spiritual discipline

OK…so I’m going to get back into the groove of this whole blogging thing, and honestly I’m not very good at it. But I have come to find that it helps me focus all of my scatter-brained thoughts into one collective unit. Something about seeing my thoughts captured on a sheet of paper (or a computer screen in this case) just makes me feel better. I’m not sure why, but it does. So this is my feeble attempt at re-entry into the world of blogging!

After the amazing, transforming summer I had, it is difficult to maintain such a focus on the homefront. I am trying to be as disciplined now as I was this summer in regards to Bible study and Scripture memory. We were challenged to memorize 26 verses this summer, and I was surprised at how naturally it came for me. I still remember those verses and frequently look over them, but I’m in a slump when it comes to learning new ones. Although I have memorized a few new verses since coming home, the discipline has not been very consistent. So, my aim is to memorize at least one new verse a week, some of which I have memorized in the past and unfortunately forgot due to lack of study. So this week, my focus is on Philippians 4:6-7 and 2 Chronicles 7:14. As easy as it may sound, I have found it very difficult to be so disciplined with this in the past. But after seeing how Scripture memory was so beneficial to me this summer, not only personally but for ministry purposes, I am determined to stick with it. I ask that anyone who knows about this endeavor hold me accountable, and join me in the challenge if you desire!

Philippians 4:6-7 --- “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

2 Chronicles 7:14 --- “If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”

Ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ. --- Jerome, A.D. 340-420

We fail in our duty to study God's Word not so much because it is difficult to understand, not so much because it is dull and boring, but because it is work. Our problem is not a lack of intelligence or a lack of passion. Our problem is that we are lazy. --- R.C. Sproul

transition and transformation

It is definitely amazing what God can do in just a short amount of time. That is one of the visions of Nehemiah Teams… believing that God can and will use His faithful servants wherever they are in the world and no matter how long they spend there. Just a mere two months in Malaysia gave me a glimpse of that vision, and I was able to experience the awesome power of God working in and through my team. It was a transforming summer in every way possible.

God used this summer to reinforce some obvious truths for me. As simple as it sounds, I learned to genuinely depend on God. This is something that I had told myself I was ok at before, but I ended up flat on my face when I realized just how self-sufficient and dependent upon my own strength and ability I really was. There is a quote I read during one of my quiet times this summer that spoke this truth beautifully. “Sooner or later we are confronted with the painful truth of our inadequacy and insufficiency. Our huffing and puffing to impress God, our scrambling for brownie points, and our thrashing about trying to fix ourselves are nauseating to God and are a flat denial of the gospel of grace. Through no merit of ours, but by His mercy, we have freedom in Christ and abundant life. This is the Good News…the Gospel of Grace.” This quote brought me to my knees begging for forgiveness and confessing my own insufficiency and need for God’s strength.

One thing He led me to realize is just how powerful He really is, especially through my weaknesses. There were days I was a little homesick (one day to the point of tears), but I was always comforted by the fact that God had a purpose for me during my short time there. Some days I felt completely ineffective and discouraged because we weren’t seeing anyone give their life to Christ or even come close to making a decision. Those days were the hardest. However, God was at work even when I couldn’t see or feel it. Even when I am lacking in faith, He is faithful. When I am tired and discouraged, He lifts my head and covers me with His love and peace. God reaffirmed this when I returned home. Throughout my time in Malaysia I never saw anyone surrender their life to the Lord, but a harvest was still reaped! One week after I returned home, I received a phone call via Skype from a fellow sister in Christ and friend in Malaysia. She informed me that since my team and I left, two girls had become Christians! These were girls that we had shared the gospel with multiple times and invested in. Praise the Lord for His faithfulness! I also learned that two more girls became believers a week after that, one of which was formerly a Muslim! God had shown me over and over that He was at work and was using us to reach people, but at times it was hard to see. It is really humbling to know that God is the ONLY one who can make the seeds grow. We just have to be obedient in planting seeds and watering the ones that have already been sown, and leave the rest up to the God who brings salvation to the nations!


"Those who sow in tears will reap with songs of joy. He who goes out weeping, carrying see to sow, will return with songs of joy, carrying sheaves with him." --Psalm 126:5-6

just above the equator...

Selamat datang Malaysia! - That is Bahasa Malay for "welcome to Malaysia." I just wanted to share a little about what God is teaching me while I am living here in Kuala Lumpur (the capital city). First of all, I am relearning the need for retreat from daily ministry to spend substantial time in prayer, scripture memory, and focused Bible study. We have one day a week off, but even on our off days we still have a lot of things to do and people to meet with one-on-one. When we are doing things all day, meeting people, going places, it is so exhausting, and I need that retreat time to refill me and let God give me the strength for the next day. God has really opened up a lot of doors for me to meet Muslim women here, which is something that I didn't expect to happen so much in an Asian country. Even though it is a Muslim country, there are so many nationalities represented here. I have met so many people from Iran and Sudan, which seems really random, but they come here for freedom and to flee from war. So most of them are really broken spiritually and physically because they miss their homeland and family. Those are the people God has been bringing into my life, and it has been a blessing to get to know some of them and meet them where they are. There are three Muslim women in particular who are here from Sudan getting their master's degree. I ask that you pray for them all, but I won't mention their names on here. They are seeking truth and come to Bible study...they are so close to accepting Christ! I have asked God to let me see an evident spiritual transformation in each of their lives this summer while I am here. Also, I feel God directing me in regards to my future. Well, at least I have eliminated a few possibilities I had before. I won't go into details about that on here, but I just wanted to praise God for His guidance already. One good things is that I'm not too homesick, which I expected to be a little. I'm too busy and having too much fun to think about home too much. Time is flying by so quickly, and I probably won't want to leave at the end of summer.


I'm expecting great things from God! Here's a verse God has laid on my heart recently:

"Who is going to harm you if you are eager to do good? But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. "Do not fear what they fear; do not be frightened." But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander. It is better, if it is God's will, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil." - 1 Peter 3:13-17

Southeast Asia

I have been praying for a year now that God would place a challenge in my life so great that I cannot get through it without fully trusting in Him. When I began praying this, I had realized that I tend to try to get through almost everything in my life independent of trusting God. There have really only been a handful of experiences that forced me to surrender the situation to God because I didn’t have the strength to accomplish them on my own. This fact convicted me because I was not trusting and putting my full faith in God.

God has given me the opportunity to serve overseas this summer and I believe it is a direct result of my prayer. I will be serving on a team in a predominantly Muslim country in Southeast Asia. I will be there from June 4 – July 29. Because of the security risks involved, I cannot publicly disclose the country I will be in or the organization I will be going through. This international ministry opportunity has already been a test of my faith and trust in God. First of all, I am trusting God for the financial means through support from family, friends, and my church family. Also, I am praying and faithfully trusting that God is preparing the hearts of the people of Southeast Asia that we will be ministering among. Because there will be communication barriers that we will encounter there, I am learning to trust God for new ways to reach people and share my faith with them without openly declaring the mission of my team. I look forward to the truths that God will continue to teach me while I am working in Southeast Asia this summer, as well as the challenges He will place in my life along the way. That sounds crazy to anticipate challenges, but I know they will arise, and I believe that God is faithful and His promises are true.

Meanwhile, as part of my preparation for this summer, I have committed to work through an intense 40-day devotional “A Call to Die” by David Nasser. It calls for study, fasting, and prayer each day as we dive into what the call to follow Christ really looks like. I have decided to fast from listening to music while driving and spend that time in prayer, which will undeniably be a challenge for me! Today is day 5 of this adventure, but I look forward to all God has to teach me throughout the 40 days. By May 14^th (the 40^th day) I pray that God will have moved mountains in my life!

Obedience

It has been over a year since I have written here, but I have learned so many things that cannot be explained in words. One specific thing that has captured my thoughts over the past year is the idea of obedience. God has shown me that obedience is something to always strive for, even when my passion for God is not as strong. Sometimes we have to just obey whether our heart is in it or not. If we wait until we grow a passion for something then we might never do it…so we just have to obey God and trust Him with the results of our faithful obedience. But I have also learned that unless a passion and love for Jesus and His commands is what motivates me, I will be miserable doing His work and will want to bail out. He MUST be my only passion!

In terms of living life with a missional mindset, the issue is obedience to what our Savior has said, not if one soul is more worthy than another. A soul right here in Kentucky is no more worthy than one in Afghanistan, Brazil, or Uganda. But because God has given us a mandate and shown us His heart for the WHOLE world, He is what makes it worth it because He alone is worthy. Live life faithfully and obediently in the Spirit of the Holy God!