Today...

...I start training for my new job!  So thankful for God's answer to my prayers.

The Weekend Post

I feel that I've accomplished something huge this week: I took an armload of stuff to a consignment store.  An armload of stuff that had been waiting in a closet and a box since...well...since Sarah's wedding.  It's amazing how even a simple task finished can be so rewarding.

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This week, I'm thankful for a journal, good books to read, and friends to share the grace-journey with.

I've been working on memorizing the book of Ephesians.  Right now I'm in chapter two.  I'm still somewhat shaky in getting through the whole thing.  But I've noticed that while I may not remember all the words perfectly, the truth is sinking into my heart and into my mind.  God's Word is living and powerful, and it is so worth taking the time to memorize.

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Some links for your weekend:

This song and this one by David Nevue (Who is an AMAZING pianist!)

Sanity Manifesto Oh, yes!  Sooo many helpful points here.  Seriously, read it.

My Empty Worth On emptiness and being open with the Lord.

Why It's Okay to Cry No, it's not just about crying.

Missions Spotlight: Below the Surface

Step inside the world of the Dinangat people.

They sang about Jesus, they went to church, and they practiced baptism.  But below the surface, did they really know Jesus?  Did they really understand the Bible's message?

Here is their story:

Seasons Change

It was my senior year in high school and Seasons Change was my theme song.  What lay beyond graduation seemed like a very different season, and I needed the reminder often.

I see a farmer in his field at dawn
His land is crying out for rain
The year's been hard, his crops are almost gone
But he is not to blame

The morning sun is climbing in the sky
I see him smiling through the tears
I wonder how can men like this survive
But he's been here for years

Seasons change, barren fields will bloom again
Seasons change, gentle rains will fall
Seasons change, better days will come and then
You will find the blessing is worth the pain
So just believe and let the seasons change

I see a farmer in his field at dusk
With joy he bring a harvest in
The pride he feels is in the One he trusts
And he offers thanks to Him

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I started college and I was studying agriculture and how perfect was that?  Farmers know about seasons.  Their lives, their livelihoods are entwined with the seasons.  Ignore seasons and farming is not possible.

The seasons each have their own work.  There are seasons for planting, seasons for cultivating, and seasons for harvest.  There are seasons to buy livestock, to breed livestock, to sell livestock.  A farmer can neither rush the seasons nor hold on to them.  He moves, he works with them.  He is not in control.  A farmer - a successful one - simply does what is supposed to be done in each season.

Seasons change.  That is life.

I learned about the seasons, their work, their crops, their harvest-rewards.  I wrote papers.  I watched two years worth of seasons go by as I studied.

I saw many correlations between farming and God's work in our lives: they come in seasons.

But while I listed soybeans, corn, wheat, oats and rattled off their unique crop cycles, I hadn't learned confidence in God's timing in my life.

You planted so that your crops would have time to mature and the harvest would be ready before the winter.  I didn't question that.  Who would?  It would be a foolish farmer to plant whenever he felt like it, and disregard what he could not change: the seasons.

But when God ushered in a new season in my life, I liked to hold on to the last one.  Other times, I grew discontent with where I was and tried to hurry on to the next thing.  I didn't like the seasons.  Change is unpleasant - that was my general sentiment.  Although I enjoyed spring, summer, fall, winter, when it came to life's seasons, I had not learned to appreciate the beauty to be found in each.

But there is.  There is beauty in each season of our lives because we have a good God who brings the seasons and who "makes all things beautiful in His time." (Ecclesiastes 3:11)

I can't change the seasons, can't rush them along, can't hold on to the ones I like.  I am not in control.  But I like to be, and sometimes I choose to ignore the blessings of my current season because I'm fretting over another one...past, future, or purely hypothetical.

Foolish.

A wise farmer does what each season calls for.  He lets the seasons change.  So I can choose wisdom: to faithfully do what God has put in front of me at this time, trust Him, and let the seasons change.  Let Him change my seasons.

In letting, I can find joy.  Peace.  Fullness.

Seasons change
Barren fields will bloom again
Seasons change
Gentle rains will fall
Seasons change
Better days will come and then
You will find the blessing
Is worth the pain
So just believe
And let the seasons change

(Yes, my eyes are closed.  And yes, my head looks all out of proportion.)

Hi, it's me.  I feel like it's been a while since I've "really" been here.  My thoughts are all disjointed right now, but I'm going to post something anyway.

First, I haven't taken a lot of pictures lately.  See below.



...the new unofficial neighborhood mascot...



...and cheery orange flowers in a cocoa powder can.

Oh yeah, and there was that silly spelling one.

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An answered prayer: Last week I had an interview at Home Depot, and they offered me a part-time position.  After months of waiting and praying, I'm thankful for a job (which I'll be starting soon - but I don't know quite when).  It's a relief to be done with job-hunting.  I know it may not seem like my type of job, but they were hiring, so I applied - and God chose that this would be the answer to my prayers.

On my mind: The mosaic that life so often is.  I have friends who are expecting little ones (some for the first time!).  Others I know are facing cancer.  Some are close to starting new ministries; some have just moved overseas.  Some are hurting.  It's hard, sometimes, to take in the whole spectrum at once, yet life is often just that - the whole spectrum.  Excitement, disappointment, struggles, gifts, loss, growth, new beginnings, goodbyes...all at once.

Heaven.  Right now, while I'm feeling in-between and not-quite-belonging in some ways, I have to remind myself over and over: It's okay to not belong completely.  Heaven is the only place that I truly, completely belong.  As long as we're on Planet Earth, a certain sense of un-belonging is normal and healthy.

Habits.  It's so easy to slip into lazy or unhealthy or just plain bad habits.  The Lord has shown me some areas that I need to work on.  Old habits that need to go, new habits to start.  Like more rest, more quiet, more thanksgiving.  More hiding His Word in my heart.  More realistic goals.

Change takes time, I keep reminding myself.  And thankfully He's patient with me.

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"Life is not an emergency," someone so eloquently said.  I like that.  But oh, it is hard to remember, especially in our fast-paced, go-go-go world.  Where deadlines loom and to-do lists never end and expectations pile one on top of the other.  Where a thousand voices call, "Do...do...do more..."  No wonder we often act we're living in some state of emergency.

Even in Christian circles, accomplishments are so often equated with fruitfulness - and they're not the same thing!  Christ does want us to be fruitful, but that comes from abiding in Him, not heaping up accomplishments or driving ourselves to be ever-busier.

How much I have to learn here...

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In closing, two links you might enjoy:

The We Factor Thoughts on missionaries and supporters.  Very well put.

Home (song)

And a bargain for your library: Graceful, $5 (I don't know how long this sale goes, so don't wait too long!)

Enjoy your weekend, friends!

What's New?

[This post originally appeared on my NTM blog.]

A job, that’s what’s new!

I had an interview at a local home improvement store last week, and they offered me a part-time position.  I haven’t started yet, and I don’t know the details of my schedule, but it’s exciting to see my prayers finally answered.

The Lord’s hand in this is really clear to me, for several reasons.  First – it’s not the kind of job that would have first entered my mind to try for, but they were hiring, so I applied.  They called me back and I stumbled through the preliminary questionnaire.  (On-the-spot questions? over the phone? with a complete stranger?  Not my forte!)  “Well, it sure wouldn’t be a surprise if they don’t call me back!”  But they did.  And they asked me to come in for an interview.  When I did go for the interview, they offered me a position on the spot – which I certainly hadn’t expected.

Answered prayers!

Missions Spotlight: NTBI

Before we can hope to bring the Good News to others, it's essential that we ourselves have a strong Biblical foundation.

New Tribes Bible Institute exists for just this purpose: To provide a strong foundation in the Word, along with a big-picture view of what God is doing around the world.



The students share their thoughts on the family-friendly campuses...



...and on the deep, lasting relationships that develop between students and staff.



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Thanks for stopping by!  I hope to make "Missions Spotlight" a regular feature here.  God is doing so many amazing things all over the world, so I don't think I'll be short on material.  Do come again!

To read other Missions highlights, check out these posts: I'm thankful for... and Another Part of the Picture.

Giveaway Winner

The entries are closed, and the randomly-drawn-out-of-a-hat winner is...



...progloriadei!

Please message me with your information and I will get your prize to you soon.  Thank you!

And thanks to the others who participated (all two of you!  :)).  There may be more giveaways here in the future, so come again!

A happy weekend to everyone!

I'm thankful for...

...the training I received at the MTC.

Here's a short video that captures the heeart behind the training.  Enjoy!



(Fun bonus: I know a lot of the people on the video!)