Radical

This week I finished reading the book Radical by David Platt. It has been a very challenging read, but one that was well worth it! I was overwhelmed as I read this book with how caught up in myself I can become when Christ calls me to something completely different! I think about how many insignificant things I can wrap my mind around and get completely lost in over the course of one day when thousands of people are dying without knowing who Christ is - I can do something to make a difference in that, but yet it rarely crosses my mind!

"But the reality is, if you and I have running water, shelter over our heads, clothes to wear, food to eat, and some means of transportation (even if it's public transportation), then we are in the top 15 percent of the world's people for wealth."

I rarely think this way though! I forget how many ways I have been truly blessed!

"Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world." James 1:27

God calls me to spend my life bringing in obedience to His call on my life! He has called me to go out into the world, make disciples, consider others before myself, and be a a blessing to the ends of the earth!

"God shall bless us, let all the ends of the earth fear him!"

Psalm 67:7

God has certainly blessed me, but not simply for our own benefit. he has blessed us so that the world around us can see His glory! When we have the right perspective on the blessings of God in our lives, the only response is that we follow after God, seeking the things that He wants and obeying His call on our lives to go into all the world.

It is a challenge. A daily surrender. Daily laying my self and my selfish thoughts down and taking up the cross. Considering others before myself and using the resources God has blessed me with to bless others, to allow God to reveal Himself to others through me as I surrender to His will!

This is a line of thinking that is completely different from anything the world around us has to offer. But then again, we are called to look nothing like the world around us. We are called to look like Christ.

Family Vacation 2010

Here are some pictures from our family vacation this summer. We had a great time on the cruise and really enjoyed our time in the Bahamas. It was a great time to enjoy time with one another and a reminder of how grateful we are for all God has done for us! God has absolutely blessed us!

Summer Camp 2010

VBS 2010

Overflow

I have been thinking a lot about that word lately. The thoughts that have been going through my head about this word are thoughts about how this word relates to my everyday life. It is overwhelming to think that as I daily spend time with God he fills me with the Truth of who He is. As this happens daily I am filled to the point that I can no longer contain it, and the love and truth that Christ fills me with overflow out of me. The cool thing here is that these things don't just flow out of me and into only one small part of my life, they flow out into every part of my life. If I pour water into a glass until it cannot contain any more water, the water overflows onto the table. When that happens, the water does not get one thing on the table wet and then snake around other things on the table so that they stay dry. This is not how it works! The water flows. It flows out in every direction and soaks everything around it....my life should look like this! The love of Christ that fills me to the overflow point should flow out of me and soak everyone around me...not just the people it is easy to soak with the love of Christ, but everyone that is around me!

Lord, help my life to reflect the truth of who You are by allowing the love you fill me with to overflow onto everyone around me! Let this be the case when it is easy to share your love, and even when it isn't to share your love. Use the overflow of Your love in my life to bring You glory!

Good News!

So today is a day my family has been waiting for the last year! My dad is finally finished with chemo, went back last week for his 6 wk scans, and today we got the results of the scans. Praise God that his scans were clear! It made me think back on when I first found out about the cancer. I looked to find a post I wrote close to that time because God had taught me such an amazing lesson through the life of David. Here it is:

God specifically chose David. He established David as the King of Israel. The word established means that he was set firmly in place. The point is that God has established us in the very places we are right now! The things that happen in our lives never surprise God! He set us firmly in place where we are! There is something He desires to show us through our situation, or someone He desires to reach through our situation.

I have been reading the book Crazy Love by Francis Chan and the chapter I was reading this morning was talking about God's overwhelming love for us. Overwhelming in the sense that He is so vast yet, so intimate and desires a relationship with us. Chan makes this statement in this chapter..."God knew who He was creating and He designed me for a specific work." This is a reminder to me that God had this all planned. Hopefully, people have seen God in my life and the life of my family through this situation and been encouraged to follow after Him. If nothing else, God has used this to remind me over and over again that He is love, and He is sufficient.

Generosity and The Kingdom of God!

This past Sunday night, Zeke had the privilege of preaching for the first time at our new church. As he was preparing, we were both praying that God would reveal to him, what he was to share with the body. The concepts of generosity and the Kingdom of God were ones that kept coming back and have been on our hearts. So Sunday night, Zeke shared a message on the Generous Kingdom - the thought that as believers, we use the resources God has given us to further His Kingdom. We are not just content to sit on what we have and watch as those around us suffer when we could help. That we are living with the knowledge that the things we have are the things (time, resources, etc.) that God has entrusted us with. But He has not simply entrusted us with these things so that we are blessed, but rather to be a blessing to others.

For me, understanding this has really and truly changed the way I look at the resources I have. Generosity is a way of life, not just a nice character trait.

So as Zeke was studying last week and I was finishing reading through 1Corinthians and moving into 2 Corinthians, these thoughts of generosity and a heart for the Kingdom of God have been in my mind and on my heart. I read a verse in 1 Corinthians that broke my heart...15:34 "Wake up from your drunken stupor, as is right, and do not go on sinning. For some have no knowledge of God. I say this to your shame." Paul was writing to the Corinthians, but that verse applies to us just as much! Some have no knowledge of God - those words have been running through my head since I read them. No knowledge of the Grace that has been bestowed on the children of God, no knowledge of a God who forgives, no knowledge of a God who lavishes love on His children, no knowledge of Him at all! As I read that verse, these questions came to my mind..."Am I stirred into action as I read this verse? Knowing that there are those around me that have no knowledge of God? Does it break my heart for the many people around the world that have no knowledge of God - some of those in my own community?"

Then I went on in 2 Corinthians to read "But thanks be to God who always leads us in triumphal procession and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of Him everywhere. For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing," (2 Cor 2:14-15) Our lives give off the scent of Christ as we go through our daily routines. To some of those around us, the scent brings life, but others it is death.

As we go out and walk through life surrendered to the leading of the Holy Spirit of God in our lives, those around us notice. When we live surrendered to the Holy Spirit's movement in our lives, we are no longer a people gathering up the resources God has given us and keeping them to ourselves, but we are a people willingly offering the resources we have to make a difference in the lives of those around us!

This is a song that really challenges me and encourages me in this area, so I will end with it! :)