The End

Love this quote I found on someone else’s blog:

Ordinary Radicals

I really want to get this movie.  They are living out the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

I Saw What I Saw

“Your pain has changed me. Your dream inspires.”

South Africa

After many months of trying to find a place to serve, it is finally a go. The first week of February, I will be hopping on a plane headed to Midrand, South Africa,  which is just outsided Johannesburg. I will be working at Botshabelo, an orphan home for kids 9 months to 5 years old.  I will also be working in the local creches (us Americans call them pre-schools) in a community that has been affected by AIDS and poverty.  I have committed at least a year to them, but want to be in Africa for at least 3 years (maybe more).  We’ll see what God has in store for me.  Now comes the hard part of fundraising, getting my visa, and all of that jazz. I’ll keep everyone updated and will probably put my support letter on here, in case any of you want to play a part in my journey.   I am really excited about this. It really seems God is putting things together for me. I know God is going to do great things through me to reach those children who have been affected by the AIDS epidemic.  Even though these kids don’t have any parents, I know God will use me to point them to their Heavenly Father.  Stay tuned!

True Love

If you haven’t heard this song yet, you need to.

Rhythm

The rhythm of the Christian life is the alternate meeting with God in the secret place and serving men in the market place.”   William Barclay

Balance Beam

I blogged about this a while ago, but now I have the video.  This is such a great analogy.

Numb

“Cause my comfort would prefer for me to be numb, and avoid the impending birth of who I was born to become.”   Brooke Fraser

So many things in our society today revolve around our personal comfort.  Whether it be from the type of mattress we have, to the speed at which we have our dinner, to the temperature at which we set our thermostat in our homes.  Whenever we feel any type of pain, we try not to feel it anymore.  If we have a headache, we take medication to make the pain go away.  If we have a rough day at work, we sit in front of the TV and lose ourselves in the lives of meaningless characters, trying to forget the problems of our own.  There are countless of other examples of us trying to do away with pain.  Sometimes it is best for us to be numb (surgery perhaps),  but I think sometimes pain is good.  God might even cause us pain on purpose. I am not saying that God wants to hurt us or make us suffer for shear enjoyment.  Pain and suffering is what Jesus went through on the cross.  I think going through pain, whether physical or emotional, God draws us closer to himself.  Being close to God should be the ultimate goal in life.  Through our pain God is comforming us to His Son’s likeness.  Trying to numb this pain, like the song says, will “avoid the impending birth of who I was born to become”.     I also love C.S. Lewis’ quote about pain, “ God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks to us in our conscience, but shouts in our pains: It is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world.”  So take a good look at your life and try to see where you need to numb your pain, or where you need to embrace it and run to God. He might be shouting at you!

Live and Live Well

 I feel closest to God when I experience Him in His creation.  An evenging breeze, the smell of BBQ in the air, a baby’s smile, and laughter with friends are just some of the things that surround me with God’s goodness.  Kyle Lake was a pastor from Texas, who passed away a few years ago when he was electrocuted while doing a baptism in front of his church.  The following is an excerpt from his final sermon that he was supposed to deliver that day.  I know that this world isn’t our home, but God is here.  Kyle Lake’s death pointed to a better way of life.

“Live. And Live Well. BREATHE. Breathe in and Breathe deeply. Be PRESENT. Do not be past. Do not be future. Be now. On a crystal clear, breezy 70 degree day, roll down the windows and FEEL the wind against your skin. Feel the warmth of the sun.
If you run, then allow those first few breaths on a cool Autumn day to FREEZE your lungs and do not just be alarmed, be ALIVE. Get knee-deep in a novel and LOSE track of time.
If you bike, pedal HARD… and if you crash then crash well.
Feel the SATISFACTION of a job well done—a paper well-written, a project thoroughly completed, a play well-performed. If you must wipe the snot from your 3-year old’s nose, don’t be disgusted if the Kleenex didn’t catch it all… because soon he’ll be wiping his own.
If you’ve recently experienced loss, then GRIEVE. And Grieve well. At the table with friends and family, LAUGH. If you’re eating and laughing at the same time, then might as well laugh until you puke. And if you eat, then SMELL. The aromas are not impediments to your day. Steak on the grill, coffee beans freshly ground, cookies in the oven. And TASTE. Taste every ounce of flavor. Taste every ounce of friendship. Taste every ounce of Life. Because-it-is-most-definitely-a-Gift.”

Instead of just biding time until I die, I want to LIVE!  John Piper says, “The glory of God is man fully alive.”