Children--God's Heart

My last post was right before I went off to another country for two weeks.  It was such a wonderful, yet very challenging experience for me.  I've decided not to go into the ins and outs of the experience.  For now I just want to spend some time on when God got a hold of my heart and ears while in Africa, and the upcoming change in my life.

At one point on my trip I got very sick.  It is very typical for travelers...but it was new for me.  During one of the hardest days I was in bed while everyone else was gone.  I had a bathroom in my room, praise God.  I was very weak and suffering from dehydration.  Yet God used that time to confirm some things in my life.

In short--just a few things:  God did not need me in Congo.  I was not given a task or a heart string pulling of approval to look towards full time ministry on the field.  In fact--God brought to mind all the ways I was currently obeying and serving Him back home.

Next, children--God showed me during my time how much His heart beats for children.  I noticed more when the children needed love or care.  I saw how those in the villages we visited would take on caring for each other's children.  It didn't matter whose they were...they just made sure the kids were where they needed to be. 

God brought that to my mind--take care of children--it is my heart. 

I have been praying about my desire to be a mom pretty much all of my life.  I thought it would come when a godly guy took notice of me, pursued me, and we were married and started a family together.  That desire has yet to be fulfilled.

About eight years ago I started praying about foster care.  I grew up in a loving healthy home and I saw how that experience could prepare me to love and nurture others.  I requested information from family services and received some very generic information in the mail.  Since that time I've continued to look to God to see if this was what He wanted.

To be a single, full time working mom...is not the ideal for any child.  Yet--God has been showing me that for some children--having a healthy, single care giver--is more than what they currently have.  So I have been battling this idea for quite some time.

But in Africa--the Lord really tugged on my heart when I was at my worst.  He showed me how others cared for me and how He would never leave me nor forsake me.  He reminded me of passages in Scripture that talked about children coming to Jesus. 

So when I got back after a few weeks...I decided to move forward and look towards foster care.  I am now finished with my training and am waiting to be licensed.  I have been informed by the licensing director that as soon as July 4th I could be certified and ready to receive children! 

So now I am continuing on in the work God has given me.  I keep my cell phone a little closer than normal just in case I get a call asking if I would take a child or children.  I am nervous and unsure about many things.  But I do know that if this is God's delight...it ought to be mine.

I am delighted to announce that I will soon be a foster mom!  May God's love be portrayed through me-His adopted child, as I provide safety and care for those future little ones God puts in my protection. 

They placed their hands on them and sent them off

note this blog entry is from february 2014 before my trip to dominican republic of congo, africa

Acts 13:2-4

New International Version (NIV)

² While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” ³ So after they had fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on them and sent them off.

I have had the privilege to observe and participate in such similar moments of placing hands on those going to serve and sending them off.  This week was the first time I have been prayed over and sent off in such a way.

Two sets of groups came around me this week. They placed their hands on me, prayed for me as they sent me off in preparation of my trip to Africa.  What a humbling and enriching experience.  I have a scarf that was held by one group, so when I wear it I will be reminded of their prayers.  I also have a picture of the other group praying for me as a reminder that I can look at.

Going away and being prayed over is a big deal and I thank God for the power of prayer and His saints faithfully remembering me in prayer as I go to Congo.  It has occurred to me though that I could have laid my hands on each of these people as well to be sent off in their every day lives.

We all have a mission and challenge to go and make disciples of Jesus Christ.  The work we are doing here is just as important as the work being done in other parts of the world.  I don't want to exalt missionaries higher than God's call for them.  I also don't want to underestimate the work God has already given me and others to do where we are locally.

May we let the Holy Spirit prompt us to seek out those who need to be prayed over and sent off.  May we also be willing to be the one sending or the one being sent.  Both roles are important and God's work cannot be accomplished without both obeying His direction.

So thank you so much to those who are praying for me and keeping me in mind during my time away.  I pray that you and I will both be open to go and do the work God has specifically set aside for us to do.

Congo Bound

A week from today I will be in Africa.  This will be my first trip overseas and I'm very much looking forward to this advendure.  I will be with loved ones who have been there so I am at ease about many things knowing I can look to them for direction.

In preparation I thought I might write out a few thoughts in what I anticipate to be a time of great growth an memories.  I'm not as nervous about being in the jungle and not having running water.  Perhaps times of no electricity.  I've not really gotten to nervous about the animals either.  I am  a little uneasy at times, but I am mostly excited about this opportunity.

My thoughts are being drawn to the desire to be used of the Lord.  I do not know the language, but I've been informed that there will be translators available if needed.  We will have the opportunity to intereact with many people.  I may have the opportunity to share the truth of Christ, or just sit with a lady or two and be a blessing.  I am very excited about the singing and rejoicing with the people there!

This will also be memorable as it is the 50th anniversary of the Congo Rebellion.  This will bring many memories back to those who where there.  It will be a new experience for me to hear and see first hand the places that I heard about growing up. 

I know one main focus I feel God has been putting on my heart is to be humble as He is humble.  This will be a trip in which everything for me will be new.  I generally am the one others look to for direction or having extra supplies when needed.  This will be a very different situation.  I will be relying totally on others and their expertise. 

1 Peter 5:5 "In the same way, you younger men, be subject to the elders.  And all of you clothe yourselves with humility toward one another because God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble."

The next passage is Joel 2.  The prophet is calling and pleading the truth of the God and calling them to repent.  I came across verse 12-13 recently and it caused me to stop an evaluate myself. 

Joel 2:12-13 "Even now--this is the LORD'S declaration--turn to Me with all your heart, with fasting, weeping, and mourning.  Tear your hearts, not just your clothes, and return to the LORD your God.  For He is gracious and comassionate, slow to anger, rich in faithful love, and He relents from sending disaster."

The phrase I focused in on was tear your hearts, not just your clothes.  Tearing of clothes in the Old Testament was a sign of anger, mourning, sadness.  It was an outward sign of the emotions going on inside.  It was a way for others to see a change--things are not okay right now.

This passage is calling the people to not just look like they are sorry by tearing their clothes.  He is calling them to tear their hearts.  This reflects a call for an inward change.  This really gave me a great picture to take into my own life.  Do I experience heart tearing in times of disobedience of the Lord?  Or when I see injustice, do I just act out frustration or is my internal heart tearing and crying out to God for justice? 

May God teach me true humility, and may my heart be torn at the things I do that dishonor God and turn to Him for forgiveness and guidance. May my heart be torn towards the people I go to and love and share the truth of Jesus Christ when I am able. For His glory.

On a technical note: I don't know that I will have internet access to blog during my time there, but I will be sure to write by hand and perhaps blog my experiences later.  I have a few more days before departure so on the days I'm able I'll jot down a few thoughts as I prepare to go.

Carefully Joined Together

I have been a homeowner for almost 3 weeks now!  It has been such a neat and wonderful experience with so many possibilities!  This morning I was sitting in my living room with the fire going, hot coffee and Bible in hand.  I've been studying the book of Hebrews this year with the help of a devotional by Dr. Weirsbe.  One of the cross references in the study book brought me the book of Ephesians.  After I read the passage, I continued to read on.  I came to this passage:

Ephesians 2:19-22(NLT)

^"19 So now you Gentiles are no longer strangers and foreigners. You are citizens along with all of God’s holy people. You are members of God’s family. ²⁰ Together, we are His house, built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets. And the cornerstone is Christ Jesus Himself. ²¹ We are carefully joined together in Him, becoming a holy temple for the Lord. ²² Through Him you Gentiles are also being made part of this dwelling where God lives by his Spirit."

I spent some time thanking the Lord for the gift of being in God's family even though I am a Gentile, and for the wonderful ways God used so many to bring us the Gospel.  I started to think of my new house.  I reread verse 21:  We are carefully joined together in Him, becoming a holy temple for the Lord."  'God does not carelessly choose us or just throw His hand to make things work.  He takes care when He works...when He builds.  I starting thinking of when I was packing for my move.  At times I would take care as I packed and other times I was just ready for everything to go in boxes and just threw items in.  Oh how I am so grateful God takes care for each and everyone of us who are in His family.  He joins us together--to be His temple.

I also started to think how I am taking care as I unpack things and set up house.  My desire is to have a home that is open to others.  Where those who come feel welcome and safe.  To be ministered to and loved as Christ loves.  Even the way I set up my house can be a way to love others.  Having verses to encourage and food ready to share.

I pray that as God shows me how to use this home for His glory. He will help me to put the right amount of care into this house as He would put into His temple.  Not as it is the buildings that matter...but the people who will dwell in them.

Thank you Dear  Father for bringing me into your family.  Thank you for my house here on earth.  Thank you for the care You take in bringing your family together in a way that brings you glory.  May I take similar care of the house you have given me to manage.  And may I care for those who come into it.  For your honor and glory--In Jesus Name I pray--Amen

Delight, Numbers, and the Holy Spirit =Endless opportunities

After reading the verse: “Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.”  (Psalm 37:4), I had a few quite moments at work where I let myself silently dialog with the Lord.  I thought of the wording of this verse a bit differently than I had before.  I’ve been thinking it means if I delight in the Lord, then He’ll give me what my heart desires.  But it isn’t worded this way.  It says He’ll give me the desires of my heart.  Meaning He chooses, selects certain desires that align with Him…and He causes me to feel and want those desires.  So perhaps this verse doesn’t mean what I’ve always thought…or prayed towards.  If I am delighting in the Lord—He will give me what delights Him—His desires that become my heart’s desires. 

Then my mind switched gears a little.  Dear Heavenly Father, I’m delighting in you and I still desire to be married.  Please provide me a husband.  Is that my end goal?  No.  Is that desire above what God would have for me? No.  So Lord, what’s your desire for me?

You see, I’m 30, and I’m single.  I’ve never had a boyfriend or even a serious pursuer.  I can count on one hand the number of “dates” I’ve ever been on.  Yet I have a stirring inside of me—a desire to be a helper, lover, and intimate friend.  To work alongside my husband in ministry, to be a mom and keep house.  To learn more of God through the experience of intimate family and feel the emotions of having a child and understanding the heavenly Father’s ache of giving His only Son up.  These are legitimate and good desires.

Last Sunday my pastor was preaching on the need for spouses to be intimate (1 Cor. 7:1-5).  He also addressed those of us who are single need to practice celibacy.  He also reminded us that we need to realize that our singleness is a gift to do more than our married siblings-in-Christ can when it comes to certain ministries.

Those thoughts came back to my mind as I thought about my musings.  Then I looked over at my desk and saw a calculator.  So how many years exactly have I been “single.”  I’ll start with 18 and up to be fair.  Twelve (12) years I’ve been single.  Then I thought how long my folks were single before they married- four to five.  I could handle that many more (I think).  And then a friend who is a few years older—20 years single.  Can I do that?  Then I thought of a dear single woman who has been in my life all my years.  She’s 70, which means 52 years of celibacy.  Wow.  But then I began to think—ok I have 40 more years to go before I’m 70. 

An amazing thing happened at that moment.  The Holy Spirit gave me the excitement of all the things I could do in 40 years for God.  I could travel; I could run a ministry, business, etc.  The sky is the limit as a single person!  What I anticipated as a depressing sort of sulking opportunity, God turned it into great possibilities by means of numbers!

I do still desire to be married, but I desire more to delight in the Lord and serve Him where (and how) I will be most effective for His work, and how He will most be glorified. 

May I delight in the Lord and may I be open to His desires for my heart, above my heart’s desires.

Waiting

If any of you are familiar with the classic Princess Bride movie you may recall the scene in which Westley (dressed as Pirate Robinson) is climbing the cliff and Inigo Montoya is waiting above only to kill him.  Inigo asks Pirate Robinson if he could speed things up.  At one point Inigo says "I hate waiting."  He then gets a rope to help Pirate Robinson up, has a respectful and entertaining sword dual, and then Inigo ends up being conked on the head and passes out while Pirate Robinson (Westley) goes to rescue his true love Buttercup.

This makes for a great movie, but we can all relate to Inigo's hate for waiting.  I know I do. 

Last week I was riding in the company vehicle with my co-worker on the way to a luncheon with another office.  On the way we got onto the subject of patience.  He has not decided to have a personal relationship with Christ (yet).  I was encouraging him as he has a way of being very kind and is able to wait for others in a polite manner.  He dubbed himself very patient.  I made the point that true patience is not only politely waiting, but also not complaining about it later.  It got me thinking about my own life and how I need to work on being patient and waiting.  It also caused me to think of how patient God is with us.

There are several passages in the Bible that direct us to wait on the Lord:

(www.biblegateway.com)

Psalm 27:13-14  

English Standard Version (ESV)

¹³ I believe that I shall look upon the goodness of the Lord
    in the land of the living!
¹⁴  Wait for the Lord;
     be strong, and let your heart take courage;
    wait for the Lord!

Psalm 31:23-24

English Standard Version (ESV)

²³ Love the Lord, all you his saints!
    The Lord preserves the faithful
    but abundantly repays the one who acts in pride.
²⁴  Be strong, and let your heart take courage,
    all you who wait for the Lord!

Another passage that is very helpful to give us both our perspective as well as God's on the subject of waiting:

2 Peter 3: 9-18

⁹  The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. ¹⁰ But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed.

¹¹ Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness, ¹²  waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn! ¹³ But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.¹⁴  Therefore, beloved, since you are waiting for these, be diligent to be found by him without spot or blemish, and at peace. ¹⁵ And count the patience of our Lord as salvation, just as our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you according to the wisdom given him, ¹⁶ as he does in all his letters when he speaks in them of these matters. There are some things in them that are hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other Scriptures. ¹⁷ You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, take care that you are not carried away with the error of lawless people and lose your own stability. ¹⁸ But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.

I am not married, but I have often observed a husband and wife interact in a way in which each person thinks they are waiting for the other person.  The man is ready to go so he is sitting quietly in the living room reading the newspaper.  The woman is also "ready to go", but she is still fixing her makeup and cleaning up in the the other room.  You hear a subtle sigh coming out of the living room just loud enough for the wife to hear.  "I'm ready honey,"  she says, "I was just waiting for you!"


Oh how there are so many times in my life where I am waiting for God to answer prayer, to show me His will.  I just sit there and wait, and often make a loud sigh (not subtle at all!), to indicate again that I'm still waiting.  Little do I remember or realize that God is at work getting things ready for the entire world.  And He is also waiting for me!


God waits for me to open his word and see the truth that should penetrate into my soul and my mind.  That I take this truth and meditate on it.  One further, I change my life to align with the truth I receive.


We as believers are all waiting on the Lord in one way or another in our lives.  But we are also waiting for Jesus to return.  To experience a new heaven and a new earth.  To be forever with the Lord!  Come Lord Jesus

Let us look back at the passage here in 2 Peter.  We are not just sitting and waiting for Jesus to return.  No, we have work to do while we are patiently waiting for that glorious day.  Verse 14: "Therefore, beloved, since you are waiting for these, be diligent to be found by him without spot or blemish, and at peace."

Also we are given more instruction while waiting as well as a warning: "There are some things in them (Paul's letters, other scripture) that are hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other Scriptures. ¹⁷ You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, take care that you are not carried away with the error of lawless people and lose your own stability. ¹⁸ But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity"

So while we are waiting on the Lord, there are other things we can do.  We live our lives in a way that are holy and we are at peace in ourselves and with others.  Also, we need to be careful of those who twist God's word around.  We have to be careful to not be carried away by what others say.  We are to grow as we read the Bible, spend time in prayer, and in fellowship with others that are growing and following Christ.  Knowing that someday we will be in eternity with Christ!  Again, come Lord Jesus come!  And may I be found to be diligent "without spot or blemish, and at peace".

 

We give thanks and pray...

Well it is almost the New Year and what a great time it has been reading through the entire Bible in a year chronologically.  This practice is a repeat, but this year was a blessing to join others in the body of Christ and to have a focus on Sundays with a sermon based on what I had just read this week.

This week was a focus on the apostle Paul's writings while he was in chains.  Prison Epistles they are often called.  The book of Colossians has been one of my "need a tune up" books in my spiritual walk.  When I'm having a bad attitude about my job I would turn to Col. 3 to be reminded that I'm working for God and not men.  Well this morning I had some great reminders about prayer.  Here are just a few of my thoughts from the book of Colossians.

Col. 1:3 "We give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you..."
This denotes having a thankful heart...and a continued prayer life for other people

Col. 1:9-12 "For this reason also, since the day we heard of it, we have not ceased to pray for you and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that you will walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for the attaining of all steadfastness and patience; joyously giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in Light."

This passage was my grandmother's theme as she lived and loved us.  She would spend hours in the mornings lifting us all up in prayer and she would often use the above words for us.  She is now with the Lord.  Reading this not only reminded me of the wonderful heritage God has given me, but also a challenge that it is my turn to now lift others up in prayer and to use these words of Paul, inspired by God.

Col. 4:2-4 "Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with an attitude of thanksgiving; praying at the same time for us as well, that God will open up to us a door for the word, so that we may speak forth the mystery of Christ, for which I have also been imprisoned; that I may make it clear in the way I ought to speak."

Devote--not to be taken lightly, but a commitment  Attitude of thanksgiving--enough said!
Praying at the same time for us--lift others up in prayer that are in ministry and on the mission field
What to pray: that God will open up to us a door for the word--to pray for opportunities to share Christ with others, and that as they speak of the mystery of Christ, their words would be clear.

Well if that's not a great challenge for the next year I don't know what is.  I'm excited to celebrate Christmas and the New Year with those I love.  The gift of prayer is one gift that I can continue to give to others beyond this season.  So I give thanks and pray...