JESUS

From my Global Media Outreach leader:

"Is Jesus Enough" by Angus Buchan writes:

 

'God is looking for men and women today who will not detract from the written Word of God, allowing themselves to be sucked in by the crowds, ending up as 'crowd pleasers'.

 

I have some very special words on the wall in my prayer room.  I believe they were found nailed on the door of a Zimbabwean pastor's rural hut, after he was martyred for his faith.  They read:

 

"I am part of the fellowship of the unashamed.  I have Holy Spirit Power.  The die has been cast.  I have stepped over the line.  The decision has been made.  I'm a disciple of His.  I won't look back, let up, slow down, back away or be still.  My past is redeemed, my present makes sense, my future is secure.  I'm finished and done with low living, sight-walking, small planning, smooth knees, colourless dreams, tamed visions, mundane talking, cheap living and dwarfed goals. 

 

I no longer need pre-eminence, prosperity, position, promotions, plaudits or popularity.  I don't have to be right, first, tops, recognised, praised, regarded or rewarded.  I now live by faith, lean on His Presence, walk by patience, live by prayer and labour by power. 

 

My face is set, my gait is fast, my goal is heaven, my road is narrow, my way is rough, my companions are few, my guide reliable, my mission clear.  I cannot be bought, compromised, detoured, lured away, turned back, deluded or delayed. 

 

I will not flinch in the face of sacrifice, hesitate in the presence of the enemy, ponder at the pool of popularity, or meander in the maze of mediocrity. 

 

I won't give up, shut up or let up until I have prayed up, paid up and preached up for the cause of Christ.  I am a disciple of Jesus Christ.  I must go until He comes, give until I drop, preach until He stops me.  And when He comes for His own, He will have no problem in recognising me, my banner will be clear."'

Divine Adventure

I believe that  the second most amazing and humble aspect of
being a child of the King is,
that when I desire for Him to change me, He does.
These days, in my heart,
He has given me a deep longing to
want to be transformed
as never before.

I have not prayed a certain prayer across my lips.
My Father does not always require that of me.
He knows my heart and my desires.
He knows that I want to be all He designed me to be.

I have this one life He gave me
 and I have vowed
that I will not leave this Earth without taking
the big steps He has called me to.
No matter how uncomfortable,
no matter how fearful I may be,
no matter how much strength I must draw from Him,
I do not want to stand, I want to walk.
I want to make much of God, here on earth.

My vow
takes my self-indulgence and pushes it into
the risky world of selflessness.
It causes me to learn to live
in surrender and obedience
moment by moment.
It causes me to continually
ask for the ability to
 dominate my flesh.

It makes me regularly draw my stake out of this world
and plant it into the Kingdom that is to come.

It gives me the desire to live authentically
and stand under the spout where grace pours out for me.
It demands a discipline
 to learn of the ability to listen deeply
with the ear of my heart.

It purposes in me, a will to live a life worthy of God.





...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.
Col. 1:10

Some Brass Tacks of China

I want to share about the country I will be moving to next year...China.
There are so many misconceptions of this land and I want to present some facts that are wonderful!
God has been doing a tremendous work in China since 1807, when the first protestant missionary, 
Robert Morrison, arrived in China.


In 1949, the Communist government took power and there were about 70,000 Chinese Christians. 
For the next thirty years no foreigners were involved in the development of the Church in China.
It wasn't until 1978 until anyone from outside of China could get back in to see what had happened
to the Church.  Under severe persecution and without help or support form the Western world, the
Chinese Church had grown to nearly one million Christian believers!


We continue to hear stories of the massive growth of the Church in China.   Some Chinese analysts 
have called it "the greatest evangelical movement the world has ever seen."  Estimates indicate that
there are over 70 million Christians, and the Christian Church in China is growing at a rate of 6% a year.  


In Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and other cities, there are universities with Departments of
Christian and/or Religious Studies.  These departments have spread rapidly and have been a catalyst
for revision of government policy on Chinese Christians.  Their goal is to make Christianity a visible force as China searches for a new intellectual order in the 21st century.  


An increasing number of Chinese Christians have a heart to see the advancement of God's good news, and have found new ways to serve in China.  Some have started non-profis to help meet the needs of
the poor in their villages and provide services, like English, job training, after-school programs, medical assistance, and basic needs like shoes, clothes and backpacks for school children.  It is another step toward the Chinese Church's complete self sufficiency.


Since 1988, the Amity Printing Company has been printing Bible In Nanjing, China.   In 2007, they printed over 3.4 millions Bibles for the Chinese Church.  They continue to print a wide variety of Bibles, including study Bibles, pocket Bibles and large print Bibles.  They have the capacity to print over seven million Bibles a year and have completed a 1-acre printing facility that will have the capability to print one million new Bibles every month!


So when I hear of certain negative stereotypes of China, my heart is sad since I know that they are false as well as damaging to God's overall work in China.  I praise HIM for combining the best intentions and the worst mistakes of Western missionaries, and using it all to develop His church there to bring glory to Himself!

HEAVE HO!

I read Scripture this morning that I  felt just reached out and grabbed ahold of me.  

When my heart is open, the Holy Spirit will give me His Truth that will speak to me

in my current circumstance .

The wonderful truth was  I Peter 5:7: Casting all your care upon Him; for He cares for you.

I LOVE THIS! If I were to get a tatoo, this would, without a doubt, be the one I would choose.

"Casting" used in this verse is the Greek word epiripto, a compound of the words epi and ripto.  The epi means upon, as on top of something.  The word ripto means to hurl, to throw, or to cast, and it often means to violently throw or to fling something with great force.

The only other place this word epiripto is used in the New Testament is in Luke 19:35, where the Bible says, "And they brought him to Jesus: and they cast their garments upon the colt, and they set Jesus there on."  This passage correctly conveys the idea of the word epiripto, which in secular literature often pictured the flinging of a garment, bag, or excess weight off the shoulders of a traveler and onto the back of some other beast, such as a donkey, camel, or horse.  

The word "care" is the Greek word merimna, which means anxiety.

In principle it described any affliction, difficulty, hardship, misfortune, trouble.

Peter uses this word to assure me that Jesus really does care about me 

and the things that are heavy on my heart.  

When I saw these Greek words and perceived how deeply Jesus cared about the burdens that were on my heart, I realized I was carrying a load I didn't have to bear.  Jesus wants me to take the

difficulty I am carrying and fling them onto His back.  He will carry them for me.

"Jesus, I am yielding  my concern to You today. 

 I cast my burden on You, and thank you for 

setting me FREE!"

I WAS NOT FASHIONED FOR THIS WORLD

I was truly not created for this world and the Holy Spirit has been impressing this on my mind daily. You see, I know that I was not made: to keep a house spotless, or to "shop 'til I drop", to accumulate stuff, to be continually entertained, to"keep up with the Jones',to live comfortably, to be deceived that outer beauty is prime, to have the most current fashions, to be rich when most of my brothers and sisters are hungry, to fight against aging, to be desensitized to sinful behavior, to be politically correct, to ignore my neighbor, to not be obedient to my LORD and not care, to forget what my Savior did on the cross, to be indifferent to the thousands of people going to hell each day.

 I believe this.  God's Word is clear in Colossians 1:16.

For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on  earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities— all things have been created through Him and for Him.
And it will someday,pass away.

I was created for my God, and I will do my best in Jesus' strength to remember that this world is not my home.

By His grace,

I choose the better way...

to live for my eternal home!

favorites - things preferred above others

This day was unbelievably special because before I left the house for work, the Lord gave me a gift of the evidence of His tangible love for me.  No, it was not a hot or iced latte...although they are truly my favorite drink, they CANNOT compare to the gifts my Father gives me.  So throughout the day I began pondering on the things in my life that make my heart feel like it's smiling.

1. Nothing even comes close to the nearness of my heavenly Father, a sense of His presence takes my breath away.  That happened this morning!  His speaking to me...thinking about this almost makes me feel that it is too good to be true.  It isn't though, the Holy Spirit lives inside of me.  God's presence resides in my soul!  How could anything here on earth compare that this? Nothing can, but I will still think of the simple things that tickle my fancy...just for fun!
2. having fun with my husband
3. talking to Cara and making her laugh
4. getting an email from Brent in Afghanistan
5. hearing Madeline call me, Ma Tu
6. my son-in-law telling me he loves me
7. my daughter-in-law telling me she loves me
8. good friends
9. lattes
10. swinging and chatting on my swing
11. thunderstorms
12. good books
13. getting mail
14. fruit salad
15. traveling
16. m & m's
17. candles
18. a good movie
19. traveling
20. cute used clothing
21. fresh flowers
22. sandals
23. the beach and ocean
24. popcorn
25. babies
26. iced tea
27. corn hole
28. campfires
29. popcorn
30. Chinese noodles
31. dusk
32. chopsticks
33. pictures
34. simple jewelry
35. reading blogs
36. a beautiful sky
37. walks
38. good coffee
39. seeing patients at work, improve
40. I will END with the second best thing I love in this life, and that is to see the work of GOD in my children, family and friends!