“So then, since we have a great High Priest who has entered heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to what we belive. This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin. So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.” – Hebrews 4:14-16
First Wednesday this week was awesome; the worship and the message!
Normally during worship I keep my eyes closed but during First Wednesday I remember opening my eyes during the line “With every heart that’s been set free, we’re lifting our hearts to the glorious King” and I had never seen so many hands raised in the air. A couple of rows ahead of me there was man worshiping in sign language which was very humbling to see. Then the song “I am Free” came on and I just about lost it as I watched this man sign to the words “through you the mute will sing.” The last song that they played was “You Never Let Go”. I was sitting next to two of my closest friends who are both going through an incredibly hard season and to see them worshiping God with their whole hearts despite their circumstances and completely unwavering in their faith was really encouraging. Seeing all these people who had been set free raising their hands to God really overwhelmed me with praise for Him and was just another reminder of why I worship the God I do.
The other day I was reading Genesis 22:1-19, the story about when God asks Abraham to take his only son and offer him as a sacrafice to God. Abraham obeys God and just before he’s about to kill his son an angel tells him not to. When I read this I thought, honestly if God asked me right now to sacrifice my mom or someone in my family I wouldn’t do it. But then I realized I was missing the point, it wasn’t about whether or not I would kill someone for God, it was about if God were to come today and take the life of someone cloesest to me in a car crash if I would continue to worship God the same way. Can I really sacrafice what I cherish most in this world as an act of obedience and worship? It’s definitely a heart check and a hard thing to come to terms with but He is God, and everything in this world belongs to Him anyways.
The other thing was I loved Gregs message about politics the other night! I can’t wait till this election is done with, because no matter who wins….the bible will still have answers, prayer will still work, there will still be singing of praise to God, there will still be room at the cross, and Jesus will still love you. Yes I did just quote a bumper stick but how true is that. I’m so sick of the condescending attitudes people have when it comes to politics and I hate the division it causes among people. I love this country and the freedom the comes with it, but I’ve seen relationships torn apart because people just can’t stop arguing or accept the fact that someone has a different opinion/belief then them. As a Christian you just have to remember who’s really in charge when it comes to politics and who our focus should be on. God has already changed my heart a lot with this election on who I will be voting for but I have to be honest after hearing Greg’s message on Wednesday I felt very convicted about not praying for or supporting our current leader enough. Even though I may not agree with some of the things Bush has done, I should not be bashing his name, I should be praying for him. I think the one thing both parties have in common is that they both want whats best for the people and this country, they just have different opinions or ways of going about that.
http://jonathanherron.typepad.com/jonathan_herron_dot_com/2008/09/wapost-on-polit.html
This is a painting April Knight painted for me…there’s been times when I’ve looked at this painting and it’s brought me so much peace and joy.
One of my favorite things to do is go on my roof or out to the beach at night and look at the stars, I feel a lot closer to God when I do. In highschool I took Astronomy and found a new passion of mine. My major requires me to take a bunch of science electives and as soon as I saw that Astronomy was an option I took it. When I took Astronomy in highschool I remember for the first time I understood what it meant in the bible when it says to fear God….even more so I felt it. When I studied how insanely big this universe is…I mean I was genuinely struck with fear of God. Honestly, sometimes when I just think about the size of America I’m in awe of God. But I don’t always feel that way. I don’t always fear God, because if I did I know I wouldn’t do half the things I do.
“Fear of the Lord lengthens one’s life, but the years of the wicked are cut short.” Prov. 10:27
“Fear of the Lord if the foundation of wisdom. Knowledge of the Holy One results in good judgement.” Prov. 9:10
“Those who fear the Lord are secure; he will be a refuge for their children.” Prov. 14:26
“Fear of the Lord is a life-giving fountain; it offers escape from the snares of death.” Prov. 14:27
“Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, workd out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.” Phil. 2:12-13
All of these are just right there when I open my bible, and that’s not even the half of it…the fear of the Lord is everywhere in the bible. Before Jesus came along, people were afraid to even say His name. Not only that, but they were afraid to WRITE His name. And when they wrote it they wouldn’t even completely write out His name! Imagine being so afraid of God that you wouldn’t even write His name on a piece of paper…I pray that God would instill that kind of fear in me.
I just wanted to give you an idea of how big this universe is…you really have to sit there and dwell on these things too….
I personally think Mt. Pleasant is a pretty big city. And then I think about all of the Charleston county, and besides occasional vacations it’s where I live my entire life….I generally don’t go outside of Charleston county. And when you think about it some people are completely content with staying in the same place they’ve grown up for their entire life. That’s just crazy to me… I personally, find traveling this world and spreading the good news the main reason for my living. Anyways this is Charleston county in comparison to SC…
I know this isn’t new news but unless you’re really dwelling on what I’m saying you won’t understand. This is America…
There are 7 other continents just like this in the World….and did you know that 75% of the Earth is made up of water? Think about how big the Earth is already…think about all the different countries and different cultures… we’re really only thinking about land when we think about that. That’s only 1/4 of this Earth! So here’s the Earth…
This is the Earth in comparison to the Sun…
If that isn’t ridiculous enough…. there are around 100 billion stars in our galaxy alone…my mind really can’t comprehend something like this it’s just crazy!!
“Behold, the day of the Lord comes…For the stars of heaven and their constellations will not give their light; the sun will be darkened in its going forth, and the moon will not cause its light to shine.” Isaiah 13:9-10 This verse is describing how huge Gods glory is. At night we see the stars, but when the sun comes up in the morning we can’t see them anymore…they’re still there, but the sun is powerful we can’t even see those other stars anymore. The same way it says when Jesus comes back His glory will be so great He will out shine the sun.
Here our galaxy, the Milky Way….we are inside of this right now…
If we didn’t have so much light pollution this is what we would see when we look up into the sky. This is the Milky Way….this is very close to what I saw when I was in Kenya.
There are hundres of billions of galaxies in our universe…this is a picture a hubble telescope took of a bunch of galaxies…
I’m done….if you didn’t get anything from this watch this short video Francis Chan made…
I absolutely love my small group. I have met some really amazing women of God in it. I always heard stories about small groups that were so close they made commitments to each other that they would take care of each others families if anything were to happen to them…but I had never been in a small group that was that close. I have been in small groups where I feel like God’s hand isn’t over it but I definitely feel God’s blessing over this small group. I have a completely different bond with these girls then I do in my other relationships. Maybe it’s because whenever I’m with them all we do is talk about God…it’s like the triangle where two people can only get so close to each other, and to get any closer they have to grow closer to God. Anyways, we are reading, “Lord I Want To Know You”, an amazing book about the different names of the Lord. El Roi – The God Who Sees, Jeohovah-rapha – The Lord Who Heals, Jehovah-mekoddishkem – Te Lord Who Sanctifies You…. the more I learn about God’s character and who He is the more I fall in love with Him and just want to worship Him. Last night at small group we talked about El Shaddai – The All-Sufficient One. “Shaddai” means “woman’s breast” and “Pourer-forth.” I love how it means woman’s breast because when you think about a new born baby its soul provider for life is its mothers breast. When a baby is crying or restless, the breast will calm it. When a baby is starving to death, it can’t eat man’s proper food or it will die, but the breast can give it life and nourish it. He is the “Pourer-forth,”….”who pours Himself out for His creatures…He gives them His lifeblood; who ’sheds forth His Spirit,’ and says, ‘Come unto me and drink. Basically anywhere you look for for comfort or to be whole and feel complete that isn’t from the Holy Spirit will ultimately lead to death, spiritually or physically. The more of life and hardships I go through, the more I rely on the Lord for my strength and to be my everything because I have learned to trust Him. After being betrayed and lied to by the people closest to me a couple of different times in my life I began to wonder if I would ever be able to trust people again…but the Lord has always proven Himself faithful. He has always shown up in my greatest time of need and poured out His undescribable love and grace to me when I really didn’t deserve it at all. He really just satisfys all of my needs. Whenever I’m in the presence of the Lord I’m filled with an overwhelming feeling that I can do anything through Him. It’s amazing that God gives us the Holy Spirit so that we can be with Him all of the time…He really is El-Shaddai, I have everything that I need. I love that my confidence isn’t found in my relationships anymore, or when my financial needs are being met, or how busy I am keeping myself. I love that I don’t need a significant other to make me happy or make me feel like I am someone… and that if I am single for the rest of my life I will be just as content as if I were to get married.The Lord is so good to me and I want my life, that is His anyways, to be used to its fullest potential in Christ and multiplying Gods Kingdom.
All during small group I kept thinking about Psalms 23. “The Lord is my sheperd; I shall not want (I have all that I need).” And we starting talking about the strength of the Holy Spirit and it reminded me of Cleansing Streams and when I had an amazing deliverence from major bondage in my life through the power of the Holy Spirit. I remembered how when they annointed my head with oil was when I lost all the strength in my body and felt the weakest I have ever felt in my life….but at the same time I felt an undescribable strength and power through the Holy Spirit. It was then that I understood the meaning of “My power is made perfect in your weakness.” But I began to wonder why they annointed my head with oil, and then again I thought back to Psalms 23 when it talks about the shepard annointing his sheep with oil.
Besides Romans 8:28, I feel like Psalms 23 is what the Lord has used to feed me spiritually in my greatest times of need….
“The Lord is my sheperd; I have all that I need.
He lets me rest in green meadows; he leads me besides peaceful streams.
He renews my strength.
He guides me along right paths, bringing honor to His name.
Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for your rod and your staff comfort me.
You prepard a feast for me in the presence of my enemies.
You honor me by annointing my head with oil.
My cup overflows with blessings.
Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will live in the house of the Lord forever.”
Psalms 23
Every single verse in that psalm has so much meaning behind it to me. I always find myself praying over and over again that “I will live in the house of the Lord forever.” That I will never leave the Lord’s side and always dwell in His presence…and the verses before that answer my prayer, because I know the Lord will pursue me with His unfailing love and goodness for “I am prone to wander.”
Anyways about the sheep…I was very curious and I found an AMAZING website that explains Psalms 23 so well…..http://users.adelphia.net/~jcwauford/drjamescwaufordthd/id28.html…….
Keller points out that, “As one meditates on this magnificent poem it is helpful to keep in mind that the poet is recounting the salient events of the full year in a sheep’s life. He takes us with him from the home ranch where every need is so carefully supplied by the owner, out into the green pastures, along the still waters, up through the mountain valleys to the high tablelands of summer. Here, now, where it would appear the sheep are in a sublime setting on the high meadows; where there are clear running springs; where the forage is fresh and tender; where there is the intimate close contact with the shepherd; suddenly we find a ‘fly in the ointment,’ so to speak” (Keller, p. 114).
The fly is literal. Because it is summertime, insects are plentiful both in number and kind. Some of the insects, such as the “nasal fly” are so bad that they can cause the death of the sheep. The flies enter the sheep’s nasal passage and lay eggs. The result is severe respiratory inflamation and infection. The sheep become unconsolable, kicking wildly, butting their heads against rocks and trees, and running into the heavy brush. The effects can be devastating. Other insects also bother the sheep and cause them to stop eating. Thus they lose weight and energy. Ewes stop giving milk and the lambs die of starvation. Insect infestation is a terrible torment for the sheep; but, it’s a fact of life.
However, there is relief to be had. The good shepherd quickly recognizes the symptoms and does something about it. In Bible times, the shepherd would pour a mixture of olive oil, sulphur, and tar on the sheep’s head. In more modern times linseed oil, sulphur, and tar have been used. Apparently, the odor of this anointing oil doesn’t bother the sheep but it does keep the insects away. It doesn’t take long for the sheep to appreciate the anointing and be grateful for it.
Insect infestation in sheep is representative of uninvited devilish torments, persecutions, and afflictions in humans. The anointing is the continued presence and filling of the Holy Spirit Who comforts and consoles us. It is important to note that when a person receives the gift of God’s salvation, by grace through faith, he or she also receives the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. But, the “anointing” of the Holy Spirit is continuing, based on need. When Satan torments a Christian, the anointing of the Holy Spirit is available. However, the Christian must “hold still” and let the anointing take place. If a sheep in torment runs wildly, stomping, kicking, and butting his head against the rocks the shepherd can’t do much for him. But, if the sheep will stop and let the shepherd do the anointing, then relief will come. It’s the same with Christians. We must yield to the Good Shepherd and let Him anoint us with the “Balm of Gilead.” He will pour out the Holy Spirit on us and we will be comforted..
There were other reasons for the anointing with oil. A disease called “scab” was also treated with the oil-sulphur-tar mixture. Scab affected sheep’s heads. It was (or is) transmitted from sheep to sheep as they affectionately rub heads together. Scab, to me, represents the harm that can come to us because of our associations. “Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you” ( 2 Cor. 6:17).
When we try to have one foot in the “Kingdom”[of Heaven] and one foot in the world, we will be afflicted by the diseases and maladies of the world (physical, spiritual, and emotional). Here again, it is the anointing of the Holy Spirit that protects us from wrong associations. “This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh” ( Galatians 5:16).
Still another cause for “anointing” sheep’s heads with oil (or in this case grease) according to Keller is to reduce the damage of rams butting heads during mating season. The grease literally causes the sheep to glance off each others’ head and avoid the shock of a head-on collision. To his amusement, the sheep would glance off each other’s head and look bewildered and confused then stroll off in peace.
This seems to me to represent the calming and convicting work of the Holy Spirit when we become strong willed and self sufficient, butting our heads against each other and against “brick walls.” The Holy Spirit can intercede to help us see the futility of our own self-willed attitudes and actions.
No wonder, the sheep concludes, “My cup [of blessings] runneth over.”
I love how it says that sometimes the Christian must sit still and wait for the annointing of the Holy Spirit. I remember during one of the hardest seasons of my life I went out to the beach to have a quiet time with God and there was no one out there. I was praying that God would speak to me and He faithfully answered. He gave me a vision of a little girl maybe 3 standing out there in front of me on the beach, bawling her eyes out, scared, and alone. He asked me what I would do if this little girl were standing there in front of me, and I said that I would go and pick her up and try to console her and tell her that everything is ok and I would take care of her. Then he said that that little girl was me and He was trying to hold me and comfort me and love me but I wouldn’t let Him hold me because I didn’t trust Him. That vision changed my life. That’s when I learned to let go and trust in the Him to be my El Shaddai. God is so amazing, He just puts me at a loss for words because there are no earthly words to describe His magnificent glory.
“For I am convinced that nothing can ever seperate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tommorow-not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below-indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:38-39
Well I’ve decided to make a blog… I’ve always wanted to blog because my thoughts run faster then I can write, but I never got around to making one. I guess it just took me getting sick on a Friday night to start one.
About a week ago I got home from a Medical Missions Trip to Nicaragua. It really was an unbelievable trip. When people ask me how Nicaragua was all I can find myself saying is amazing because I have no other words to describe it. The people, the culture, the experiences, God….everything was just amazing. Unfortunately I didn’t journal at night because the days were so long and emotionally and physically draining that I was the first one to fall asleep and the last ones to wake up…that’s pretty typical of me anyways though. But I will try my best to reminisce on the 10 days of my trip.
Last year I went on a missions trip to Kenya…it was awesome and I grew heaps and mounds from it, but I was surrounded by my best friends who I already spent all of my time with and leaders that were practically parents to me. Knowing this when I signed up for Nicaragua, one of my prayers was that I would be put so outside my comfort zone with my surroundings and not knowing anyone that I would have to COMPLETELY rely on God. I think that is kind of ironic because our team got along so well it was even funny. Everyone on the team was very laid back, funny, and had a heart on fire for God. I know I have formed the beginning of life-long friendships with some of the people on that team that will always be close to my heart.
Our trip started out a little rocky, Satan was obviously trying to bring us down before we even got to Nicaragua. After we were all handed our tickets Natalie noticed that her ticket said it left in 20 minutes. Half our team was split up on the way to the Atlanta airport…thankfully we got to the Charleston airport 3 hours early for our flight. It didn’t really phase me though, as opposed to last year when our entire teams tickets were mysteriously canceled and we had to jet to Charlotte last minute. Almost immediately when we arrived at the ticket counter in Atlanta for our flight to Nicaragua we were informed that we never reserved seats on the plane and that one of our team member would have to stay behind. Bill being the trooper he is said he would be willing to stay behind. After our whole team boarded the flight, last minute Bill walks on the plane. He said the very last man in line said he would stay behind (for the hawesome benefits). It’s right then I knew God would be doing a lot of miracles on this trip.
We flew into Managua and were greeted by Amber, Nathan, and Mary; missionaries who work with Christ for the City. I really was not prepared for what I was about to experience. For the next week we worked with a church called Nueva Jerasulen that came to be like family to me. We said we were coming there to serve them but I couldn’t have been more wrong. I met the most humble, caring, loving, sincere, servant-hearted people I have ever met in my life. I created stronger bonds (despite the language barrier) with these people then I have made with some people I have known for nearly a year. The light of Christ flooded through these people. The were constantly observing us and trying to make us feel more comfortable. And as Jeff said “it wasn’t for show, it was because their hearts like Christ.” I think maybe the second day we were there they saw us holding the bathroom doors closed for eachother because there were no locks on them. The next day there were locks on the door. That just blew me away… lesson # 1 in humility. The last day we were in clinic it was it was two of our team members birthdays, Mary and Jeff. Since it was our last day we only had a half day in the clinic and the church wanted to make lunch for us. At the end of a delicious lunch, two of the church members came out with a HUGE cake singing happy birthday. These people do not have very much money, and I can only imagine getting that cake for them was a big cut in their budget. We were not worthy…lesson #2 in humility. After the birthday party they proceeded to out due themselves buy bringing out two hammocks, one for each of them. Later that day at the market I soon found out a hammock was worth $20. TWENTY DOLLARS. It costs a person $12 to go to school for a semester there….lesson # 3 in humility. You know, I never thought I was person who struggled a lot with pride, but after seeing the humility in these people it couldn’t have been more clear then if God Himself was standing right in front of me telling me. I don’t think I have ever been so humbled in my life. All I could think was I am not worthy of any of this. It was truly unbelieveable how much I could see Christ in these people. It made me think if we were all like that how many non-Christians would be left in this world.
Throughout the week I witnessed Gods hand at work. I saw people given glasses, and for the first time able to read the Bible. I watched Jeff remove skin cancer from a mans arm…cancer. I sat in while a diabetic women heard the news she was going be given insulin to control her blood sugar, ultimately preventing her from dying. Sicknesses were healed, people were saved, lives were changed. My God is a God who saves…he doesn’t abandon us…He never has, He never will.
I’m gonna leave you with a quote from one of my team members blogs, Tiffany:
“One more thing I want to share before I let you go. Pastor Uriel prayed a prayer on the first day of clinic in which he said that our God is not an unfair God and that He sends those who can help, to His people who cannot help themselves. It finally hit me when rereading what he had said; we have people who have and people who don’t have… but if the people who have would obey God and take care of those who don’t, NO ONE would be in need! And people try to ask us how we serve such an unfair God… man, if we only REALLY got it.”
If you are a Christian and have never been on a missions trip I encourage you to go. I could sit here all day and tell you about how wonderful it is but you will never fully understand until you experience it for yourself.
