On Living for Christ

Galatians 5:6 "For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith working through love". It is not what we do or how we appear that matters to God, it is faith. Do everything with faith. Faith that God loves you and sent his son to die for you. Faith that just as he clothes the flowers of the field, so you will be clothed. He is always looking out for your best interests.

further in Galatians, 6:9-10 "and let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith" Such an important part of life that we tend to forget. How often do we criticize our brothers and sisters in Christ when we should be loving them.

Colossians 4:5-6 "Conduct yourselves wisely toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person" This is actually a very evangelical verse, Paul is instructing the Colossians to use their time on earth wisely to reach the "outsiders" or non-Christians. We only have a certain amount of time with people, we need to make the best of it and do all we can to further God's kingdom.

1 Thessalonians 3:12-13 "and may the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all, as we do for you, so that he may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his saints"

Philosophy

I was reminded of philosophy while reading the Psalms last night.

"The one who states his case first seems right,
until the other comes and examines him"
Psalm 18:17

My philosophy professor likes to give us logically sound arguments for philosophical ideas that are completely anti-Christian. We try to find faults in the argument but fail. What then? Another philosopher finds a fault in the argument and makes a case for the exact opposite.

The same happens with great philosophically based theological arguments.

And so the cycle continues. One man presents his case, another examines him and finds fault.

Let love flow

Let love flow freely
Like a mighty river
Crashing over rocks and trees.

Let love flow freely
Eroding the edges of pain,
Softening the blows of life.

Let love flow freely
Erasing the foul stench
Of stagnant emotion.

Let love flow freely
Washing away the stain of sin,
Purging the dirt from the soul.

Let love flow freely
Let it roll over your fellowmen,
Open the gates and let it in,
Lift the dam and pour it out,
Let love flow freely.

Seriously.

I'm reading Passion and Purity by Elisabeth Elliot right now. I don't know if she's gotten everything right so far, but this she got:

"There is an unwillingness to come right out and say 'I'm nuts about this girl; I've got to have her.' In other words, sexual desire is camouflaged in spiritual terms. What one knows is far from platonic-- is, in fact, plainly erotic-- is called a friendship, a relationship, an involvement, and experience.
...
Let's be candid with ourselves before God. Call a spade a spade or even a muddy shovel. If your passions are aroused, say so-- to yourself and to God, not to the object of your passion. Then turn the reins over to God"


Is anyone else tired of Christian singles talking like this? Don't spiritualize human love. God's love is love of the spirit. Human love, between a man and a woman is usually rooted in lust and pheromones. Christian love for your brother/sister does not lead to an all night gal pal about how much you enjoy spending time with a certain boy. Christian love between a brother/sister does not knock you off your feet and make you crave to spend time with a specific boy every moment of the day.

Like she said, call a spade a spade. Admit your yearnings to God. Not to the man you're yearning for. This would only cause either a relationship that is too intimate too fast or pain of separation if he does not return your feelings. Turn it over to God. He will know what to do with it.


----

I'm mostly talking to myself here. If you're reading this you've probably already caught on to that because you know me well, but I'm not the only girl who struggles like this. And there's plenty of boys out there doing the same thing. People fall in love with their friends all the time, they're just afraid to admit it.

Frustration

I am so tired of going through the same old struggles. I have been really happy lately, but I have these demons that just keep coming back. I am so frustrated with having to forgive the same people daily, because it's not they way they treat me that I am forgiving, but the way they engage in relationship with me. This isn't any of my friends. It's my father. Our relationship will never be what I want it to be.

God has been using this frustration to show me how much he loves me. And I have been doubly blessed in my mother... it's just difficult, especially when I'm away because I feel like there's nothing I can do about it. But would I be able to do anything if I was at home?

I've been meditating on Matt 11:28-30 "Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."

I think it's a beautiful passage. Christ is the ultimate comforter. Sometimes I crave someone to cuddle with and just tell me everything will be ok. In those moments I try to remember this.

Another Poem

This one is from July. I wrote it on my plane home from the Jamaica trip.

I sacrifice my life this night
my desires, plans and will.
I answer your call, Lord.
Use me as you will.

No sacrifice is easy,
Carry me through the mire,
Change my will to yours,
Make your desires be my desires.

I stop serving my flesh today.
Instead, make it serve you.
I leave behind what I had planned,
and go forward along the path you have made.

I surrender my all.

Wow

God is incredible. All through high school I was very concerned with making people like Christians. I participated in Young Life and went to church, but I haven't been diligent about sharing the gospel with my friends since junior high. Lately, I've been praying a lot for all the friends I've had over the years who aren't Christians, or weren't last I knew. This morning, one of my friends who hadn't even come up in my prayers yet, texted me to ask if God was a major part of my happiness. I was blown away. God is incredible. I'm just barely getting right with God again and he blesses me with this opportunity! I shared with her the following passage:

Matthew 11:28-30 "Come to me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light"

How amazing is that? As a woman who has been a Christian for a long time, I think I forget about how amazing the grace of God is. Take a moment to let that promise sink in. We will learn from Jesus and He will give us rest.

Pray for my friend. She's made a step in asking about God, pray that God continues to pursue her.

And be amazed. Be amazed that God uses us. The Gospel is so powerful that people seek it out if they know a way to find it. Be someone people can ask about Jesus. Be someone who tells about Jesus.

Living in Community

I've been thinking a lot about living in community. The church of Acts did it. Do we? We strive to at Biola. Especially in ResLife. I hope to influence my residents to live in community.

2 Cor 13:11
"Finally, brothers, rejoice. Aim for restoration, comfort one another, agree with one another, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you"

I think that's pretty much the key to living in community.

Rejoice. First and foremost. We have been blessed beyond measure, yet we grumble.

Aim for restoration. How many of us have broken friendships? Family members we don't talk to? Friends who left the church long ago out of some dividing disagreement? It's sad that we give up on relationship so easily. Take note that Paul doesn't say, "restore every broken relationship", simply "aim for restoration". Aim for it, I think God will do the rest.

Comfort one another. When you know of a person who is in pain, comfort them. Comforting someone can be as simple as a hug or a listening ear. We're not to fix each other's problems, just comfort.

Agree with one another. This is probably the hardest for me personally. I like to disagree. But Paul instructs us to agree. Put aside your difference and just agree.

Live in peace. This is the ultimate goal. I think my generation thrives on drama, but that's exactly why this is important. We need to learn to live in peace. Give up on drama and fighting and just be in peace.

and the God of love and peace will be with you. What an amazing promise.

Spiritual Gifts

After Jesus died, he rose again and spent some more time with his disciples. When he ascended again to Heaven, he promised the Holy Spirit would come to them. It fell upon them on the Day of Pentecost during a time of prayer. Amazing things happened that day. People were healed, the believers were able to speak in foreign tongues and many were added to their number that day.

The Holy Spirit lives in each of Christ's followers today. I know he lives in me. What I don't know is what he has gifted me with. I've had many thoughts of what it could be over my life. Interpretation of the scriptures, teaching, evangelism, hospitality, encouragement, knowledge. All of these are things I enjoy and can be good at.

I want to know what God is doing in my life. I thought I knew, but now I don't. I need to practice trust. I need to pray and meditate on the scriptures. God wants the place of honor in my life. I don't even know what I've been giving it to. Something much less important than the Lord of all.

Currently Studying: Acts

What I've Learned

Lord you know me,
My every thought, passion, and desire.
My cares are your cares.
You do not need to be told what matters to me.

You love me and take care of me.
You defend me and comfort me.
No man on Earth can be,
what you are to me.

You know me, O Lord,
Every action, every movement,
All my hopes and dreams,
My accomplishments, my failures.
You know every piece of me.

You are there for me.
In times of sorrow
and times of celebration.
During shame and glory,
my constant support.
You know me.


Response to Psalm 139

Endangered Species?

So I just looked up an article on how researchers found 125,000 gorillas in the Congo, because I was bored and remembered hearing some morning radio djs making fun of the find. The reason it's so shocking is because that is more than twice what they thought was left of the species. The article mentions that the number they thought was left was based on a survey from the 1980's and projected loss due to poaching.

This makes me wonder how many other "endangered species" are based off old numbers and flawed projections. We trust these environmental groups without even questioning their methods.

Here's the link to the gorilla article: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/05/science/05apes.html

And here's another article about how the list of endangered species is being added to: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2006/05/0502_060502_endangered.html

The reasons they cite for population decrease? Hunting and global warming.
How they reached the numbers they did? "the IUCN took a close look at sharks and rays" What does that even mean? The entire article has the same ambiguous wording.

Here's a quote that really bothers me:" "Here you have an unbiased, objective account," he said. "There's no guesswork and no political pressure. … The listings tend to focus conservation energy." " Really? It doesn't sound unbiased (global warming) and there definitely appears to be a lot of guesswork.

Just some thoughts.

Praise the Lord for Kind Commuters

So I drove to California today. The drive was mostly uneventful and the roads were clear until about an hour outside of our destination. We hit some traffic but it wasn't bad. Then, about a half hour outside of our destination traffic suddenly stopped. I hit the brakes as hard as I could, but skidded a little at the last second and hit the car in front of me. We got out and decided to move to the right, we had been in the carpool lane. That is an experience I would like to never repeat. Once we got out on the other side, he said he had to call the CHP (california highway patrol). I said ok and we both went to our cars while he called. I don't know what changed his mind, but when Rusty got out to check the damage and started rubbing the scuffs off my car the man changed his mind about calling CHP. He asked who's car it was and when I told him it was mine he said he didn't think we needed to call because there really wasn't any damage.

Rusty and I both said the same thing when we returned to the car, "Praise the Lord". When things like that happen you start to think over the events and how they could have gone and I'm always left amazed by God's grace. For instance, we were in the car pool lane, which meant when traffic stopped, there was no one behind me. Second, people were kind and let us over to the right side of the highway. After we drove off we saw a worse accident just a little ahead of us, probably caused by the same sudden stop, or possible the reason for the sudden stop. I was very thankful that that wasn't us. We were starting to run out of time to reach our destination.

Another praise, we made it on time to the boat dock. Oh yeah, I'm in Long Beach waiting for a boat to go to my friends wedding on Catalina.

The End is Near

Church this morning was really good... after the pastor showed up. It was rough getting up early, but everyone was relatively on time to breakfast and we only left about 10 minutes after we were supposed to. Unfortunately, when we got to the church no one was there. We were really concerned because it was before 7 am and the sign outside the church said they started at 8:30. The Pastor did show up at about 7 and let us in so we could start to set up. 3 people came around 7:15. The boys jammed for a bit which I always enjoy. Then, Brad sang a few worship songs while we waited for more people to come. The pastor spoke after that and said we should start because Jamaicans like to sleep in and they would come in during the service. The service went really well. The team put a lot of energy into it even though there weren't very many people. About halfway I think 10 more people had come in. By the end of the service there were probably 25 - 30.

Pastor Dave spoke on Mark 4:1-20 which is the parable of the sower. It was a really interesting sermon. I think God really spoke to me through it. The pastor of the church also seemed to enjoy it.

After the service, Shani, who I had met the first night with Horizons came over and said hi to me. A little after she came, Bernadette came over too. It was nice to see them again. If Kalena reads this, Shani says hi!

We had a ministry scheduled for this afternoon, but when we got to the site we found out a few things that prevented the show. First, there was a marching band scheduled to come through the area that would drown us out. Second, we didn't have the right permit to do a show on that corner. So now we have about 3 hours until dinner and then we head out to our last night ministry.

It's odd to be at the end of the trip. I can't really imagine going home at this point even though I'm happy to be seeing my friends and family again. Life at home is just so different from life in Jamaica.

Sun Flower Villas

The team this week has been really great =) The team is very open and friendly. They have also been really receptive to our suggestions (i.e. puppets).

We did two days of a VBS. It was a lot of fun! The first day we had about 45 kids and the second we had 70. The team's youth pastor was really great at being emcee. The second day Karra put together a really awesome craft that the kids had a blast doing.

Sorry I don't have too much to say. This has been a great final week, but I think we're all ready to go home. Pray especially for Dick, Brad and Larry as they have been here since June 12. Pray that we all have enough energy to finish strong. We have a really early morning tomorrow. 5:30 am breakfast.

Back in the Saddle!

The team that went to Kingston came back today and the team from Wisconsin flew in. We had chinese for lunch, then gave them all a chance to rest and had dinner.

After dinner we headed out to do a show with the Wisconsin team and left the other team back so they could rest because they have a hard week ahead.

The show was great! It was nice to have something to do again. I trained a girl on how to write programs and the show ran smoothly. I think she's gonna do a great job. Puppet stage set-up was fast two. Those are basically my two areas of making the show run. OH and I find the bathroom, which I did, but didn't actually need to use! Lol, that's a new one for me because last week Horizons made fun of me for how much I had to use the bathroom.

Karra, Dick, Brad, Larry and I head to Sun Flower Villas with the Wisconsin team tomorrow so I won't have internet once again. Thank you for your prayers. I'll be back Saturday to give you an update on ministry.

God Knows What He's Doing

... but that doesn't mean I do.

The team from Sun Valley (Gilbert, AZ) came in the same day Horizons left. We had dinner at the hotel, then collected all the money we'll need from them (Dunns, coffee, exchange). Then, yesterday they left for Kingston leaving behind Dick, Karra and I. They rented a smaller vehicle to save some money and there wasn't enough room to bring all of us. I think we have about 3 or 4 days until the next team comes in.

Until then we're relaxing and trying to iron out things like reciepts and housing. We're also trying to put together some resource packets to give out next year. And praying for the team. They're doing construction at the Youth For Christ office during the day and street ministry at night. It's a team of 11 plus 6 interns and Mark.

I'm sure there's a purpose for us staying back, but I don't know if we'll get to know what it is. Thank you for your prayers and I'll let you know anything I hear about the team.

Time Flies!

I didn't have internet in my room at the Sunflower this year, which is why I didn't blog. If you'd like to read what Troy managed to get up, check out his blog.

It was an amazing week. I love seeing the Horizons team in Jamaica. Partially because I don't get to hang out with them much since I'm at school and also because it's fun to see "old and new together".

One of the highlights for me was St. James Infirmary. We did a show for a bunch of older men who had disabilities ranging from blindness to complete immobility. Since I didn't really have much to do for the show I spent a lot of time with the guys. I "danced" with a few of them and talked to them. One of the blind guys who stayed inside asked me how I would like a blind husband, I told him I didn't think it would work out since I lived in the United States. They were all very sweet and I think our visit meant a lot to them.

Another great moment was the first night show when Kalena and I talked to a young girl, around 11, about the particularities of salvation. Here in Jamaica baptism is very important in all the churches, so important that people often get it confused with salvation. I asked her first if she thought you needed to be baptized to be saved. She said no. Then, I asked what saves you and she said asking Christ for forgiveness. So far so good, but then I asked what makes you a Christian and she said being baptized. My last question was where do you go if you die after you've asked forgiveness, but before you have the chance to be baptized. She didn't know. Kalena and I explained what we could about salvation and pointed her to the criminal on the cross. It was exciting for me because I love sharing the gospel and I got the chance to see Kalena share the gospel. She has really grown up and is serious about her faith. I still can't believe she's already in high school!

The week had many ups and downs. It was fantastic having Ginger and Rusty on the trip. I literally cried out of joy when Ginger got tot he airport. At the same time, God had prepared some trials for me. This week has shown me a lot of the ways I've grown in the past 5 years and the areas I still need to grow in.

A team from Sun Valley in Arizona is flying in today. They've probably already landed. If I understood correctly they and most of the interns will head to Kingston immediately after lunch. Dick, Karra and I will be staying in Mo Bay, because there will not be enough seats for us in the vehicles they're taking to Kingston. I will be sad to miss out on more Kingston ministry, but Dick, Karra and I will try to use the time wisely to prepare for next week and some stuff for next year.

Thank you for keeping us all in your prayers even while I wasn't blogging.

Side note: my camera broke =(

Welcome Horizons!

The Horizons team came in today! They all had safe travels and got here when they were supposed too. I cannot describe how happy I was to see Ginger! We cried.

The night show went really well. Everyone was game for performing even though they have been traveling since last night. I was so proud of them =) After the show Kalena and I got a chance to talk to an 11 year old girl named Shawnee. She was very sweet, but concerned about when she should be baptized. She doesn't want to be one of those who is baptized and then doesn't represent God well. We talked to her about how Satan will always be trying to keep her down because he knows she will be strong for God. We also shared 1 Tim 4:12 with her and the passage in Luke where Jesus tells one of the other men on a cross with him that he would see him that day in paradise. I think it helped clear up what "gets you to Heaven". Please pray for her. I gave her the church address and I really hope she writes to us.

Also pray for the teams health, they're running on not much sleep and I think people are a little wound up from the night show so I'm not sure how rested they'll be tomorrow. Also give praise for how great things have been going. Thank you all for remembering me and our mission here in your prayers.

What I'm trying to remember:
Luke 14:11 "For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted"

Prayer of Faith

Haley is sick today so I used my Bible's concordance to find a passage about sickness for her to read and this is what I found:

James 5:13-20

¹³Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise. ¹⁴Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him,anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. ¹⁵And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. ¹⁶Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. ¹⁷Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth. ¹⁸ Then he prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the earth bore its fruit.

¹⁹My brothers, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone brings him back, ²⁰let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.

I feel like everything in this passage is important for us to remember in our work here in Jamaica and at home. We need to express how we are: suffering, cheerfulness, sickness. I find it really interesting how forgiveness of sins and healing go hand in hand. Also that confessing sins comes before ministering to people who have wandered from the faith. That is the part I think is so important in Jamaica. We need to be super aware of our spiritual position before we go out in the streets.

Laser Sounds

I realized after I posted the last blog that I forgot to mention why I titled it "Creeperazzi". Well, yesterday at the beach, Chelsea (from the other team) and I were taking photos of people on the team without them knowing and said we "paparazzi'd" them. Then, on the bus we were making fun of Chris for taking weird pics of people and called him a creeper. After making fun of him for a bit I fessed up to taking pictures of them all while they were sleeping on the bus during the ride from kingston. Chris called me a creeper, I said, "no, I'm paparazzi", he said "more like creeperazzi" and Chelsea and I were infinitely amused.

Laser sounds are because Mr. Betty, one of the bus drivers likes to listen to praise music while we're driving, but it's really funny because it's in the style of dancehall raggae so there are laser sounds mixed in and a guy going "hey hey hey" in the background.

Today has been good. The team did 2 schools and a correctional facility. Haley and I are waiting for them to get back from the correctional facility. We came back to the hotel when Mark came to pick up their lunch so that we could rest. The team is really tired too, so pray for their endurance through the night show and courage to share the gospel. Tonight is their last show, tomorrow is their Recreation day and then Horizons comes in on Wednesday and we all head to the Sunflower in Ochi on Thursday =)

Creeperazzi

Today was fun. Haley and I got to know the team a lot better. The first thing we did was go to a "Place of Safety", which is a home for girls. We all had a really good time dancing with the girls. After that we were supposed to go to a prison, but the boys were eating lunch, so we waited at a beach for about and hour. I got to know Chelsea some more and learned a lot more names. For the night show, we went to a church in Kingston. I call it a church, but it was really foundation with poles and a tarp over it. I got to play with some kids and we walked a round a little to invite people to come over. There were a ton of kids at the show!

We're going to church tomorrow. It should be fun. Pray for the team's endurance. We're all starting to get tired because we've been getting up early and going to bed late.

Daddy-O

We got up at 5:30 this morning and had breakfast, then headed to a show at a high school. We were originally told to do two hours, but then we got cut to more like an hour. I trained Hannah (from Whittier) on programs and demonstrated how to keep time for a show. She did it herself for the next school, which was a primary.

The primary school was so much fun! The children loved the show and the music, they were very involved. Afterwards we ended up having a lot of time to play with them because the bus was gone picking people up from the airport. We were hungry, but the team made the best of it.

We're waiting for the rest of the team now. A mosquito is in my room and keeps landing on my arm, but flying away before I can kill it. We're going to eat lunch when the rest of the team gets here. I don't know what's going on tonight because our original show was canceled.

Thank you for your prayers, we really appreciate them.

The Day Michael Jackson Died

Well, Michael Jackson died today. We found out through static radio news, it was crazy. All we heard was "Michael Jackson... rushed to the hospital... attempted to revive... music legend".

Besides that, only part of the team made it down, 8 of them. The rest of the team got stuck in Memphis due to mechanical problems. Pray for their endurance and patience with the airlines. Also pray for our schedule, we haven't seen it yet, but we think we have shows in the morning before the rest of the team gets here.

On a side note, while the boys were listening to Michael Jackson in the van (before they found out he died), we were in the bus listening to Gospel raggae music with laser sounds. It was... interesting.

Jamaica Time

This morning, Karra, a few girls from our room and I got up early to wake the team up and then set plates out for them so that we could leave at 6:15, because the earliest the hotel would do breakfast was 6 and it's buffet style. So the team is ready to go about 6:20 and Dick tells Karra he needs the schedule he sent her this morning printed out...

Karra's computer wouldn't connect to the internet and then mine wouldn't read the printer right. They ended up leaving a half hour late and just took Dick's computer with the downloaded file. Pray for the team's endurance and the school's patience.

The rest of us, Haley, Leisha, Roger, Brad, Larry, Mike and I are just waiting for our team to come in. The first half lands at 11:00 and the second at 1:00. Then we head to Kingston! I'm so excited.

Well. This is my first blog ever. Probably no one will read it, but that's ok.

I'm in Jamaica! After 10+ hours of travel I thought we'd never make it, but we did. And we met some cool people along the way! On our first plane we talked to the girl across the aisle from me. I think her name was Amy. She moved to Arizona a few months ago, just because and was headed to Alabama to pick up some stuff and drive it back to Arizona with one of her friends. On our next flight we met Nathan, a spiritual man, but doesn't believe the story of Christ. We talked a lot! We were trying to help distract him from his fear of flying. He asked for my email address and said he'd email me. It will probably be about interpretation of scripture. I'll keep you updated. On our third and final flight we were sitting next to each other and slept quite a bit. I let the man next to me borrow my pen. Then we had a fun time in customs because I didn't know anything. We made it back to the hotel and got some food about 4pm.

It's been a lazy day so far, but a team is coming in in about an hour and we'll be doing ministry tonight. If anyone does read this, pray that everything runs smoothly!

Craig's sunglasses are very reflective.