. It's especially hard with kids in tow. We still haven't formally dedicated Hope, and Henry is probably ready to be baptised...if we had a place to do such things.
Sigh. Hopefully it won't take us 40 years to reach the promised land...
All for a bowl of stew
Genesis 25:29-34:
Once when Jacob was cooking some stew, Esau came in from the open country, famished. He said to Jacob, "Quick, let me have some of that red stew! I'm famished!" Jacob replied, "First sell me your birthright."
"Look, I am about to die," Esau said. "What good is the birthright to me?"
But Jacob said, "Swear to me first." So he swore an oath to him, selling his birthright to Jacob. Then Jacob gave Esau some bread and some lentil stew. He ate and drank, and then got up and left. So Esau despised his birthright.
How often do we as Christians trade our birthright for a bowl of stew?
Once when Jacob was cooking some stew, Esau came in from the open country, famished. He said to Jacob, "Quick, let me have some of that red stew! I'm famished!" Jacob replied, "First sell me your birthright."
"Look, I am about to die," Esau said. "What good is the birthright to me?"
But Jacob said, "Swear to me first." So he swore an oath to him, selling his birthright to Jacob. Then Jacob gave Esau some bread and some lentil stew. He ate and drank, and then got up and left. So Esau despised his birthright.
How often do we as Christians trade our birthright for a bowl of stew?
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Harvest
This year we planted two rows of peas, some beans, a couple cucumber plants, several cherry tomato plants, a dozen peppers (of various varieties) two zucchini plants (only one survived) and one summer squash.
I went easy on the squash. The first time my mom planted zucchini, she planted 20 hills...and we were eating jumbo zucchini in every possible form for a L O N G time.
But I must have went too easy on the squash...while we had tons of tomatoes, peppers, peas and beans, we had zero squash.
None. Zip, zero, zilch.
It wasn't that there weren't blooms--there seemed to be new ones every couple of days. I tried manually pollinating them, but that didn't seem to make a difference.
I'm feeling like a zucchini plant right now.
Proverbs 27:17 says "As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another." Without a close Christian community, I'm getting pretty dull and rusty, not to mention spritually barren. (And feeling like I'm the prior verses--A quarrelsome wife is like a constant dripping on a rainy day...who wants to be a drippy, annoying faucet?).
I'm not sure what to do about it. My "self-pollination" strategies obviously haven't worked. Our attempts to find a church community here haven't panned out. while we've figured out ways to use our gifts, I'm not sure how much fruit it's bearing.
But then again, plants don't bear fruit in every season. Maybe this is just winter. Here's looking forward to spring...
Lord, sharpen me. Bear fruit in me and through me. Help me be patient. I'm weary of waiting...give me endurance and perserverance.
I went easy on the squash. The first time my mom planted zucchini, she planted 20 hills...and we were eating jumbo zucchini in every possible form for a L O N G time.
But I must have went too easy on the squash...while we had tons of tomatoes, peppers, peas and beans, we had zero squash.
None. Zip, zero, zilch.
It wasn't that there weren't blooms--there seemed to be new ones every couple of days. I tried manually pollinating them, but that didn't seem to make a difference.
I'm feeling like a zucchini plant right now.
Proverbs 27:17 says "As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another." Without a close Christian community, I'm getting pretty dull and rusty, not to mention spritually barren. (And feeling like I'm the prior verses--A quarrelsome wife is like a constant dripping on a rainy day...who wants to be a drippy, annoying faucet?).
I'm not sure what to do about it. My "self-pollination" strategies obviously haven't worked. Our attempts to find a church community here haven't panned out. while we've figured out ways to use our gifts, I'm not sure how much fruit it's bearing.
But then again, plants don't bear fruit in every season. Maybe this is just winter. Here's looking forward to spring...
Lord, sharpen me. Bear fruit in me and through me. Help me be patient. I'm weary of waiting...give me endurance and perserverance.
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
I'm hungry, Lord. Feed me.
I need prayer. I need some good teaching.
This weekend God reminded me that the best way to get fed...is to feed someone else. Feeling lonely? Find someone lonelier than you and befriend them. Then neither of you will be lonely. Need some good Bible teaching? Volunteer to teach somewhere, and you'll get some good teaching. Need prayer? Pray for someone.
God's economy is totally upside down. The best way to get is to give.
So tonight I'll be getting to know the third grade girls...praying for them, reading the Bible with them, laughing with them, crying with them...being a teacher and a learner all at once.
Thanks, Lord, that your economy is totally different from the worlds. Equip me to both teach and learn, to minister to and be ministered to. Thanks for this opportunity, and may the investment have eternal returns.
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