Encouragement in the face of... stuff.

  A Ring of Endless Light by Madeleine L'Engle was on my shortlist of favorite books for my sophomore and junior years of high school (if you read it, you will understand the appeal it holds for an awkward teenage girl). In the story there was a poem that captured the attention of the heroine and myself. It wasn't "The World", by Henry Vaughan, although that would be a good guess considering the book's title. The poem was actually a short and odd-sounding snippet (to my modern ears) by Sir Thomas Browne, and it helped our moody protagonist as she dealt with the immanent death of her grandfather.

Thoughts on "The Indomitable Mr. O", by Norman Rohrer

    Life is hard when a person denies love; when they can't accept grace and insist on being enough by themselves. This seems to be a theme in the story of J. Irvin Overholtzer; he refused his parents' help and love (even when he desperately needed it), he doubted his salvation was “perfect” enough since it relied on his deeds, and he doubted whether he should even seek converts since “the best I had to offer them was to... start working for their salvation as I was doing” (The Indomitable Mr. O, pg. 57). I think that to begin (and continue) a relationship with Christ means admitting brokenness and a personal inability to face life's challenges. But even more painful is knowing that love is just around the corner, and still choosing to stay right where you are. Mr. O learned that the hard way.

The treasure I've always had, but still missed.

   Last Wednesday I had a chance to go to a Good News Club where I had been the missionary of the year. It was their last day before school let out, so prizes were awarded and parents invited for supper and a presentation from their children afterward. The amazing woman who runs the club invited me to tell the story for the evening, and she said, “the kids would like to give you their missionary offering in person.” I thought alright, she must want to hand me a check for the money the kids raised. But, this lady being who she is, she had a very different idea.

Treating God as God

8/18/12
A few thoughts on...

Hosea 14:3
       We will never again say
       'Our gods' to what our 
       hands have made, for in 
       you the fatherless find compassion.

'Our gods' our hands have made - what I spend time with; creative time, relationship-building, loving time. What I invest my life in.
                     Turning in times of pain & distress to these things. Seeking advice or comfort when confused, love when I'm needy, direction when I'm aimless. Sacrificing for these things.

Weekend wedding

"So how was the wedding?" was the popular question at church today.

"Good," I said, qualifying that with "Nat and I are really tired."
Poor baby Natalie. She and I came home earlier than the rest of the family so we could work in the nursery this morning. We were both exhausted and a little sun-roasted, like July tomatoes. But Natalie came through like a trooper. As we walked out into the hot sunshine after church (and a VBS meeting neither of us had expected), I commented to Nat that at least neither of us was getting married today. "Or yesterday," she sighed. True that. One sister getting married yesterday was plenty!

Setting up tables under the grape arbor for the reception.

What will CYIA look like this year?

This year, nine young people from Western Wisconsin will be training to reach kids with the Gospel. They'll be training with two team leaders, who have taught 5-day clubs for years and are now willing to share what they know with the younger teens. 

Here's a few things that these summer missionaries will learn this summer...

At the risk of being over-obvious...

They'll learn how to teach! And not just during the two-week training. One missionary said last year, “we were having difficulties teaching [at club] because of the large variety of ages and there were 36 kids. So we split the club, and it worked.” Another teen said she learned that God “can empower me to teach 25 kids just as well as 2.”

“I am excited to learn this year,” says another returning student from La Crosse, “and to review my lessons from last year.” She adds, “Watching those kids [last year] understand and accept the gift God has given was so cool.”

The CEF Statement of Faith

I was messing around as usual today when I came across the CEF Statement of Faith. 
I like reading it because it reminds me of what's so vitally important about the Christian faith. Here's my favorite bit: 

   "...No degree of reformation however great, no attainment in morality however high, no culture however attractive, no humanitarian and philanthropic schemes and societies however useful, no baptism or other ordinance however administered, can help the sinner take even one step toward Heaven; but a new nature imparted from above, a new life implanted by the Holy Spirit through the Word is absolutely essential to salvation...

Spoiler alert: THE WAY = Jesus

So there Jesus was, about to die. He and his friends were finishing up some last-minute gospel teaching, but Jesus' message wasn't quite getting through to his friends.

"I will be with you only a little longer," Jesus said.

Simon Peter asked him, "Lord, where are you going?"

Jesus replied, "Where I am going, you cannot follow now, but you will follow later."

Peter asked, "Lord, why can't I follow you now? I will lay down my life for you."

Peter wasn't the only one with questions: after Jesus told his disciples that he would take them where he was going one day, and that they knew the way to that place, Thomas said to him, "Lord, we don't know where you are going, so how can we know the way?"

Jesus didn't expect that his disciples had some sort of magical GPS that told them how to get to unknown destinations, but he did expect that they knew him, at least a little bit.

Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."

Western Wisconsin, here I come! -- Oh wait. I'm already here!

I've just come on staff with Child Evangelism Fellowship.

This is crazy exciting!!

Keats, Harry Potter, and the Matrix. Because I'm not a Poet.

Who was it who said, "a thing of beauty is a joy forever?"
Ah yes.
It was John Keats in his poem Endymion, and I think he was wrong.

This Easter...

Most glorious Lord of Life! that, on this day,

Didst make Thy triumph over death and sin;
And, having harrowed hell, didst bring away

Captivity thence captive, us to win:

Change is Coming

So here we go, getting ready for another summer of seeing God transform lives!











This year, I'm not interning. Just working with the teens as they preach the Gospel.

There's nothing more fulfilling than seeing God work in the lives of young people - or older people. And that's what CEF is about... reaching children, and their families and caregivers. One child who had attended 5-day club was able to present the Gospel to children and parents at a fair later that year! She got to see the Lord use her as a worker for His kingdom - is there anything more exciting or life-changing than that?

The changes God produces in our lives have an effect on each person we come in contact with, bringing His love further and further outward until the whole world has heard the Good News!

Is this the summer when every tribe, every tongue, and every nation will hear it? God can transform any life; there is no task too large for God.

The last post of quotes :)

T: What was Cain's punishment?
C: He wouldn't have a home and when he planted a seed it would have less on it.

C: Sin is when you do something not respecting God.

T: How can you help teachers in India?
C (who wasn't paying attention): By listening very carefully.

C: Deceiving means not doing something you're supposed to do.

C (after hearing how Jesus died): Hey, that reminds me of Narnia, when Aslan died for that boy Edmund.

(Later we realized that an altar - like in our Bible story - was like the Stone Table. So cool how the kids put it together.)

T: You know what a quiet time is?
C: When you're asleep.

One boy's prayer request: "That we'll see each other again"

T: What's heaven like?
C: A big place with lots of angels in it!

T: What did Hannah name her baby?
C: Jesus?

************************************************************************

STOP a second

It was a Monday, I believe, when Sammi was at club.
She was almost junior high age, so she was a little older than some of the other kids. But she and her siblings had a lot of fun playing games with us. For one game I had all the kids line up and as I read a "right heart attitude", they could take a giant step forward. For each "wrong heart attitude", they had to stay where they were. If someone moved when they weren't supposed to, we would send them back to the starting line.
The game may not sound very exciting, but the kids liked it - maybe because it was easy to tell which was a right attitude and which was a wrong one!
But Sammi surprised me when the group of kids got close to the finish line.
I read, "I talk to God every day, every chance I get," and all the other kids took a big step forward.
But Sammi stayed back.
"Sammi," I said in surprise. "Why didn't you take a big step?"
"Because," said Sammi, "I don't do that all the time."
I explained that, while the attitudes I was reading were good, the kids didn't have to step forward only if they had those attitudes. Sammi said, "Ohh," and stepped up to the other kids.
That was all.

But Sammi's attitude got me thinking.

It took guts to stop when everyone else kept moving forward. It took even more guts to speak up and say, "I don't do that all the time." So I think maybe we had it backwards all summer. The kids are the teachers... and we teenagers just show up to learn from them.

Sammi's actions taught me to stop and think about the true nature of my relationship with God; not to just move forward with things. Sometimes I assume everyone else must have a word from God I don't; surely they're all moving in the right direction!

But maybe God just wants me to stop.

The college I'm attending this fall has a motto based on what Jesus said to Martha in Luke 10; "you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her."

Everyone else may be "worried... about many things", but you and I need to stop and say "there is something I'm not doing, and it's what I need to do. I need to get closer to God."

That's what won't be taken away from us at the finish line.

Youth With Vision

I'm so excited! Today five young ladies came over to my house (including my little sister, who I thought would NEVER be willing to learn the Wordless Book), and they all left with the instruction to give the Gospel!

If you're a reader of the blog, you know that I had to cancel the Gospel seminar last month because no one could come, and I had a horrible migraine. This week, thank God, no migraine. But there was a misunderstanding. I didn't put on the invitations that we'd learn the Wordless Book over two days. So the families planned to come on Saturday instead of Friday. I waited on Friday, and no one showed (obviously if I'd had my head on straight I would have called to make sure they were coming)! So after getting that straightened out, we agreed to do the whole thing on Saturday. "Learn the Wordless Book in one day?" I asked myself. "Can it be done?"

Well, these young people are a lot sharper than I am, and frankly a lot more willing to listen. They understood the Wordless Book and presented it to each other wonderfully. I was in awe of them and God.

Afterwards one of the girls asked if I could "make something up" to teach them, because she wanted to do this again. "I could teach you guys anything," I answered, and I believe it would be possible. These girls are sharp! I can't wait to hear about their adventures sharing the Gospel with other kids. :)

Graph

Here's a funny little graph that shows how far my support has come. :)

There are so many wonderful people supporting me this summer! I'm so thankful that God supplies every need for everyone He calls. He never leaves us on our own, wondering what to do.

Gruff but lovable dwarf on a spring day

As I read my last post I thought, "hmm. I sounded a little grumpy there."

When your body and mind are upset with you, the result is grumpy. And I could "philosophize" about my turbulent state last weekend, trying to find other reasons for my disturbance... but I won't.

It was a plain, no-good, very bad weekend.

But today...

today is a b e a u t i f u l day.

Have you walked down the street lately? Even if you live in the center of town like I do, you'll see eruptions of color - from the crabapple trees to those white ones that aren't cherry trees, to the pale green leaves high above your head.

And even if you're experiencing residual grumpiness (as I am - I hope you CAN'T tell in this post!), you will find wonders that bring rest to your soul.

James 1:17 - Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights (I love that!), who does not change like the shifting shadows.

His beautiful creation is proof that He can make this creation (me) beautiful inside, too. :)

TWLOHA Day

If you see people around you with "LOVE" on their arms, it's probably because today is National "To Write Love on Her Arms" day.

TWLOHA is an organization that helps people escape the traps of self-injury and self-hate, because God never created us to hurt ourselves or despise the beauty He's created. Today is a day to remind the hurting people that God loves them and we are praying for them!

And today, I wrote love on my arm, to remember that God made me and loves me more than I can imagine.

Remember that today!